Psychology and Neuroscience department web site
The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2024-2025 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
The neuroscience program is nested under the direction of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, while maintaining strong interdisciplinary connections. The program is designed to represent the psychological and biological foundations of this growing field.
Undergraduates preparing for careers in neuroscience or related fields must have a strong scientific foundation in the natural sciences. Students studying neuroscience at Drake University will be exposed to an interdisciplinary environment through coursework in physical and life sciences, close interactions with faculty and the opportunity to participate in research projects. The interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience can be appealing to students in allied fields such as psychology and biology, thus making earning a double major or minor an attractive option.
There are many career paths available to students interested in neuroscience or related fields. Some are interested in attending graduate school to pursue a career in basic or applied research and teaching. Others may want a neuroscience background as a foundation for further training in a health care field, such as medicine, physical therapy, optometry and nursing. Still others may want exposure to neuroscience topics because of an interest in professional writing (newspaper, magazine) about the field or working in a related field such as the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. In all cases, students should work with their academic advisor to determine what path is best for them.
The neuroscience program at Drake University contains a major (B.S.) and a minor. The B.S. degree in neuroscience requires at least 64 credit hours to complete. Students must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the major (computed across all major courses) to graduate with a B.S. in Neuroscience. The minor requires 24 credits hours.
The curriculum for a B.S. in neuroscience at Drake University is described below. Completion of the program requires completion of the course requirements listed below. Students will work with their advisor to make appropriate course selections when options are available, thus the precise number of credit hours for the major will vary slightly. Core requirements may be transferred by petition.
| Course | Credits |
| General Requirements - complete all courses | |
| NSCI 001 - Introduction to Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSCI 010 - Research Methods in Neuroscience | 3 |
| BIO 176, 176L - Neurophysiology | 4 |
| BIO 012, 012L - General/Pre-Professional Biology I (with lab) | 4 |
| BIO 013, 013L - General/Pre-Professional Biology II (with lab) | 4 |
| CHEM 001, 003 - General Chemistry I (with lab) | 4 |
| CHEM 002, 004 - General Chemistry II (with lab) | 4 |
| CHEM 097, 098 - Organic Chemistry I (with lab) | 4 |
| CHEM 108, 110 - Organic Chemistry II (with lab) | 4 |
| PSY 011 - Introductory Statistics (with lab) Note: BIO 140 - Bio Research & Stat Methods, HSCI 060 – Statistics in the Health Sciences, or both STAT 071 - Statistics I and STAT 072 - Statistics II may substitute for PSY 011 |
3-6 |
| Quantitative analysis - choose one course | |
| MATH 050 - Calculus I | 3 |
| PHY 011 – General Physics I | 4 |
| PSY 111 - Advanced Statistics (with lab) | 4 |
| CS 065 – Intro to Computer Science I | 3 |
| Behavioral Labs - choose one course | |
| PSY 123 – Biological Bases of Behavior | 4 |
| PSY 125 – Cognitive Psychology | 4 |
| PSY 126 – Comparative Psychology | 4 |
| PSY 120, 121 – Conditioning and Learning | 4 |
| PSY 133 – Psychological Assessment | 4 |
| Basic Biology - choose one course | |
| BIO 105 - Introduction to Genetics | 3 |
| BIO 129, 129L - Mammalian Physiology | 5 |
| BIO 165 - Cell Biology | 4 |
| CHEM 130, 131 - Biochemistry I: Fundamentals and Lab | 4 |
| Behavioral Neuroscience - choose one course | |
| BIO 107/NSCI 127/PSY 127 - Behavior Genetics | 3 |
| NSCI 126 - Neurochemistry | 3 |
| PHAR 119 - Neuropharmacology | 3 |
| Systems Neuroscience - choose one course | |
| PHIL 130 - Mind, Brains, and Computers | 3 |
| NSCI 150 - Functional Neuroanatomy | 3 |
| NSCI 152 - Neurobiology of Learning and Memory | 3 |
| Related Elective Courses - choose two courses: at least one upper-division | |
| BIO 101 – Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates | 3 |
| BIO 114, 114L - Evolution | 4 |
| BIO/CS 116 - Bioinformatics | 3 |
| BIO 127, 127L - Histology | 4 |
| BIO/PHY 132 - Medical Biophysics | 3 |
| CS 167 - Machine Learning | 3 |
| PSY 028 - Drugs and Behavior - note: this course cannot substitute for PHAR 119 | 3 |
| PSY 060 - Principles of Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 076 - Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 122 – Sensation & Perception | 3 |
| PSY 128 – Hormones & Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 148 - Psychology of Developmental Disabilities | 3 |
| PSY 176 - Advanced Psychopathology | 3 |
| NSCI 090/91/190/191 - Independent Study | 1-3 |
| NSCI 151 - History of Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSCI 195 – Special Topics in Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSCI 198 - Research Seminar | 3 |
| PHIL 140 - Neuroscience and the Law | 3 |
| Capstone - choose one of the following with the prior approval of both the advisor and instructor |
|
| NSCI 190C or 191C - Independent Study | 3 |
| NSCI 192C - Internship | 3 |
| NSCI 151 - History of Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSCI 198 - Research Seminar | 3 |
| Total | 58 |
Notes:
|
Course |
Credits |
||
|
Basic Foundations of Neuroscience - complete all courses |
|
||
|
NSCI 001 - Introduction to Neuroscience |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 010 - Research Methods in Neuroscience |
3 |
||
|
BIO 012, 012L - General/Pre-Professional Biology I (with lab) |
4 |
||
|
Electives (two courses required) |
|
||
|
BIO 176 - Neurophysiology |
3 |
||
|
PHAR 119 - Neuropharmacology |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 095 - Special Topics |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 127/PSY 127/BIO 107 - Behavior Genetics |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 195 - Special Topics in Neuroscience |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 150 - Functional Neuroanatomy |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 151 – History of Neuroscience |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 152 - Neurobiology of Learning and Memory |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 126 - Neurochemistry |
3 |
||
|
PSY 028 – Drugs and Behavior |
3 |
||
|
PSY 122 - Sensation and Perception |
3 |
||
|
PSY 128 - Hormones and Behavior |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 090/91/190/191 - Independent Study |
1-3 |
||
|
NSCI 192 - Internship |
3 |
||
|
NSCI 198 - Research Seminar |
3 |
||
|
PSY 120, 121 - Conditioning and Learning (with lab) |
4 |
||
|
PSY 123 - Biological Basis of Behavior (with lab) |
4 |
||
|
PSY 125 - Cognitive Psychology (with lab) |
4 |
||
|
PSY 126 - Comparative Psychology (with lab) |
4 |
||
|
Total |
22 |
Internships, research or independent study courses will be awarded CR/NC grade, and still count towards the program requirements.
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.