Neuroscience
Major, Minor
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Being able to take classes in multiple departments for my major has been extremely rewarding. Studying neuroscience and connecting with my professors and advisors for research and internships has allowed me to get a job at one of the top psychiatric hospitals in the country."
-Hanna Young '22
At the heart of the neuroscience major is understanding how the human brain – one of the most complex structures in the universe – works.
With its focus on the relationships among brain function, cognitive processing and behavior, neuroscience is a truly interdisciplinary field, one that is ideal for studying in a liberal arts environment that promotes connections among disciplines.
As a neuroscience major at Union, you will begin your studies with a variety of core courses in several departments, including biology, computer science, philosophy and psychology. Then you will select one of three tracks for specialization:
- Bioscience: Focuses on the biological basis of neural development, function and plasticity
- Cognitive: Addresses how neural networks and brain mechanisms give rise to specific mental processes and behavior; or
- Computational: Emphasizes issues related to developing computational models of neuronal and mental processes.
Center for Neuroscience
Our students work closely with faculty in the Center for Neuroscience, which includes five research laboratories. The center supports research and training in the areas of neuroplasticity; human cognitive abilities and behavioral dispositions; sex differences in spatial cognition; cognitive genetics; neural control of behavior; and basic molecular mechanisms underlying pediatric neurological disorders.
Research
The neuroscience program emphasizes collaboration, academic inquiry and experimentation. Students enjoy opportunities for summer research fellowships and participation in symposia, and most present at Union’s Steinmetz Symposium research day each spring. Other are co-authors on papers that are published in scientific journals.ls.
Faculty
Our intellectually challenging courses are led by professors who are accessible and dedicated teachers and respected scholars in their fields. They have a wide variety of research and teaching interests and backgrounds, including developmental neurobiology, clinical neuropsychology, human memory and cognition, insect sensory systems, speech perception, neuronal plasticity, and the influence of gender and race in health care issues. They consider issues from multiple perspectives and methodologies, and help provide research opportunities for students.
After Union
- Associate editor, My Grove Media
- Associate manager, biotech production, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
- Chief resident, NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia-Cornell Hospital
- Clinical research coordinator, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Clinical research coordinator, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Educator, Teach for America
- Fellow, Vizient Inc.
- Image reading center manager, Johns Hopkins University
- Resident physician, internal medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center
- Manager, Business Services, Northwell Direct
- M.D. candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine
- Optometrist, U.S. Air Force
- Pain Medicine Fellow, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Physician assistant, cardiothoracic surgery, Atrium
- Research specialist, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Research technologist, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Social worker, SSM Health
Center for Neuroscience
how the brain works, with studies in everything from neuroethology to the intricacies of cognitive processing, in the Center for Neuroscience.
Location: Butterfield Hall
