The interdisciplinary Minor in Neuroscience requires seven courses (17-20 credit hours), including four required courses (three foundational lecture courses and one seminar), at least two neuroscience lab courses, and one additional neuroscience lecture or lab course.

Related Programs

Curriculum

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Courses
BIOL 362	Neurobiology	3
NEUR 101	Introduction to Neuroscience 1	3
NEUR 300	Seminar in Neuroscience 2	1
PSYC 382 / BIOL 284	Behavorial and Cognitive Neuroscience	3
Required Laboratory Experience
Select two of the following:		4-8
BIOL 366L	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry Lab
BIOL 373 / NEUR 301 / PSYC 388	Laboratory in Neuroscience I
BIOL 390	Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIOL 395L	Special Topics Laboratory (select topics related to neuroscience)
PSYC 311 / BIOL 313	Lab in Psychobiology
PSYC 312	Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 313	Lab in Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC 314	Lab in Experimental Psychology: Cognition
PSYC 316	Lab in Experimental Psychology: Sense & Perception
PSYC 384 / COMP 389	Computational Modeling of the Brain
May include one of the following independent research options:
BIOL 396	Research (with a Molecular/Cellular or Cognitive/Behavioral focus)
PSYC 370	Psychology Honors Research (with a Cognitive/Behavioral focus; PSYC 369 is pre-req)
PSYC 397	Independent Research (with a Cognitive/Behavioral focus)
Electives
Select one of the following lectures or an additional lab course:		3
BIOL 320	Animal Behavior
BIOL 351	Sleep/Circadian Rhythms
BIOL 352	Neurobiology of Feeding in Health and Disease
BIOL 357	Neural Disease, Degeneration, and Regeneration
BIOL 358	Developmental Neurobiology
BIOL 395	Special Topics in Biology (select topics related to neuroscience)
PSYC 240 / BIOL 240	Psychology-Biology of Perception
PSYC 251	Learning and Memory
PSYC 332	Affective Neuroscience
PSYC 350	Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 352	Neuropsychology
PSYC 378	Drugs and Behavior
PSYC 383 / COMP 386	Methods in Computational Neuroscience
Total Hours		17-21

¹

Note: NEUR 101 was formerly BIOL 202/PSYC 202.

²

Neuroscience minors enrolled in independent research in Biology or Psychology with a neuroscientist are not required to take NEUR 300.

Pre-Requisite Coursework for Required Courses

Due to pre-requisite requirements for required courses, you will need to take at least the following courses (20-22 credits) in addition to the seven courses that are part of the Neuroscience Minor:

• PSYC 101 (3 credits)
• One year of Biology (8 credits): BIOL 101 with BIOL 111 and BIOL 102 with BIOL 112
• One year of Chemistry (6-8 credits): (CHEM 160 and CHEM 180) OR (CHEM 101 with CHEM 111 and CHEM 102 with CHEM 112) OR (CHEM 105)
• BIOL 251 (3 credits)
• Any additional pre-requisites required for the additional three specialty neuroscience labs/lectures

Students should always validate the pre-reqs in the LOCUS catalog, as they can depend on the student's major.

Undergraduate Research

Neuroscience students have numerous opportunities to conduct scientific research in the labs of our neuroscience-affiliated faculty at Loyola's Lake Shore Campus, in the labs of other faculty on any of Loyola's campuses, or at other institutions in the Chicago area. Depending on the applicability of the research project to the student's Neuroscience Major or Minor, independent research may be able to qualify for course credit as one of the required specialty labs (see below).

Neuroscience Minor Research Credit

Neuroscience minors can earn NRSC specialty lab credit for conducting independent research that has a neuroscience, cognitive/behavioral, or molecular/cellular focus in labs within the psychology or biology departments or at an appropriate external internship site. Your research project must be approved by the NRSC Co-Directors for NRSC credit through one of the 3-credit courses below:

• BIOL 396 Research (relevant research with faculty in Biology)
• BIOL 398 Internship in Biology (relevant research at an external site)
• PSYC 397 Independent Research (relevant research with faculty in Psychology)
• PSYC 369 Psychology Honors Readings/PSYC 370 Psychology Honors Research (relevant research with faculty in Psychology)

Please contact the NRSC Co-Directors for questions about earning credit from cognitive/behavioral, molecular/cellular, or neuroscience-related research in other departments (e.g., computer science, engineering, chemistry).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program of study, students will be able to:

• functional neuroanatomy at the gross, cellular, and subcellular levels. [Neuroanatomy]
• electrochemical signaling and information processing in the nervous system. [Neurophysiology]
• the general methodological approaches, applications, strengths, and weaknesses of the major laboratory and computational techniques used in the study of the nervous system. [Neuroscience Methods]
• the neural bases of sensory processing and behavior (e.g., movement, appetitive behaviors, biological rhythms). [Sensory/Behavior]
• the neural bases of cognitive and affective aspects of mental life (e.g., memory, attention, executive function, language, emotion). [Cognitive/Affective]
• genetic, environmental, and experiential influences on neural development and neuroplasticity. [Neural Development/Plasticity]
• the relationships between neurological and psychiatric disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression), their underlying neuropathology, and common treatments. [Clinical Disorders]
• read, understand, critically evaluate, and draw appropriate conclusions from reports of neuroscientific investigations. [Critical Analysis]
• effectively communicate findings from neuroscience research studies to both scientific and nonscientific audiences in multiple formats. [Scientific Communication]
• formulate scientific questions, construct testable hypotheses, and design scientific investigations that contribute to neuroscience. [Research Design]
• engage in scientific investigations using appropriate neuroscientific laboratory or computational techniques, statistically analyze the data, and interpret the findings. [Laboratory Skills & Inquiry/Statistical Analysis]
• develop awareness of the philosophical, moral, and ethical issues raised by neuroscience and influences of neuroscience on other fields such as medicine, education, and social sciences. [Science & Society]