Pre-Medical* School Requirements
Pre-medical* students are strongly encouraged to talk to the Pre-Health Advisor to learn about the requirements for medical school. Most of these requirements also are required for the Neuroscience major.
* Note: Pre-dental and Pre-veterinary students also are encouraged to talk to the Pre-professional Advisor
Study Abroad
A student who plans to study abroad for a semester or year should identify possible neuroscience courses in their study abroad programs. After these courses have been identified, the student should contact the neuroscience major director Dr. Katie Black, to confirm that the courses are eligible to be transferred into the neuroscience major. Dr. Black maintains a comprehensive list of courses that have been reviewed from several study abroad programs. Any additional courses that a student plans to take need to be reviewed by the curriculum committee, which will require a detailed syllabus for the course.
All approvals (for neuroscience and other classes taken abroad) should be done BEFORE the student leaves for the semester abroad. Students are advised to keep a syllabus from each course taken abroad to verify the course's content as well as any emails that indicate course approvals.
Honors Thesis
What is an Honors Thesis?
An honors thesis is a year-long research project completed during the senior year. Neuroscience majors are not required to do an honors thesis. Successful completion of an honors thesis qualifies the student to graduate with departmental honors. For specific information about the requirements for graduating with Honors, contact the Office of Academic Enrichment, 105/106 Hébert Hall, 504-314-2806.
An empirical research project is required for an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience. An empirical research project includes the design, implementation, analysis, and write-up of an original experiment that tests a specific scientific hypothesis. Non-laboratory projects, such as papers based solely on library research, clinical internships, or community service activities, do not meet the standards of an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience. Completion of an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience requires two full semesters, typically conducted during the senior year. A student should only attempt an Honor Thesis in Neuroscience under the guidance of a faculty member with whom Independent Study has been pursued during one or more previous semesters. An Honor's Thesis committee should be set up by the student in collaboration with their supervising faculty member. In Neuroscience, the Honors Thesis committee must consist of three readers.
Note: No student may receive academic credit for research activities if that student receives a salary or stipend for those activities. This policy applies to research conducted during the academic year and during the summer.
How Do I Sign Up to Do an Honors Thesis?
No later than the spring of your junior year, you should select a Neuroscience faculty member to serve as your thesis director. You might begin by approaching one of your instructors, or your Neuroscience major advisor. You also should review the list of Neuroscience research faculty, to learn about the research interests of the Neuroscience faculty members.
Students should be aware that space in faculty laboratories is limited. Thus, students are strongly encouraged to contact the faculty member well before the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Once the faculty member has agreed to serve as your thesis director, make plans with them to carry out preliminary work for the thesis during the spring or summer before your senior year.
Students should sign up for Honors Thesis credit, NSCI 4990 in the fall, and NSCI 5000 in the spring, of the senior year. In order to sign up for NSCI 5000, students need to complete the Honors Approval Form and return it to the Neuroscience Program office. Students should contact the Office of Academic Enrichment, 105/106 Hébert Hall, 504-314-2806, for the guidelines and schedule well in advance of your registration for an honors thesis. Students who are doing an Honor’s Thesis will need to fill out the Tulane Honor’s Thesis and Neuroscience Honor’s Thesis forms. The completed forms should be turned in to the Neuroscience Office, 200 Flower Hall, or emailed to Porshia (pevans3@tulane.edu) to get a section number and be cleared to do the Honor’s thesis. For additional information, look at the honors thesis web pages. Be sure to follow the deadlines for successful completion of the honors thesis.
Ethics Approval Deadlines
Students must secure prior approval for honors theses from the appropriate ethics committees by the end of the first semester of their senior year. Approval of empirical studies with human subjects or animal subjects must be obtained from the appropriate internal review board. Students should consult with their thesis advisors regarding this process. Review and approval normally requires at least one month. Therefore, it is important that all forms be submitted by the thesis advisor to the appropriate committee NO LATER THAN November 15.
Proposal Approval
Research proposals, submitted in late January to the Honors Program office as the “first chapter,” must include an introduction and complete methodology. Before submission to the Honors Program office, the proposal must be approved by a committee comprised of the thesis director, and another faculty member, who will serve as the second reader. The proposal must be approved before the data for the primary study are collected.
Can I Complete an Honors Thesis at the Tulane Medical Center, or at Another Institution?
Yes, however, students must adhere to the same guidelines as those given [below] for Independent Study projects.
Independent Study Projects
Students who wish to perform an independent study project at another institution must have two faculty sponsors: One at the host institution, and a faculty sponsor in the Neuroscience Program, typically the student's neuroscience major advisor. The student must obtain prior approval from the Neuroscience sponsor for the project. The sponsor will communicate with the host institution sponsor to make sure that the work being performed meets our major requirements for independent study projects. Also, the grade for the project will be submitted by the Neuroscience sponsor, in consultation with the host institution sponsor. It is essential that your Neuroscience sponsor and your host institution sponsor communicate with one another to evaluate your final work; otherwise, an incomplete grade may result. In some cases, written work will be required for the student to demonstrate their knowledge of the research that they are completing.
Independent Study
Students may sign up for Independent study credit for research in a neuroscience research laboratory as NSCI 4910. Up to six graded (A-F) credits may be earned. After that, if the student wants to continue to do research, s/he should sign up for NSCI 4920, which is S/U graded. To earn credit hours, work must be unpaid. In general, working an average of 3-4 hours/week (a total of approximately 45-75 hours) for the full semester is worth 1 credit, 6-8 hours/week (a total of approximately 90-135 hours) is 2 credits, and 10-12 hours/week (approximately 150-180 hours) is 3 credits of independent study. In order for the research to fulfill one of the three required laboratories for the major, 3 credits must be earned.
Independent study forms are available here as well as from the Neuroscience Office, 200 Flower Hall. This form must be completed by the student in consultation with and signed by the faculty member(s) supervising the research. If you do research in a non-Tulane research laboratory (e.g., LSUHSC), your Tulane Neuroscience major advisor should be the instructor on record. If you work in a Tulane laboratory, your faculty research advisor will be the instructor on record. The deadline to register for Independent Study is the deadline to drop without record on the academic calendar. After the completed form is returned to the Neuroscience office, by emailing Porshia Evans (pevans3@tulane.edu) the student will be cleared to add the independent study to their schedule. Keep in mind that six credits is the maximum amount of regular graded credit that a student can earn from all independent study courses, even if the work is completed in more than one research laboratory. Please note student completing a NSCI major and PSYN minor may only count one independent study (3 credit hours) towards either the major or the minor but not both.
If a student wants to do independent study in a non-neuroscience laboratory, they should contact Dr. Beth Wee (bwee@tulane.edu) about earning SCEN 4910/4920 credit, as per the guidelines outlined above.
Internship
Students may sign up for internship credit. NSCI 4570 is graded A-F and is for work done for your second-tier service-learning requirement through the Center for Public Service. Check the CPS website for deadlines and instructions. NSCI 4580 and NSCI 4590 are graded S/U and do not fulfill the service-learning requirements. Students can register for NSCI 3330 to earn experiential learning credit for their internship. NSCI 4580 counts towards graduation credits but NSCI 4590 does not. Please check with your major advisor if you are not sure which class to take. To earn credit hours, work must be unpaid.
Internship forms are available here as well as from the Neuroscience Office, 200 Flower Hall. This form must be completed by the student in consultation with and signed by the internship supervisor. Your Tulane Neuroscience major advisor should be the instructor on record.
After the completed form is returned to the Neuroscience office by emailing Porshia Evans (pevans3@tulane.edu), the student will be cleared to add the internship to their schedule. Keep in mind that three credits is the maximum amount of internship credit that can count towards your graduation credit requirements. NSCI 4590 is graded S/U and does not count towards your graduation requirements. The deadline to register for Internship is the deadline to drop without record on the academic calendar.
If a student wants to do a non-Neuroscience-related internship, they should contact Dr. Beth Wee (bwee@tulane.edu) about earning SCEN 4580/4590 credit, as per the guidelines outlined above.
Experiential Learning Requirement
Students who matriculated in Fall, 2022 or later follow the "new" curriculum. One of the new requirements is Experiential Learning, which is credit given to students who complete research, internships, or other relevant experiences that will help them apply their neuroscience knowledge. Once a student is registered for 2-3 credits of Independent Study (NSCI 4910, SCEN 4910, etc) or Internship (SCEN/NSCI 4570, NSCI 4580, NSCI 4590), they may register for Experiential Learning (NSCI 3330) and tag it to the aforementioned course (see link below for form). If the student has identified a different experience for which they would like to earn credit (e.g., minimum of 60 hours of paid internship), they should talk to their Neuroscience major advisor to confirm that it will, indeed, earn such credit. In some cases, the Neuroscience Program curriculum committee will need to review the request. Once approved, the student should submit the Experiential Learning form (signed by their major advisor) to Porshia Evans (pevans3@tulane.edu, Flower Hall 200), who will add the student to the zero credit, S/U graded course. The deadline to register for Experiential Learning is the deadline to drop without record on the academic calendar.
Service Learning Courses Relevant to Neuroscience Majors
The following three credit Neuroscience lecture courses may have an optional service learning component which fulfills the second tier service requirement. Courses which require 40 hours of volunteer service are worth 1 credit; courses that require only 20 hours of service are worth zero credit, but still fulfill the service requirement.
- NSCI 4110 Brain and Language
- NSCI 4340 Neurobiology of Disease
- NSCI 4060 Behavioral Endocrinology
- NSCI 4130 Sports Related Brain Injury
In addition, if the student has at least a B average, they may apply to the Center for Public Service Internship Program to complete a Service Learning Internship. The neuroscience service learning internship consists of 70 hours of volunteer service plus participation in a weekly seminar class. If approved by CPS, the student will be added to the internship course, NSCI 4570 Neuroscience Internship, by the Neuroscience Program.
Neuroscience majors who wish to complete a science-related internship that is NOT neuroscience-specific, may complete their second tier service requirement by taking SCEN 4570 Internship. One section of this internship relates to K-12 Education. Another section is for students who choose to do other types of service that are approved by the Center for Public Service. Check with Dr. Beth Wee (bwee@tulane.edu), Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the School of Science and Engineering, for additional details.
Double Major in Neuroscience and Psychology
Students can complete double majors in Neuroscience and Psychology by completing 18 non-overlapping courses from the curricula of the two majors. Courses listed in the Neuroscience curriculum of 3 or 4 credits can be included among the 18 non-overlapping courses. The following exceptions apply. (1) Laboratories that are one-credit components of lecture courses cannot count as separate courses. Four-credit courses that include laboratories, 3-credit independent study courses, and seven-credit honors theses can count toward the 18 non-overlapping courses. (2) Neuroscience co-requisite courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics do not count towards the list of 18 non-overlapping courses.
A double major should broaden a student's knowledge in both areas of study, therefore, students are encouraged strongly to complete courses in their Psychology major that are outside the field of Neuroscience such as courses in developmental, social, and quantitative psychology.
Students planning to double major in Neuroscience and Psychology must meet with Dr. Katie Black (kblack6@tulane.edu) to develop their double major curriculum plan.
NOTE: The Neuroscience program does not offer a minor in Neuroscience. Neuroscience majors can complete minors in other fields that offer minors provided that departmental requirements are met.
Steps in Declaring a Double Major in Neuroscience and Psychology:
- Meet with Dr. Black to design your major course plan and complete the major course audit form and the list of 18 non-overlapping courses.
- Complete the form that identifies your courses in each major and have Dr. Black sign the form for both Psychology and Neuroscience.
- Send the completed major declaration form to Courtney Groue (cgroue@tulane.edu) to declare your Psychology major.
- Send the completed major declaration form , list of 18 non-overlapping courses, and the planned major course audit form to Porshia Evans (pevans3@tulane.edu)to declare your Neuroscience major.
- Neuroscience Office will keep copies of your course plan, list of 18 non-overlapping courses, and declaration form on file.
- Send your completed major declaration form to your Newcomb Tulane academic advisor.
Double Major in Neuroscience and Cell and Molecular Biology
Questions about the double major in CMB and Neuroscience should be directed to Dr. Sara Clark in the Cell and Molecular Biology department.
Minors
The Neuroscience program does not offer a minor in Neuroscience. Neuroscience majors can complete minors in other fields that offer minors provided that the departmental requirements are met.
Major in Neuroscience with Minor in Psychology (PSYN)
A minor in Psychology when completed with a major in Neuroscience requires the completion of PSYC 1000 and four additional elective courses in Psychology which do not overlap with course requirements in Neuroscience and are not cross-listed as PSYC/NSCI. Only one 3 credit independent study course (e.g., PSYC 4900) may count as one of the electives towards the minor, and it cannot also count for the major. If a student wants to do a second independent study for 3 credits, then that course may count to fulfill one of the three required laboratory courses for the neuroscience major. To declare the PSYN minor contact Courtney Groue (cgroue@tulane.edu) in the Psychology department.
Neuroscience Major with Cell and Molecular Biology Minor
Students wishing to minor in cell and molecular biology must complete five 3-credit non-neuroscience courses as follows. Three required courses: CELL 3030 - Molecular Biology , CELL 3750 - Cell Biology, & CELL 4010 - Cellular Biochemistry; two additional electives from the following: CELL 3050,3210, 3400, 4110/4111, 4130, 4160, 4200*, 4220, 4250, 4260, 4340, 4440, 4710, 4780. *Note that CELL 4200 may not be used for the CELL minor elective if NSCI 4200 is used as a major elective.
Students completing a minor must complete at least 24 credits in the major which do not overlap with the minor. Questions about the minor in CMB should be directed to Dr. Sara Clark.
Why Tulane Neuroscience?
Competitive Strengths
What Distinguishes this Academic Program from Other Colleges and Universities?
Most colleges and universities do not offer a major in Neuroscience. Tulane’s Neuroscience major allows students to pursue an interdepartmental curriculum that focuses on the nervous system and its role in regulating physiology and behavior, as well as providing research experiences in this field. The plan of study expands the knowledge base of students beyond that normally attainable in conventional majors and establishes an excellent foundation for future medical and graduate training.
Research and Scholarship
What are Some Research and Scholarly Activities that Faculty and Students Are Involved In?
Neuroscience majors pursue research in the University’s Neuroscience laboratories as Independent Studies, Honors Theses, and summer employment. These experiences allow students to bring knowledge learned in the classroom into the actual research environment. Tulane undergraduates continue to play a vital role in the federally-funded research programs of Tulane neuroscientists. Their efforts have led to co-authorships on scientific publications and conference presentations.
Facilities
Do Students in This Program Have Access to Any Significant Facilities, Technology, or Equipment?
Tulane currently is building a modern, multipurpose laboratory that will be the centerpiece of undergraduate Neuroscience at Tulane. The purpose of the laboratory classroom is to allow students to utilize the most contemporary instrumentation in the field of Neuroscience guided by faculty members who are experts in the application of techniques related to their own research questions. In addition, undergraduates who work in the University’s research laboratories will continue to have access to all the instrumentation and facilities used by faculty members in their research programs.
Internship Opportunities
What type of Internship Programs are Available for Students in this Field?
Majors work in research laboratories throughout the University, as well as in laboratories at the Tulane medical school. Service Learning allows students to work in hospitals, clinics, and community settings to apply classroom knowledge to real-life experiences.
What do I do with my Tulane Neuroscience Degree?
What do graduates of this Program do after Graduation?
The majority of students graduating with a B.S. in Neuroscience have gone on to prestigious medical and graduate schools including Tulane University, Yale University, Cornell University, University of California, Baylor University, University of North Carolina. Tulane offers a 4+1 Program in Neuroscience in which students who receive a B.S. degree can obtain their M.S. degree during an additional year of study.
