Neuroscience (BS)

Program Code: U-NEUR-BS
Degree Designation: Bachelor of Science
Department: Neuroscience
Website: psychandneuro.duke.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience/requirements

Program Summary

Like the inner workings of the brain itself, neuroscience synthesizes discovery from diverse sources of knowledge. The undergraduate curriculum in neuroscience reflects this interdisciplinary perspective and challenges students to explore knowledge across levels of analysis: from the molecular and cellular level, through the level of neural circuits within which cells are organized and interconnected, and toward the level of behavior where the functions of neural circuits and systems, including human cognition, are manifested. A comprehensive understanding of neuroscience requires knowledge of each level and integrative learning across levels.

The principal strength of this program is that it provides rich opportunities for undergraduate students to study brain science with faculty from diverse disciplines who bring their complementary perspectives and expertise to the classroom and laboratory. Thus, the undergraduate curriculum in neuroscience is truly a joint, interdisciplinary major/minor that draws faculty and courses from several departments, chiefly the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Students may also elect to pursue faculty-mentored research and scholarship wherever brain science discovery happens at Duke, including the Duke University School of Medicine. Indeed, the broad impact of neuroscience discovery now extends beyond the academic disciplines in the natural sciences to spaces where neuroscientists collaborate and regularly interact with experts in ethics, law, business, social sciences, philosophy, engineering, the fine arts and performing arts, and the humanities. Accordingly, our neuroscience curriculum reflects this broad interdisciplinary platform for discovery and learning, with a rich offering of coursework and experiences that reflect the exciting growth of neuroscience and its increasing relevance to human flourishing, the diverse challenges facing society, and the health and wellness of all life.

Thus, the mission of the Undergraduate Studies in Neuroscience program is to educate learners in the liberal arts and sciences with a character-forming, value-driven, transdisciplinary understanding of Neuroscience and its impact on health and society; and to inspire student-investigators by integrating learners into a community of discovery on the frontiers of knowledge in the brain sciences so that they flourish in their well-being, discovery, life-long learning, and service to society.

Go to Programs by Department to view all related programs.

Academic Requirements

At least 14 units total to complete the major. At least 34 units total to earn a degree.

The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience program requires 14 courses: seven corequisite courses and seven courses in the major (designated with the subject code, NEUROSCI), three of which are required foundational courses and four of which are elective courses. No more than two of the seven Neuroscience courses may be used to satisfy the requirements of another major, minor, or certificate.

Corequisites (7-9 units)
- Biology: BIOLOGY 201L or BIOLOGY 202L (BIOLOGY 20 or BIOLOGY 21 may also count)
- Chemistry: CHEM 101DL or CHEM 110DL (CHEM 20 or CHEM 21 may also count)
- Computer Science: NEUROSCI 103L, COMPSCI 101L, COMPSCI 102L, or EGR 103L
- Math: MATH 105L & 106L, or MATH 111L (MATH 21 or MATH 22 may also count)
- Physics: PHYSICS 107L & 108L, or PHYSICS 121L & 122DL, or PHYSICS 151L & 152L, or PHYSICS 161D, 162D, 164L, & 165L
- Statistical Science: BIOLOGY 304, ECON 104D, PSY 201L, PSY 205, STA 230, or STA 231, or any 100-level STA course
Foundational Courses (3 units)
- NEUROSCI 206L
- NEUROSCI 217D
- NEUROSCI 223
Neuroscience Electives (4 units)
- Any 4 NEUROSCI courses
- Must include at least 1 independent study, research independent study, or 300-level laboratory or methods course
- A comprehensive list of elective courses is available to students in the degree audit system.

Corequisite details. To support productive studies and research in Neuroscience, entry-level coursework is required in the disciplines of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, and statistical or data science. Corequisites may be completed concurrently with Neuroscience courses in the major. College Board Advanced Placement Test credit may be used to satisfy corequisites (see website for details). Summer courses taken away from Duke may satisfy corequisites, provided that the DUS in Neuroscience has pre-approved the course(s) prior to enrollment.

Foundational Course details. There are three foundational courses in the major in neuroscience that reflect the different levels of inquiry described above. NEUROSCI 206L (Introduction to Systems Neuroscience) is a laboratory course that surveys the neural systems that give rise to perception and bodily action, including relevant neuroanatomical pathways and computational approaches to understanding nervous systems. NEUROSCI 223 (Introduction to Neurobiology) focuses on cellular processes and synaptic mechanisms of neural signaling and developmental neurobiology. NEUROSCI 217 or 217D (Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience) focuses on cognition and the brain basis of behavior. NEUROSCI 206L, 223, and 217/217D may be taken in any order.

Neuroscience Elective details. Neuroscience majors are required to explore the breadth and depth of the field by fulfilling four elective course requirements in neuroscience, with no more than two electives at the 100 level or below. For the Bachelor of Science degree, no more than one elective may count from a set of neuroscience courses that explore the intersection of the brain sciences and other disciplines (e.g., NEUROSCI 289 (Music and the Brain); see website for complete list of intersection courses). One elective must be an Independent Scholarship or Research Independent Study course, or a laboratory or methods course >300. Only two Independent Scholarship or Research Independent Study courses may count. Seminar, small lecture, and laboratory elective offerings are drawn from a dynamic list of approximately fifty courses that are offered by multiple departments in Trinity College, as well as departments in the School of Medicine and the Pratt School of Engineering. See the Psychology and Neuroscience website for the current list of elective offerings in each course category.

For the BS2 Degree for BME Majors in the Pratt School of Engineering

All of the requirements for the BS degree listed above must be met with the following changes:

BME 301L/NEUROSCI 301L (Bioelectricity) is required and will satisfy the laboratory/methods requirement.
BME Majors pursuing a Second Major (BS2) in Neuroscience should take a BME-recommended Statistics course.
Of the additional neuroscience electives, no more than two electives may be cross-listed between neuroscience and biomedical engineering.

Graduation with Distinction in Neuroscience

Neuroscience majors with a GPA of 3.5 or above in neuroscience courses (not including corequisites), may apply for Graduation with Distinction in neuroscience. They must also maintain at least this level of performance throughout the remainder of their neuroscience studies at Duke. Candidates for distinction will conduct and complete an original research project carried out as two terms of research independent study in neuroscience. A substantial paper (thesis), usually based on empirical research and written in publication style, and a scientific poster are required. In addition, an oral defense of the thesis will be evaluated by a committee comprising three members. One member of the committee (either the research mentor or one of the two additional committee members) must be a neuroscience faculty member from an Arts and Sciences department or be a faculty member who teaches regularly in undergraduate neuroscience. One member of the committee can be a postdoctoral fellow or an advanced graduate student who has completed their preliminary exam. The director(s) of undergraduate studies and the associate director (if applicable) are available as committee members and should be consulted if there is a question about committee membership.

Candidates for Graduation with Distinction in Neuroscience are expected to participate in a monthly series of non-credited workshops on scientific literacy, research ethics, scientific communications, thesis writing, and “works-in-progress” presentations that will be coordinated by the director and associate director of undergraduate studies, Neuroscience faculty, and the subject librarian for Neuroscience. Candidates will attend 75% or more of these workshops across the fall and spring semesters.

Evaluation of the candidate for distinction is based on the written thesis, an oral poster presentation, and the oral examination before an evaluation committee. The evaluation committee will then decide whether the overall performance of the candidate qualifies for Graduation with Distinction in neuroscience (only one distinction level is recognized). Finally, Graduation with Distinction in neuroscience research projects will be presented as scientific posters in April during an undergraduate research forum.

Interdepartmental Major (IDM) with Neuroscience

Similarly, Neuroscience may be constructed as a component of an interdepartmental major (IDM). Currently, Neuroscience allows for student-originated IDMs, which are individualized programs proposed by a student. When students craft their IDM proposal, all Trinity College guidelines must be followed (see appropriate Trinity College webpage).

Requirements for IDM with Neuroscience. Inclusive of all Trinity College requirements for a student-generated IDM, a proposal involving Neuroscience must include each of the following features.

The three foundational courses: NEUROSCI 206L, NEUROSCI 217/217D, and NEUROSCI 223, which may be taken in any sequence.
One Neuroscience methods or laboratory course, or one Independent Scholarship or Research Independent Study course.
Two Neuroscience electives, with no more than one intersection course.
While working through the Neuroscience courses listed above, a subset of corequisite requirements for the Neuroscience major are necessary, with a total of five corequisite courses for the Bachelor of Science IDM plan. If both departments represented in the IDM proposal require corequisites, then any overlapping corequisite courses may be shared between departments at the discretion of the directors of undergraduate studies. Before completing the Trinity College Interdepartmental Major Proposal form, students must discuss the development of their plan with the directors of undergraduate studies of both majors.