Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience
The
undergraduate
Neuroscience
degree program at Washington State University is an
interdisciplinary biomedical program featuring world-renowned
faculty whose focus is in the cellular and molecular
understanding of system biology issues.
WSU is among the nation's top tier of doctoral/research
universities. Graduate and
undergraduate students at WSU are immersed in active research programs with
research expenditures of over $100 million per year. The research emphasis
of the WSU neuroscience faculty include: neurobiology of sleep, body weight
and energy balance, eating disorders and diabetes, cellular function and
biophysics of muscle and related heart disease, memory, behavior, emotion
and well-being, vision, reproduction, cardiovascular physiology, muscle
physiology, motor control, cancer, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, and
addictions. The neuroscience field plays an important role in both human and
animal medical science.
The undergraduate program for majors is designed for students
interested in pre-medical, pre-veterinary, or other pre-health
science studies to prepare for professional study in the health
sciences (such as physician or doctor of veterinary medicine),
graduate school, or for those who wish to use their training in
laboratory settings in universities, government agencies, or
industry. The program at WSU combines the expertise and resources of
the Departments of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology
and Physiology (VCAPP), Basic Medical Sciences, Psychology,
BioEngineering, Chemistry and Zoology.
Basic courses in the program include Exploring the Brain,
Neuroanatomy, Cellular Neurobiology, Neurophysiology and Affective
Neuroscience.
Undergraduate majors are required to participate in neuroscience
research. A research experience allows students the opportunity to
build critical thinking skills by applying classroom theory to a
real life situation. Under the guidance of a Neuroscience
faculty member, students are able to research a neuroscience topic
of their choice.
Computational Neuroscience
Computational neuroscience is an interdisciplinary program allowing
students to study both neurobiology and computer science or
engineering. It offers the student a balanced curriculum of science
(with the goal of discovering new knowledge about the natural world)
and technology (with the goal of designing and building new devices,
processes, and algorithms to satisfy human needs).
The Computational Neuroscience curriculum links the information
processing features of the nervous system with information
processing of computer systems. Accordingly, the Computational
Neuroscience Option supplements the neuroscience core curriculum
with information technology courses. In this way, students learn not
only of the brain and its information processing mechanisms but also
of modern computer hardware and software technologies.
Courses in science and engineering have been selected to give as
broad an exposure as possible to subjects that underlie the basic
neural and computational sciences with an emphasis on the organism
and the machine as information processing entities. Upon completion
of the four-year curriculum, a B.S. degree in Neuroscience will be
awarded. Furthermore, the program is designed to allow students to
acquire breadth in computational subjects or, alternatively, to
focus on either software or hardware aspects of computation.
Students choosing to acquire breadth in computational subjects will
be well prepared for graduate study in most areas of neural and
biomedical science, including bioengineering. Students choosing a
software or hardware focus may obtain a minor in either computer
science or computer engineering. All subject requirements for entry
into medical school are met by completion of the program of study in
General or Computational Neuroscience.
 |
Neuroscience students and faculty on a river rafting trip on
the Salmon River in Idaho. The Salmon River, and other
outdoor recreational activities, is within easy driving
distance from Pullman. T-shirt: "got brains?" |
For additional information, contact the Neuroscience
undergraduate coordinator, Heather Cochran, at
neuromajor@wsu.edu.
Washington State University
Program in Neuroscience
110 McCoy Hall
PO Box 646520
Pullman, WA 99164-6520
(509) 335-7675
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