Neuroscience, Bachelor of Science (5013) - Now admitting for Fall 2025
Program Coordinator
Michael E. Smith, michael.smith1@wku.edu, (270) 745-2405
The subject of neuroscience - the science of nervous system and brain structure and function - is a rapidly-growing science that has become established within many different scientific disciplines. The Neuroscience Major begins with a rigorous core of basic science classes and laboratories, moving on to a core of more advanced classes. All students are educated in the breadth of the subject, but will eventually choose one of three concentrations – systems, behavioral, or computational.
These three concentrations represent natural pipelines to a variety of careers and postgraduate degree options. The Systems concentration can lead to options such as in-depth graduate study in neuroscience or clinical psychopharmacology or a career in the pharmaceutical industry. The Systems concentration may also be supplemented with additional coursework as a pre-health professions option leading to a medical school application. Students in the Behavioral concentration can progress to graduate study in cognitive neuroscience or psychiatry. Those in the Computational concentration could find career options such as artificial intelligence, medical data analytics, healthcare analytics, prosthetics, or robotics. As a strong natural science degree with a large “hands-on” component, the Neuroscience Major educates students to be lifelong innovators and problem-solvers.
- Systems (NSYS)
- Behavioral (NBEH)
- Computational (NCOM)
Program Requirements (64-70 Hours)
The Neuroscience Major begins with a rigorous core of basic science classes and laboratories, moving on to a core of more advanced classes. All students are educated in the breadth of the subject, but will eventually choose one of three concentrations - systems, behavioral, or computational.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| BIOL 120 & BIOL 121 | Biological Concepts: Cells Metabolism and Genetics and Biological Concepts: Cells, Metabolism, and Genetics Lab | 4 |
| Take 3 of these 4 | 11-13 | |
| Biological Concepts: Evolution, Diversity, and Ecology and Biological Concepts: Evolution, Diversity, and Ecology Lab | ||
| College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Biopsychology and Introduction to Biopsychology Laboratory | ||
| Problem Solving and Programming | ||
or PSYS 415 | Programming for Social Sciences | |
| MATH 183 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| or BIOL 382 | Introductory Biostatistics | |
| or PSYS 313 | Statistics in Psychology | |
| PSYS 210 & PSYS 211 | Research Methods in Psychology and Research Methods in Psychology Laboratory | 4 |
| NEUR 175 | Neuroscience Seminar 1 | 1 |
| NEUR 300 | 3 | |
| NEUR 310 | Research Techniques of Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUR 401 | Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUR 402 | Systems Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUR 498 | Neuroscience Seminar 2 | 2 |
| BIOL 399 | Research Problems in Biology | 1 |
| or CHEM 399 | Research Problems in Chemistry | |
| or PSYS 490 | Independent Study in Psychological Sciences | |
| Total Hours | 38-40 | |
Systems Concentration (67-70 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | 38-40 | |
| BIOL 224 & BIOL 225 | Animal Biology and Diversity and Animal Biology and Diversity Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 319 | Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 330 | Animal Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 464 | Endocrinology | 3 |
| CHEM 222 & CHEM 223 | College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Laboratory | 5 |
| CHEM 340 & CHEM 341 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 5 |
| PSYS 360 & PSYS 365 | Behavioral Neuroscience and Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience | 3-4 |
| or BIOL 335 | Neurobiology | |
| PSYS 465 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 67-70 | |
Behavioral Concentration (64-66 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | 38-40 | |
| BIOL 224 & BIOL 225 | Animal Biology and Diversity and Animal Biology and Diversity Lab | 4 |
| PSYS 331 | Principles of Human and Animal Learning | 3 |
| or BIOL 334 | Animal Behavior | |
| PSYS 333 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PSYS 360 & PSYS 365 | Behavioral Neuroscience and Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience | 4 |
| PSYS 363 | Sensory and Perceptual Systems | 3 |
| PSYS 440 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSYS 462 | Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYS 465 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 64-66 | |
Computational Concentration (64-66 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | 38-40 | |
| CS 180 | Computer Science I | 4 |
| CS 290 | Computer Science II | 4 |
| CS 331 | Data Structures | 3 |
| CS 339 | Discrete Structures | 3 |
| CS 456 | Artificial Intelligence | 3 |
| MATH 307 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
| PSYS 360 | Behavioral Neuroscience | 3 |
| or BIOL 335 | Neurobiology | |
| PSYS 333 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 64-66 | |
Required Support Course for Computational Concentration (4 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 136 | Calculus I | 4 |
| Total Hours | 4 | |
Systems Concentration
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 120 | 3 | BIOL 122 | 3 |
| BIOL 121 | 1 | BIOL 123 | 1 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | CHEM 120 | 3 |
| MATH 116 | 3 | CHEM 121 | 2 |
| NEUR 175 | 1 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| PSYS 160 | 3 | Colonnade F-SB | 3 |
| PSYS 161 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MATH 183 | 3 | ENG 200 | 3 |
| CHEM 222 | 3 | NEUR 310 | 3 |
| CHEM 223 | 2 | BIOL 224 | 3 |
| PSYS 210 | 3 | BIOL 225 | 1 |
| PSYS 211 | 1 | BIOL 319 | 3 |
| Colonnade E-AH | 3 | Colonnade E-SB | 3 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 330 | 3 | NEUR 300 | 3 |
| CHEM 340 | 3 | NEUR 402 | 3 |
| CHEM 341 | 2 | Colonnade K-SY | 3 |
| NEUR 401 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| Colonnade K-LG | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 335 | 3 | Independent Study | 1 |
| BIOL 464 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| PSYS 465 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Colonnade K-SC | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
Behavioral Concentration
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 120 | 3 | BIOL 122 | 3 |
| BIOL 121 | 1 | BIOL 123 | 1 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | CHEM 120 | 3 |
| MATH 116 | 3 | CHEM 121 | 2 |
| NEUR 175 | 1 | PSYS 100 | 3 |
| PSYS 160 | 3 | Colonnade F-SB | 3 |
| PSYS 161 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 224 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| BIOL 225 | 1 | NEUR 310 | 3 |
| ENG 200 | 3 | PSYS 313 | 3 |
| PSYS 210 | 3 | PSYS 333 | 3 |
| PSYS 211 | 1 | Colonnade E-SB | 3 |
| Colonnade E-AH | 3 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| NEUR 401 | 3 | NEUR 300 | 3 |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | NEUR 402 | 3 |
| PSYS 331 | 3 | PSYS 363 | 3 |
| PSYS 440 | 3 | Colonnade K-SY | 3 |
| Colonnade K-LG | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | Independent Study | 1 |
| PSYS 360 | 3 | PSYS 462 | 3 |
| PSYS 365 | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| PSYS 465 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Colonnade K-SC | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
Computational Concentration
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 120 | 3 | BIOL 122 | 3 |
| BIOL 121 | 1 | BIOL 123 | 1 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| MATH 116 | 3 | MATH 117 | 3 |
| PSYS 160 | 3 | Colonnade F-SB | 3 |
| PSYS 161 | 1 | ||
| NEUR 175 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CS 180 | 4 | CS 290 | 4 |
| MATH 136 | 4 | ENG 200 | 3 |
| PSYS 210 | 3 | MATH 307 | 3 |
| PSYS 211 | 1 | NEUR 310 | 3 |
| Colonnade E-AH | 3 | PSYS 313 | 3 |
| PSYS 415 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 19 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CS 331 | 3 | CS 339 | 3 |
| NEUR 401 | 3 | NEUR 300 | 3 |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | NEUR 402 | 3 |
| PSYS 360 | 3 | Colonnade E-SB | 3 |
| Colonnade K-LG | 3 | Colonnade K-SY | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| NEUR 498 | 1 | Independent Study | 1 |
| CS 456 | 3 | PSYS 333 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Total Hours 123 | |||