Major in Neuroscience and Behavior
Neuroscience and Behavior is an innovative, cross-disciplinary major aimed at understanding some of the most complex questions in science. How does the brain work? How does the mind emerge from the brain? What are the causes of mental disorders? The major provides students with broad knowledge of neuroscience through coursework drawn equally from the biological and behavioral sciences. Students in the major will also develop their quantitative and laboratory skills, learn to communicate scientific findings, and become critical and independent thinkers.
Major Requirements
Total credits = 40
Required introductory courses
- 120:200 Concepts in Biology (4)
- 112:200 Introduction to Neuroscience (3)
- 830:101 Principles of Psychology (3)
Required foundations courses
- 120:201 Foundations of Bio: Cell and Molec (3)
- 120:202 Cell and Molec lab (1)
- 120:315 Principles of Neurobiology * (3)
- 830:301 Statistics (4)
- 830:302 Research Methods (4)
- 830:304 Cognitive Processes (3)
Advanced courses - choose two courses from the following list:
- 120:341 Introduction to Neurophysiology (3)
- 830:411 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
- 830:484 Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
Electives - choose two courses (6 credits) from the following list:
- 830:330 Psychology of Learning (3)
- 830:346 Brain and Language (3)
- 830:410 Topics in Neuroscience (3)
- 830:412 Neuroscience of Decision Making (3)
- 830:413 Neuropsychology (3)
- 830:441 Drugs and the Brain (3)
- 830:470 AI and the Brain (3)
- 830:487 Pain and Pleasure (3)
- 830:496 Emotional Brain (3)
- 830:512 Neuroimaging Methods and Theory (3)**
- NJIT Math Analytical and Computational Neurosci 430 (3)
- NJIT Math Systems and Computational Neurosci 431 (3)
- Research Experience with neuroscience faculty***
* Students who major in Neuroscience and Behavior will be allowed to use Intro to Neuroscience (112:200) as a prerequisite for Intro to Neurobiology (120:315) in place of Foundations in Bio: Ecology and Evolution (120:205/6). This substitution applies only to 120:315 and no other Biology course.
**Graduate course; requires permission of instructor.
***Students can apply a maximum of 6 research credits of Research in Neuroscience (830:495 or 112:495) toward the elective requirement.
Because of its overlap with Biology, students majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior will be disallowed from double-majoring in Biological Sciences with a Neurobiology concentration. Similarly, Neuroscience and Behavior majors will be disallowed from obtaining a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience or in Biological Sciences with a Neurobiology concentration.
A final GPA of 2.5 within the major is required.
Questions? Contact: Michael Shiflett, Ph.D.
Cognitive Neuroscience Faculty
Mauricio Delgado, Ph.D.
William Graves, Ph.D.
Stephen José Hanson, Ph.D.
Barry Komisaruk, Ph.D.
Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D.
Michael Shiflett, Ph.D.
Karen Smith, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Tricomi, Ph.D.