Neuroscience Interdisciplinary [BS]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience Interdisciplinary (Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology) Program (NSCI) is an undergraduate degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Neuroscience is a dynamic, rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that aims to understand the carefully orchestrated nervous system, its structure, function, and role in behavior and neurological diseases.

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This interdisciplinary program provides integrated and diverse education, impossible to achieve within any single discipline. The core curricular structure proceeds requirements and foundational courses in biology, chemistry, and psychology, so students have sufficient background in the sciences to engage meaningfully in the most advanced concepts in neuroscience. In addition, this program employs state-of-the-art, hands-on laboratory classes that are the centerpiece of the program. NSCI labs infuse cutting-edge research methods and techniques directly into the curriculum.

Opportunities

The program aims to provide students with a solid background and preparation for: graduate programs in cell biology, molecular biology, or behavioral bioscience fields, professional programs (medical school, dental school); opportunities in academic or government institutes (e.g., CDC) to study laboratory-based neuroscience or field-based studies to examine animal behavior and disease transmission; employment in biotechnology companies developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders; jobs in pharmacotherapy, sales for biomedical companies, and technical writing/journalism, conveying complex scientific findings in simple terms; and translating research findings for science education or regulatory/governmental agencies.

Are you Interested in Pre-Medicine or a related field? Please seek out a faculty advisor regarding additional requirements. For example, students should consider taking two semesters of Physics, PHY 221 and PHY 222 , given that this content is on the MCAT. In addition, students should take CHEM 123 /124 and CHEM 371 /372 /373 . Finally, students interested in this path should consider taking the CHEM 123/124 elective in the summer between their first and second years.

This is a STEM-designated program (see OPT Extension).

Program Information

Harriet Lindsay, PhD, Program Co-Administrator, 541 Science Complex, 734.487.0106

Natalie Dove, PhD, Program Co-Administrator, 341 Science Complex, 734.487.1155

Advisor Information

Please contact the Neuroscience program for advising information (nsci_advising@emich.edu).

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 75-80 hours

The coursework below is offered primarily face-to-face/in-person. Coursework may also be offered in hybrid, hyflex, and online (synchronous or asynchronous) modes. In some cases, a course may only be offered entirely online. Click on the courses below to see when and how they are offered.

Restricted Electives: 12 hours

Complete twelve credit hours from the following.

Biology
BIO 305 Cell and Molecular Biology 3 hrs
BIO 306W Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics Laboratory [GEWI] 4 hrs
BIO 315 Evolution 3 hrs
BIO 328 Microbiology for Health Professions 4 hrs
BIO 443 Developmental Biology 3 hrs
BIO 474 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 4 hrs
Chemistry
CHEM 123 General Chemistry II 3 hrs
and CHEM 124 - General Chemistry II Laboratory 1 hr
CHEM 411 Toxicology I 2 hrs
CHEM 451 Biochemistry I 3 hrs
CHEM 452 Biochemistry II 3 hrs
CHEM 453W Biochemistry Laboratory [GEWI] 3 hrs
CHEM 455 Neurochemistry 3 hrs
CHEM 456 Cell Signaling and Disease 3 hrs
CHEM 457 Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design 3 hrs
Psychology
PSY 304 Learning 3 hrs
PSY 321 Child Psychology 3 hrs
or PSY 323 Psychology of Human Aging 3 hrs
PSY 324 Lifespan Developmental Psychology 3 hrs
PSY 356 Motivation and Emotion 3 hrs
PSY 357 Sensation and Perception 3 hrs
PSY 360 Introduction to Clinical Psychology 3 hrs
PSY 433 Cognitive Neuroscience 3 hrs
PSY 457 Physiological Psychology 3 hrs
PSY 458 Comparative Animal Behavior 3 hrs
Physics
PHY 221 Mechanics, Sound and Heat [GEKN] 4 hrs
PHY 222 Electricity and Light 4 hrs
Neuroscience
No more than six credit hours from the following
NSCI 397 Individual Readings in Neuroscience 1 hr
NSCI 398 Individual Readings in Neuroscience 2 hrs
NSCI 399 Individual Readings in Neuroscience 3 hrs
NSCI 497L6 Individual Research in Neuroscience [GELB] 1 hr
NSCI 498L6 Individual Research in Neuroscience [GELB] 2 hrs
NSCI 499L6 Individual Research in Neuroscience [GELB] 3 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.