BS in Cognitive Neuroscience

In Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Stephen Mitroff’s Science in the District seminar, first-year students visit D.C. institutions including the Transportation Security Administration and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital.
In Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Stephen Mitroff’s Science in the District seminar, first-year students visit D.C. institutions including the Transportation Security Administration and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital.

In the innovative Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience program, students gain fluency in cognitive neuroscience, develop their analytical thinking and refine their ability to present compelling scientific arguments in both written and oral form. High-achieving students often assist in undergraduate research, external internships and honors seminars in special topics.

In the classroom, cognitive neuroscience students learn the fundamental theories, methods and results involved in neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience and the study of complex behavior.

 


Paul Scotti

"My passion for cognitive neuroscience is a result of the quality of my instructors … and being able to conduct my own research as an undergraduate."

Paul Scotti
BA '17


Cognitive Neuroscience in Action

Guangying Wu in lab with mice
 
 

Quieting the Voices of Schizophrenia

Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Guangying Wu is trying to pinpoint the the misfiring neurons that cause agonizing internal noise for people with schizophrenia. His research enlisted the help of student researchers, colleagues in other scientific disciplines and a pack of genetically engineered mice.


Course Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.

Below you will find the program-specific curriculum. While you have to satisfy the number of credits in each of the following domains listed, please note, course offerings vary by semester. See below for requirements and course you can take to fulfill them:

REQUIRED          

11 to 14 credits in introductory natural science courses, including 8 credits in biological sciences and 3 or 6 credits in mathematics.

BISC 1111             Introductory Biology: Cells and Molecules            

BISC 1112             Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms 

MATH 1220

& MATH 1221     Calculus with Precalculus I

and Calculus with Precalculus II 

or MATH 1231    Single-Variable Calculus I

Two courses in analytical methods (6 credits) selected from the following:

CSCI 1011             Introduction to Programming with Java

CSCI 1012             Introduction to Programming with Python 1         

DATS 1001           Data Science for All         

PUBH 3201          Introduction to Bioinformatics   

STAT 1127            Statistics for the Biological Sciences      

Three gateway courses (9 to 10 credits) that introduce core concepts selected from the following:

ANAT 2160          Human Functional Neuroanatomy          

ANTH 1005          The Biological Bases of Human Behavior

BISC 2320             Neural Circuits and Behavior      

PHIL 1153             The Meaning of Mind    

PHIL 2045             Introduction to Logic      

PSYC 2014            Cognitive Psychology     

PSYC 2015            Biological Psychology    

SLHS 2106            Neural Substrates of Speech, Language, and Hearing       

SLHS 2131            Language Acquisition and Development

SLHS 2135            Language: Structure, Meaning, and Use

Six intermediate content courses (18 credits), which must include two courses from Cellular/molecular/systems neuroscience and four from the Cognitive neuroscience group:

Cellular/molecular/systems neuroscience

ANTH 3413          Evolution of the Human Brain    

BISC 2220             Developmental Neurobiology   

BISC 3320             Human Neurobiology    

PSYC 3181            Introduction to Psychopharmacology     

Cognitive neuroscience 

PSYC 3115            Developmental Psychopathology

PSYC 3118            Neuropsychology   

PSYC 3120            Neuroscience of Consciousness        

PSYC 3121            Memory and Cognition 

PSYC 3122            Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC 3124            Visual Perception            

SLHS 3133            Autism 

SLHS 3116            Brain and Language                        

PHIL 3121             Symbolic Logic  

ANTH 3503          Psychological Anthropology       

PHIL 3153             Mind, Brain, and Artificial Intelligence   

PSYC 3119            Cognitive Science in the District 

PSYC 3127            Social and Affective Neuroscience

PSYC 3128            Health Psychology          

PSYC 3180            Seminar in Cognitive Science      

SLHS 3117            Hearing and Perception

SLHS 3132            Literacy

One research/laboratory experience in the Biology, Psychological & Brain Sciences, or Speech and Hearing Departments (3 to 4 credits). 3

BISC 2452

& BISC 2453        Animal Behavior

and Animal Behavior Laboratory               

PSYC 3591           Supervised Research Internship

PSYC 4106W       Research Lab in Sensation and Perception           

PSYC 4107W       Research Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC 4591            Independent Research

Four advanced content courses (12 to 16 credits) selected from the following:

ANTH 3401          Human Functional Anatomy       

ANTH 3402          Human Evolutionary Anatomy   

ANTH 3412          Hominin Evolution          

or ANTH 3412W                Hominin Evolution

ANTH 3491          Topics in Biological Anthropology 4          

ANTH 3501          Anthropology of Development 

ANTH 3601          Language, Culture, and Cognition             

ANTH 3603          Psycholinguistics             

ANTH 3691          Special Topics in Linguistic Anthropology 4           

ANTH 3995          Undergraduate Research 4          

BISC 3165             Biochemistry I   

BISC 3166             Biochemistry II 

BISC 3209             Molecular Biology           

BISC 3320             Human Neurobiology    

BISC 4132             Advanced Cellular-Molecular Biology      

BISC 4171             Undergraduate Research          

or BISC 4171W   Undergraduate Research

BISC 4172             Independent Study 4     

CHEM 2151

& CHEM 2153     Organic Chemistry I

and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I        

CHEM 2152

& CHEM 2154     Organic Chemistry II

and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II       

CHEM 4195         Undergraduate Research 4          

PHIL 3121             Symbolic Logic  

PHIL 3151             Philosophy of Science    

or PHIL 3151W   Philosophy and Science

PHIL 3152             Theory of Knowledge    

PHIL 3153             Mind, Brain, and Artificial Intelligence   

PHIL 3251             Philosophy of Biology    

PHIL 4196             Topics in Theory of Knowledge 4

PHIL 4199             Readings and Research 4              

or PHIL 4199W   Readings and Research

PSYC 3116            Brain and Language        

PSYC 3118            Neuropsychology           

PSYC 3119            Cognitive Science in the District 

PSYC 3120            Neuroscience of Consciousness

PSYC 3121            Memory and Cognition 

PSYC 3122            Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC 3124            Visual Perception            

PSYC 3180            Seminar in Cognitive Science      

PSYC 3198            Current Research Issues 4            

PSYC 3199            Current Topics in Psychology 4   

PSYC 3591            Supervised Research Internship             

PSYC 4106W       Research Lab in Sensation and Perception           

PSYC 4107W       Research Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC 4591            Independent Research 4

PSYC 4997            Honors Seminar

PUBH 3201          Introduction to Bioinformatics   

SLHS 3117            Hearing and Perception

SLHS 3132            Literacy

SLHS 3133            Autism 

SLHS 4196            Independent Study     

SLHS 4221            Language and Communication in Aging 

STAT 3119            Design and Analysis of Experiments        

CSCI 1012 is recommended but not required to fulfill this requirement.

2 If a student wishes to take a Statistics course to fulfill this requirement, STAT 1127 is recommended but an equivalent STAT course may be substituted.

3 The research/laboratory experience requirement may also be fulfilled by taking any of the independent research/reading courses offered by the associated departments. Please find the list of research opportunities within the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department here (PDF). Courses that can be taken to fulfill the requirement are listed in the advanced content section with the footnote number 4. All courses so noted may be taken multiple times and each enrollment may be applied to either the advanced content or the research experience requirement.

4 These courses may have GPA requirements and permission of the instructor. Please contact the relevant departments for more information. Each must be taken for a total of at least 3 credits to count towards the requirement.