Neuroscience, B.S.
The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience degree brings together multiple scientific disciplines focusing on the nervous system. This interdisciplinary program offers students a solid foundation in science alongside specialization within a specific concentration area and extensive opportunities for hands-on research experience. The degree is ideal for students who intend to pursue graduate studies in neuroscience, animal behavior, psychology or medicine.
In particular, the B.S. in Neuroscience is designed to provide students with the necessary background for entry into graduate programs in neuroscience as well as facilitate completion of pre-med requirements for entry into medical school. Majors can also apply to the B.S. with Distinction in Neuroscience to complete additional research culminating in a senior thesis.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate a solid base of knowledge in the core areas of neuroscience, including both the cellular/molecular level and the cognitive/behavioral level.
- Students will demonstrate a clear grasp of the core concepts within the major concentration they have selected
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use scientific methodology in the critical evaluation of information, including identifying assumptions, creating and evaluating hypotheses, designing relevant experiments, and evaluating the results of analyses and experiments
- Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate scientific literature and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, about neuroscience concepts and principles.
- Students will demonstrate preparedness for relevant careers or entry into graduate or professional programs
Admissions
Entrance Requirements
New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the college. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:
- Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.
Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have special admission requirements established by the department or committee that supervises the specific degree program, for example, Cardiovascular Technology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Economics, Environmental Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. These requirements are listed in the sections of this bulletin that describe department and special degree programs.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Carolina Core | 32-46 |
| College Requirements | 15-18 |
| Program Requirements | 20-37 |
| Major Requirements | 36 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
Requirements (120 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core (32-46 hours) | ||
| CMW - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written 1 | ||
| CC-CMW course(s) | 6 | |
| ARP - Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving | ||
| MATH 122 | Calculus for Business Administration and Social Sciences | 3-4 |
| or MATH 141 | Calculus I | |
| MATH 142 | Calculus II | 3-4 |
| or MATH 170 | Finite Mathematics | |
| or MATH 172 | Mathematical Modeling for the Life Sciences | |
| or MATH 174 | Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science | |
| SCI - Scientific Literacy | ||
| BIOL 101 & 101L | Biological Principles I and Biological Principles I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 102 & 102L | Biological Principles II and Biological Principles II Laboratory | 4 |
| GFL - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language | ||
| Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course. It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed. | ||
| CC-GFL course(s) | 0-6 | |
| GHS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking | ||
| CC-GHS course(s) | 3 | |
| GSS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences | ||
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| AIU - Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding | ||
| CC-AIU course(s) | 3 | |
| CMS - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component 2 | ||
| CC-CMS course(s) | 0-3 | |
| INF - Information Literacy 2 | ||
| CC-INF course(s) | 0-3 | |
| VSR - Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility 2 | ||
| CC-VSR course(s) | 0-3 | |
PHIL 321 (recommended for Pre-Med) | ||
| 2. College Requirements (15-18 hours) | ||
| Foreign Language (0-3 hours) | ||
| Only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency | 0-3 | |
| Analytical Reasoning (6 hours) | ||
| STAT 205 | Elementary Statistics for the Biological and Life Sciences 3 | 3 |
| or STAT 509 | Statistics for Engineers | |
| or STAT 515 | Statistical Methods I | |
| CSCE 102 or higher | 3 | |
| History (3 hours) | ||
| The College of Arts and Sciences requires one additional GHS course beyond the Carolina Core GHS requirement. If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course. If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a U.S. history course. Please select the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement from the approved list. | ||
| U.S. and non-U.S. History Courses | 3 | |
| Social Science (3 hours) | ||
| Social Science Courses | 3 | |
SOCY 101 (recommended for Pre-Med) | ||
| Fine Arts or Humanities (3 hours) | ||
| Fine Arts/Humanities Courses | 3 | |
CLAS 230 (recommended for Pre-Med) | ||
| 3. Program Requirements (20-37 hours) | ||
| Supporting Courses (19 hours) 1 | ||
| PSYC 405 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 111L | General Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 112L | General Chemistry II Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 333 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 331L | Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 1 |
| BIOL 302 | Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 302L | Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 1 |
Supporting courses are prerequisites for Major Requirements. Eight hours may also be used to fulfill the requirements for a Minor, Cognate or second Major. | ||
| Cognate or Minor (0-18 hours) Optional 1 | ||
| This major does not require a cognate or minor. An optional minor may be added to a student’s program of study. A minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University. A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z . An optional additional major may also be added to a student’s program of study. | 0-18 | |
| Electives (0-18 hours) | ||
| 120 (or 128) degree applicable credits are required to complete any degree at USC. After the cognate, minor or second major is complete, any additional credits needed to reach 120 (or 128) total credits can be fulfilled by electives. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences. | 0-18 | |
| 4. Major Requirements (36 hours) 1 | ||
| Major Courses (12 hours) | ||
| NSCI 300 | Introduction to Neuroscience | 3 |
| BIOL 405 | Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology | 3 |
| PSYC 507 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| Required Neuroscience Research 4 | 3 | |
| Individual Research in Neuroscience | ||
Lab Courses: | ||
| Neuroscience Laboratory | ||
| Other lab-based courses may be approved by the Neuroscience Program Director if they have a significant neuroscience component. | ||
| Major Electives (12 hours) 5 | ||
| BIOL 303 | Fundamental Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 460 | Advanced Human Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 461 | Advanced Human Anatomy | 3 |
| BIOL 505 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 530 | Histology | 4 |
| BIOL 534 | Animal Behavior | 3 |
| BIOL 541 | Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOL 541L | Biochemistry Laboratory 6 | 1 |
| BIOL 543 | Comparative Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 553 | Genomics | 3 |
| BIOL 612 | Virology - Classical and Emerging Concepts | 3 |
| BIOL 614 | Stem Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 620 | Immunobiology | 3 |
| BIOL 633 | Biology of Human Neurodevelopmental Disorders | 3 |
| BIOL 634 | Biology of Neurological Diseases | 3 |
| BIOL 635 | Neurophysiology | 3 |
| BIOL 665 | Human Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 667 | Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Pathogenesis | 3 |
| BMEN 321 | Biomonitoring and Electrophysiology | 3 |
| CSCE 556 | Analysis of Experimental Data in Python | 3 |
| EXSC 303 | Perceptual-Motor Development | 3 |
| EXSC 351 | Acquisition of Motor Skills | 3 |
| EXSC 562 | Impairments of the Human Motor System | 3 |
| EXSC 610 | Neuroscience of Human Performance | 3 |
| EXSC 641 | Neuromuscular Basis of Functional Strength Training | 3 |
| NSCI 560 | Advanced Topics in Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSCI 570 | Neuroscience Laboratory 7 | 3 |
| PHIL 351 | Mind and Nature | 3 |
| PSYC 370 | Psychology of Consciousness | 3 |
| PSYC 400 | Survey of Learning and Memory | 3 |
| PSYC 450 | Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PSYC 503 | Psychology of Drug Use and Effects | 3 |
| PSYC 550 | Advanced Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PSYC 571 | Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory | 3 |
| PSYC 572 | Cognitive Psychology Laboratory | 3 |
| Individual Research 8 | ||
| Depending on the topic, special topics courses/seminars and internships may be applied as core courses towards concentrations or as major electives with permission of the Neuroscience program director. | ||
| Topics in Biology | ||
| Advanced Topics in Neuroscience | ||
| Selected Topics in Psychology | ||
| Internship: Community Engagement | ||
or COLA 391 | Internship: Global Community Engagement | |
| Students must choose one of the following three concentrations. Concentrations consist of a minimum of 12 hours of core courses in a targeted area of study. Core courses should be selected in conjunction with the neuroscience advisor to target each student’s interests and career goals. | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Concentration (12 hours) | ||
Students must take a minimum of 12 hours selected from the following: | ||
| Fundamental Genetics | ||
| Histology | ||
| Biochemistry | ||
| Biochemistry Laboratory 6 | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Stem Cell Biology | ||
| Immunobiology | ||
| Biology of Human Neurodevelopmental Disorders | ||
| Biology of Neurological Diseases | ||
| Neurophysiology | ||
| Human Molecular Genetics | ||
| Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Pathogenesis | ||
| Biomonitoring and Electrophysiology | ||
| Biometric Measurements in Healthcare and Wearables | ||
Students may take additional courses from the Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience core courses to fulfill the major electives. | ||
| Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration (12 hours) | ||
Students must take a minimum of 3 hours from List A and 3 hours from List B, with additional courses selected from either list to meet the minimum of 12 hours. | ||
List A | ||
| Advanced Human Physiology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Comparative Physiology | ||
| Acquisition of Motor Skills | ||
| Impairments of the Human Motor System | ||
| Neuroscience of Human Performance | ||
| Neuromuscular Basis of Functional Strength Training | ||
List B | ||
| Survey of Learning and Memory | ||
| Sensation and Perception | ||
| Psychology of Drug Use and Effects | ||
| Advanced Sensation and Perception | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory | ||
| Cognitive Psychology Laboratory | ||
Students may take additional courses from the Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience core courses List A or B to fulfill the major electives. | ||
| Neurodevelopment and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Concentration (12 hours) | ||
Required: | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Survey of Developmental Psychology | ||
Select 6 hours from the following: | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Stem Cell Biology | ||
| Biology of Human Neurodevelopmental Disorders | ||
| Biology of Neurological Diseases | ||
| Child Behavioral and Mental Disorders | ||
| Psychology of Child Development | ||
| Psychology of Adolescence | ||
| Psychology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders | ||
- 1.
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
- 2.
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
- 3.
For the statistics requirement, students who have previously completed PSYC 220 and STAT 201 with a grade of C or better before declaring the Neuroscience major may use STAT 201 to fulfill this requirement.
- 4.
Training in the methods of scientific inquiry and the dissemination of research in neuroscience. Can be fulfilled with independent research undertaken with a faculty mentor or lab-based coursework. Must be approved by the Neuroscience Program Director.
- 5.
Students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of elective coursework. Electives should be selected in conjunction with the neuroscience advisor to target each student’s interests and career goals and complement their concentration coursework.
- 6.
Students intending to take BIOL 541 as part of their major requirements should also take CHEM 334/CHEM 332L as part of their program requirements, either as an elective or as part of their cognate/minor.
- 7.
Students who complete Individual Research to complete the Required Neuroscience Research may take NSCI 570 as an elective.
- 8.
A maximum of 6 hours of Independent Study / Individual Research can be applied as major credit. Students admitted to the BS with Distinction in Neuroscience may apply an additional 3 hours of independent research toward their major requirements, up to a maximum of 9 hours.
BS with Distinction in Neuroscience (45 hours)
Available to students majoring in Neuroscience who wish to participate in significant research activities in their major field under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
Prerequisite
A minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major, and 3.50 cumulative, is required to apply for a BS with Distinction in Neuroscience.
Requirements
- Students must submit a written application for the BS with Distinction in Neuroscience at least eight months before completion of the degree.
- Written sponsorship agreement from a faculty mentor affiliated with the Neuroscience program.
- An established thesis committee consisting of a primary mentor who must be a tenure-track or professional-track faculty member affiliated with the Neuroscience Program and a secondary mentor who is a USC faculty or staff member with a doctoral degree (e.g., tenure-track faculty, professional-track faculty, post-doctoral researchers).
- A written thesis demonstrating significant original work and approved by the thesis committee. The student may use their senior thesis to simultaneously fulfill other requirements as well (e.g., Honors College Thesis), at the discretion of the thesis advisor.
- A public presentation of the Senior Thesis research.
- Successful fulfillment of all requirements below with a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major and 3.50 cumulative.
- Completion of all major requirements, plus 9 additional credit hours including:
- A minimum of three credit hours of independent research (in addition to any hours taken as part of the major requirements)
- A minimum of three upper-level credits from the list of approved neuroscience electives (can include additional credits of independent research)
- NSCI 499 (3 hours) or SCHC 499 (3 hours)
Note: South Carolina Honors College students satisfying the above requirements will graduate with “Honors from the South Carolina Honors College” and with “Distinction in Neuroscience.”
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.