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WHAT
COURSES TO TAKE AND WHEN
An increasing number of colleges and
universities offer an undergraduate major in neuroscience. Students with
such a major will automatically have access to the course work and
training necessary to build a strong record for graduate study. Most
students that apply to graduate programs in neuroscience, however, still
come from traditional disciplines: biology, chemistry, and psychology
are common undergraduate majors. If you have one of these backgrounds,
you should prepare to take several advanced courses in your junior and
senior years. Most graduate neuroscience programs expect applicants to
have completed at least one semester of organic chemistry as well as
courses in genetics, molecular or cellular biology, and mammalian
physiology. A course in brain and behavior (behavioral neuroscience,
physiological psychology, or psychobiology) also is important, and many
programs expect applicants to pursue some advanced topics courses in
this general area. You also should take at least one course in calculus
and one in statistics.
Beyond these basic courses, the type of
undergraduate transcript that you develop will depend, in part, on your
interests and the type of offerings available at your institution.
Biochemistry, computer science, cognitive science, developmental
biology, neuroethology, pharmacology, physics or electronics, and
experimental psychology can help round out the basic science background
you'll need for graduate study in neuroscience.
Courses that cover such topics as the
basic elements of experimental design and the write-up of research
reports represent other useful additions to your transcript. Ideally,
such courses should be taken in your sophomore or junior year to ensure
adequate preparation for more advanced seminars or research courses in
which data analysis and laboratory reports are expected. It also is a
good idea to take courses that emphasize writing, especially science
writing. Far too many students apply to graduate school with an adequate
background in science courses but with almost no experience in the craft
that is the hallmark of science. Poor writing skills can sink a
dissertation just as easily as inadequate or sloppy research. In
addition, because so much of science involves the oral presentation of
research results (e.g., at scientific meetings and job interviews as
well as at a dissertation defense), a formal course in public speaking
or courses that offer opportunities for discussion or oral presentations
in class are extremely valuable.
Laboratory courses also are helpful even
if the topic is not directly related to neuroscience. Laboratories in
organic chemistry or molecular biology, for example, provide valuable
introductions to research techniques. Laboratory courses that cover some
fundamental aspects of research on the nervous system are even more
appropriate. Such courses provide critical first-hand experience with
some basic research tools of neuroscience, but they are no substitute
for research experience in an actual neuroscience laboratory.
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