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CSH 2024 Neuroscience

​Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary major that incorporates existing courses from the natural, computational, and social sciences, as well as specific courses unique to the field of Neuroscience. Neuroscience has quickly become one of the fastest growing areas of study in both the natural and behavioral sciences. Its multidisciplinary nature attracts individuals not just from biology and psychology disciplines, but also from fields such as philosophy, anthropology, economics, mathematics and computer science.

Neuroscience majors are interested in studying the brain and nervous system in multiple ways. They consider fundamental concepts that underlie the function of the nervous system on a cellular and molecular level, how the nervous system produces behavior and cognition, and the role of computer science and mathematics in new technologies and therapies in neuroscience. Additionally, Neuroscience majors can apply their knowledge of the nervous system to human health and disease, as well as public health, philosophy, law, business, computer science, and related fields.  ​

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Liberal Studies Requirements 60-68
Major Core Requirements 48-76
Concentration Requirements 8-48
Open Electives 0-28
Total hours required 192-196

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to: 

  • Describe how the cellular and systems level structure of the nervous system is responsible for neurological function, behavior, and cognition.
  • Critically evaluate scientific literature in order to communicate core concepts in a clear and organized manner both verbally and in writing.
  • Design and analyze scientific experiments.
  • Explain challenges surrounding ethical thinking posed by advancements in neuroscience.
  • Relate neuroscience content to other scientific and non-scientific disciplines.

College Core Requirements

Modern Language Requirements

Students who intend to graduate with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. Such competence may be demonstrated in one of several ways:

  • completing the last course in the fourth-year high school sequence of any language
  • completing the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language
  • completing a college course beyond the first-year level in any language
  • achieving a satisfactory score on any of the Modern Language placement examinations administered at DePaul
  • achieving a satisfactory rating in a proficiency examination accepted by DePaul
  • achieving a score of 3 or higher on the Advance Placement (AP) test for any language
  • achieving a score of 5 or higher in the Language B assessment from a Standard or Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) program
  • achieving a satisfactory score on the CLEP examination

Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement.

For further information regarding satisfactory scores and possible credit from the DePaul placement, AP, CLEP, or IB examinations, please contact Student Records.

Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College of Science and Health will abide by the College of Science and Health Modern Language Requirement in place on the effective date of the ICT.

BA students who meet College requirements and wish to pursue further work in the language may elect the “Modern Language Option” of the Liberal Studies Program. While Bachelor of Science (BS) students are not required to demonstrate competency in a modern language, the “Modern Language Option” is available to them for language study at any level. Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.

Major Declaration Requirements

All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year. After researching College programs, the student should declare a major field by visiting Campus Connection and using the Declarations and Inter-College Transfer tool. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor or staff advisor in the department or program and should make an appointment to see that advisor at his or her earliest convenience.

To change major fields, or to declare a minor or concentration, the student must use the Declarations and Inter-College Transfer tool described above. However, for the purpose of exploring the possibility of changing a major field, the student should consult an academic advisor in the College or an academic advisor in the Office for Academic Advising Support.

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
Not Required
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 2 4
Senior Year
Capstone
NEU 390 NEUROSCIENCE CAPSTONE 1 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better.

2

Students in the Accelerated 3+ Pre-Health/Occupational Therapy Concentration must complete this requirement by taking OT 412 and OT 422.

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  • 3 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Math and Computing (MC)

  • Not Required

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required; 1 course required for Accelerated 3+ Pre-Medicine Concentration and Accelerated 3+ Pre-Health/Occupational Therapy Concentration
    (See note below)

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required
    (See note below)

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • Not Required​​​​​

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)  

  • 1 Course Required; ANT 102 or SOC 101 are highly recommended for students in the Accelerated 3+ Pre-Health/Occupational Therapy Concentration as they are prerequisites for the Occupational Therapy (MS) program.

Notes

Students who are not in the Accelerated 3+ Pre-Medicine Concentration or the Accelerated 3+ Pre-Health/Occupational Therapy Concentration must complete one approved ethics course from the following:

Course Title Quarter Hours
CSC 208ETHICS IN TECHNOLOGY4
HLTH 229ETHICS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES4
PHL 200ETHICAL THEORIES4
PHL 230CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN ETHICS4
PHL 228NEUROETHICS4
PHL 229BIOMEDICAL ETHICS4
REL 229MEDICINE, ETHICS AND SOCIETY4

Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.​​

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.​

Major Requirements

For students in Accelerated 3+programs with RFUMS or the combined program in Occupational Therapy, please refer to the curriculum in these concentrations for changes in the core and elective requirements.

​Core Requirements

Course Title Quarter Hours
BIO 191GENERAL BIOLOGY I FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
BIO 192GENERAL BIOLOGY II FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
BIO 193GENERAL BIOLOGY III FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
CHE 130
CHE 131
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY
4
CHE 132
CHE 133
GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
4
CHE 134
CHE 135
GENERAL CHEMISTRY III
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY III
4
PSY 105INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY I4
PSY 106INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY II4
NEU 201INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE4
NEU 202ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE FUNDAMENTALS4
NEU 280RESEARCH METHODS IN NEUROSCIENCE4
NEU 390NEUROSCIENCE CAPSTONE4
Select one of the following:4
BIOSTATISTICS
STATISTICS I
DATA ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS OF STATISTICS

Major Electives (does not apply to Pre-Health Concentration students)

Choose between 6 to 9 major electives (24 to 36 quarter hours) depending on the selected concentration.  Please refer to concentration page for required number of major electives.  If a course is listed as a concentration requirement, it cannot double count as a major elective as well. 

Course Title Quarter Hours
NEU 228NEUROETHICS4
NEU 256INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE4
NEU 310SEMINAR IN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY4
NEU 339CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY4
or BIO 339 CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
NEU 350SENSORY NEUROSCIENCE4
NEU 351NEUROSCIENCE OF MOVEMENT4
NEU 360CONVERSATIONS WITH NEUROSCIENTISTS4
NEU 380SPECIAL TOPIC IN NEUROSCIENCE4
NEU 399INDEPENDENT STUDY IN NEUROSCIENCE2-4
BIO 201HUMAN ANATOMY4
BIO 210MICROBIOLOGY4
BIO 220BIOTECHNOLOGY4
BIO 250CELL BIOLOGY4
BIO 260GENETICS4
BIO 301ANIMAL BEHAVIOR4
BIO 307ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY4
or BIO 308 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
or HLTH 301 INTEGRATED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY-A
BIO 330DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY4
BIO 340BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE4
BIO 341TOPICS IN NEUROBIOLOGY4
BIO 342COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE4
or PSY 379 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
BIO 360MOLECULAR BIOLOGY4
BIO 375INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY4
or HLTH 375 INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
BIO 386ENDOCRINOLOGY4
CHE 230
CHE 231
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I
4
CHE 232
CHE 233
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
4
CHE 234
CHE 235
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY III
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY III
4
CHE 340
CHE 341
BIOCHEMISTRY I
and EXPERIMENTAL BIOCHEMISTRY I
4
CSC 241INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I4
CSC 250COMPUTERS AND HUMAN INTELLIGENCE4
CSC 381INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING4
DSC 341FOUNDATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE4
HLTH 302INTEGRATED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY-B4
PHY 150GENERAL PHYSICS I4
or PHY 170 UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I
PHY 151GENERAL PHYSICS II4
or PHY 171 UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II
PHY 152GENERAL PHYSICS III4
or PHY 172 UNIVERSITY PHYSICS III
PSY 303HUMAN DEVELOPMENT4
PSY 348SOCIAL COGNITION4
PSY 353INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL SCIENCE
PSY 364HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY4
PSY 366BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS OF CHILDREN4
PSY 370SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT4

For students interested in applying to professional health programs that require Anatomy and Physiology, we recommend choosing from the combination of BIO 201 and BIO 308 or HLTH 301 and HLTH 302.

Concentration Requirements

Students must also complete the requirements from one concentration: Behavioral/Cognitive Neuroscience; Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience; Computational Neuroscience; Integrative Neuroscience; Pre-Health.  Students are limited to only declaring one concentration.

Students are advised to talk with their advisor before double majoring because some major combinations are prohibited.  No more than 50% of the credits that apply to one major may be drawn from another major.

Concentrations, tracks and specializations provide focus to the major. In addition to any college core requirements, liberal studies requirements and major requirements, students are required to choose one of the following concentrations:

The concentrations listed below may only be taken by students who have been conditionally admitted into a corresponding pre-professional program.  Details regarding application and admission are provided within each of the concentration descriptions.

Accelerated Programs