SMITH COLLEGE NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM
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Courses in the Neuroscience Major and Minor
Revised: March 17, 2011
Courses offered in Fall 2011:
Core: BIO 150/151; CHM 111/118; NSC 230; MTH/PSY 190; MTH 245; BIO 200/201; BIO 202/203; BIO 302/303; BIO 310/311
Electives: BIO 362; PSY 221; PSY 227
Courses offered in Spring 2012:
Core: BIO 150/151; CHM 222; PSY 210; NSC 230; MTH/PSY 190; MTH 245; BIO 230/231; BIO 300/301; NSC 314/315;
Electives: PSY 219; PSY 222
Seminars: BCH 380 (Biochemical bases of ischemic injury); BIO 323 (TBA); NSC 312 (Biological rhythms); PSY 314 (Autism spectrum disorders); PSY 326 (TBA)
The Major in Neuroscience (53 or 54 credits)
The major normally begins with PSY 210, Introduction to Neuroscience, which gives an overview of the brain and behavior. Majors also need a strong early foundation in biology and chemistry. First-year students might thus start with BIO 150/151, CHM 111, CHM 222, and PSY 210. Courses after that should be chosen from the following core requirements and electives in consultation with a Neuroscience advisor. Tables of suggested paths through the major will help in your planning.
Required Core Courses (47 credits)
BIO 150/151 Cells, Physiology and Development + lab (fall & spring)
5
CHM 111 (or 118), 222 Chemistry I, II (fall & spring)
10
PSY 210 Introduction to Neuroscience (spring)
4
NSC 230 Experimental Methods in Neuroscience (fall & spring)
4
MTH 190 / PSY 190 or MTH 245 Statistics (fall & spring)
4
Take two of these three intermediate courses -- and their labs -- as core courses:
BIO 200/201 Animal Physiology (fall) or BIO 202/203 Cell Biology (fall) or BIO 230/231 Genomes and Genetic Analysis (spring)10
Take two advanced courses with labs from these four options:
BIO 300/301 Neurophysiology + lab (spring)
BIO 302/303 Developmental Biology + lab (fall)
BIO 310/311 Cell & Molecular Neuroscience + lab (fall)
NSC 314/315 Neuroendocrinology + lab (spring)10
Elective Courses (6-8 credits)
Choose one course from this group:
BIO 200 (fall) or BIO 202 (fall) or BIO 230 (spring) (4)
BIO 300/301 (spring) or 302 (fall) or 310 (fall) or NSC 314 (spring) (4 or 5)
BIO 362 Animal Behavior (fall) or BIO 363 Animal Behavior Methods (fall) (3)
PSY 221 Physiology of Behavior (fall) (4)
PSY 218 Cognitive Psychology (spring) (4)
PSY 219 Cognitive Neuroscience (spring) (4)
PSY 222 Psychopharmacology (spring) (4)
PSY 227 Brain, Behavior, and Emotion (fall) (4)
3 - 5
Choose one course from this group:
BIO 323 Topics in Developmental Biology (spring) (3)
NSC 312 Seminar in Neuroscience (spring) (4)
PSY 314 Seminar in Foundations of Behavior (spring) (4)
PSY 326 Seminar in Biopsychology (spring) (4)
BCH 380 Seminar in Biochemistry (spring) (3)
NSC 400 Special Studies (1 to 5 credits)
NSC 430 or 432 Honors Thesis (8 or 12 credits)
3 - 12
The Five College Certificate in Cognitive Neuroscience is offered for students enrolled at Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. It encourages students to follow a program of courses on "the mind as manifested in the human brain" as a complement to a major in neuroscience. For details, consult the certificate website.
Study Abroad is possible in Neuroscience. Mary Harrington is the advisor for study abroad, and information about various programs is available on her faculty website.
Notes:
- The Neuroscience major requires a minimum of 53 credits, depending on which electives are chosen.
- The S/U option may not be used for courses in the major.
- A student who places out of required courses with AP or IB credits is expected to replace those with others offered in the major.
- BIO 200, 202, 230, 300/301, 302, 310 or NSC 314 may be taken as either core or elective courses, but one course cannot be counted as both.
- PSY 210 (Introduction to Neuroscience): seniors require permission of instructor to enroll.
- NSC 230 (Experimental Methods in Neuroscience) is not open to seniors.
Honors
Director: Adam Hall
430d Thesis
8 credits
Full-year course; offered each year432d Thesis
12 credits
Full-year course; offered each yearRequirements: The same as for the major, with 8 or 12 thesis credits in the senior year involving an individual investigation, a written thesis, and two oral presentations (one at midyear and one following submission of the thesis). The thesis is graded by three readers: the thesis adviser, a NSC program faculty member in the adviser's department, and a NSC program faculty member in a department different from that of the thesis adviser. The final honors determination is based on overall GPA (20%), final oral presentation (20%) and the quality of the thesis (60%). The thesis course (430d or 432d) receives a grade which is calculated in the overall GPA.
Eligibility: 3.3 GPA in the major through the junior year and a thesis proposal (1000-1500 words) approved by the thesis adviser and the members of the program prior to the college deadline for submission of honors applications.
The Minor in Neuroscience
Two required core courses:
* PSY 210 Introduction to Neuroscience (spring) or PSY 221 Physiology of Behavior (fall)
* A 300-level course, selected in consultation with your advisor.
Four electives (choose any four additional courses from this list):
PSY 210, 218, 219, 221, 222, 227, 312, 326
NSC 312, 314
BIO 200, 202, 230, 300/301, 302, 310, 323
BCH 380
Notes:
- Six courses are required for the minor.
- The S/U option may not be used for courses in the minor.
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