Neuroscience

What it’s about:

Neuroscience is the interdisciplinary study of the nervous system and behaviour. It covers issues such as the molecular and cellular basis of neuronal function, nervous systems structure, systems of neurons as processors of information, the representation of functions in the brain, the evolutionary development of the nervous system, neural correlates of behaviour, and mechanisms of nervous system disorders. The neuroscience major prepares you for graduate study in neuroscience or a related field and for careers requiring a solid foundation in science.

What the study of this major is like:

Neuroscience addresses interesting questions. How do we think? Why do we behave the way we do? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? How does the brain give rise to consciousness? How do nature and nurture influence our behaviour? But neuroscientists seek answers to these questions in the lab sciences.

You shouldn’t think of becoming a neuroscience major unless you enjoy laboratory research approaches to exploring these issues. Like other life sciences majors, neuroscience students spend many hours in labs. All neuroscience programs will expect you to obtain a firm grounding in the basics, including biology, chemistry, physics, math psychology, and statistics. Some students may be frustrated by taking so many courses that do not deal specifically with the major. But your understanding of the nervous system will depend on your familiarity with scientific fundamentals.

Neuroscience may be the broadest major that exists. It is based in the life sciences but has connections to the social sciences and humanities. To date, there is no agreed-on sense of what is essential for the neuroscience curriculum. Each program differs in some ways form all the others. At each school that offers the major, the nature of the program is determined by the faculty members who teach the courses. Few colleges have hired instructors specifically to develop undergraduate programs in neuroscience. Instead, professors develop departmental majors such as biology and psychology. Therefore, the major depends on which areas of neuroscience are valued in the departments that contribute faculty members to the program. Look carefully at course offerings to see if the courses in the major match your interests.

Neuroscience is in an exciting phase because techniques have been developed that provide new ways to explore the brain. The human brain is the most complex phenomenon in nature. Answers to many neuroscientists’ questions are beginning to surface, but much remains unknown. If you expect final answers, you will be frustrated by the brain’s complexity. If you are excited by a sense of discovery, then you should do well in neuroscience.

Career options and trends:

Physician*; college professor/researcher*; high school teacher, science writer; research technician (e.g., with a drug company or research lab); electro-neurodiagnostic technician.

Neuroscience is becoming an important area within the sciences. Medical and academic prospects are relatively good in this field. Increasingly, universities are hiring in this area, especially in fields that have not had neuroscience representation, such as computer science, mathematics, and cognitive science.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors