Degree Requirements
All students are required to complete overall degree requirements in addition to their major. Please see Degree Completion Requirements for full details for students entering in the 2024-2025 catalog year.
Those students who started at Hiram prior to the 2024-2025 academic year will follow the Degree Requirements outlined in your catalog of record.
Major Requirements
To major in neuroscience, a student shall complete at least 43 hours of coursework in the program, and maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or higher. Students must complete coursework in several key areas:
- Four core courses,
- Two correlative courses in chemistry, and
- Five courses from one of the three areas of concentration
All students must complete a senior capstone project, and must present their results to the general public. To receive honors in the program, students must complete an independent experimental research project as part of their capstone.
Core Courses
The four core requirements will introduce students to the breadth of subjects studied in neuroscience and will equip them for advanced courses in the curriculum. Every student must pass each of the core courses (16 credit hours) with a grade of C or better.
Correlative Courses
In addition to mastering the basics of neuroscience, it is necessary for all students to gain a basic understanding of general chemistry. Therefore, neuroscience majors must also complete the correlative courses (8 credit hours) with a grade of C or better.
Areas of Concentration
Students majoring in neuroscience must declare their area of concentration within one of the many domains outlined above by the end of their sophomore year, and must complete a minimum of five courses (15-20 credit hours) within that concentration.
Senior Capstone
Before graduation, each student must complete an approved senior capstone project (course number: NEUR 48000 NEUROSCIENCE CAPSTONE). Each student must present a project proposal to a member of the neuroscience faculty and receive approval by the end of their junior year to receive credit towards the major for their capstone project. Students must have approval before they can carry out their project. Students must present their project at a public seminar. Capstone seminars run in both the fall and spring semesters.
All questions about majoring in neuroscience should be directed to your academic advisor, or Dr. Tom Koehnle, Neuroscience Program Coordinator. Dr. Koehnle can be reached ext. 5316 or KoehnleTJ@hiram.edu.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses 1 | ||
| PSYC 10100 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| NEUR 22700 | INTRO TO NEUROSCIENCE | 4 |
| PSYC 21200 | SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IN PSYCH:SM (Methods Course) | 4 |
| BIOL 32600 | ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY-W/LAB | 4 |
| Correlative Courses 1 | ||
| CHEM 12000 | GEN I:STRUCTURE/BOND-W/LAB:SM | 4 |
| CHEM 12100 | GEN II:INTR CHEM ANLS-W/LAB:SM | 4 |
| Areas of Concentration | 15-20 | |
| Cellular and Molecular Concentration | ||
| Two required courses: | ||
| MOLECULAR&CELLULAR BIOL-W/LAB | ||
| GENETICS-W/LAB | ||
| Three courses from the following list: | ||
| BASIC BIOCHEMISTRY-W/LAB | ||
| INTERMED BIOCHEMISTRY-W/LAB | ||
| CELLULAR & MOLECULAR NEUROBIO | ||
| DEVELOPMENTAL BIOL-W/LAB | ||
| ADV MOLECULAR BIOL-W/LAB | ||
| Cognitive and Behavioral Concentration | ||
| Two required courses: | ||
| ANIMAL COGNITION | ||
| LEARNING THEORY METHOD/APP | ||
| Three courses from the following list: | ||
| PERSONALITY | ||
| ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| DRUG USE AND ABUSE | ||
| Computational Neuroscience Concentration | ||
| Two required courses: | ||
| INTRO TO COMPUTER SCI-W/LAB:MM | ||
| INTRO TO PROGRAMMING-W/LAB:MM | ||
| Two courses from the following list: | ||
| DATA STRUCTUR/ALRITHM-W/LAB:MM | ||
| COMPUTER ORGANIZATION | ||
| DATABASE DESIGN | ||
| COMPUTER SIMULATION:SM | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | ||
| Senior Capstone | ||
| NEUR 48000 | NEUROSCIENCE CAPSTONE | 4 |
| Total Hours | 43-48 | |
- 1
Must be passed with a C or better.
Pathway
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall 12 Week | Hours | |
| UCS 10101 | FIRST-YEAR ENDURING QUESTIONS | 4 |
| CHEM 12000 | GEN I:STRUCTURE/BOND-W/LAB:SM | 4 |
| PSYC 10100 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Fall 3 Week | ||
| Hiram Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring 12 Week | ||
| UCS 20201 | ADDRESSING URGENT QUESTIONS | 4 |
| CHEM 12100 | GEN II:INTR CHEM ANLS-W/LAB:SM | 4 |
| NEUR 22700 | INTRO TO NEUROSCIENCE | 4 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring 3 Week | ||
| Hiram Core Requirement | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall 12 Week | ||
| Concentration Requirement | 4 | |
| Hiram Core Requirement | 4 | |
| Hiram Core Requirement | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Fall 3 Week | ||
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Spring 12 Week | ||
| Concentration Requirement | 4 | |
| Hiram Core Requirement | 4 | |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring 3 Week | ||
| Hiram Core Requirement | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall 12 Week | ||
| Concentration Requirement | 4 | |
| Hiram Core Requirement | 4 | |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Fall 3 Week | ||
| Hiram Core Requirement | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Spring 12 Week | ||
| UCS 30301 | URGENT CHALLENGE SEMINAR:TT | 4 |
| Concentration Requirement Elective | 4 | |
| Hiram Core Requirement | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring 3 Week | ||
| Concentration Requirement Elective | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall 12 Week | ||
| Concentration Requirement Elective | 4 | |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Fall 3 Week | ||
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Spring 12 Week | ||
| NEUR 48000 | NEUROSCIENCE CAPSTONE | 4 |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring 3 Week | ||
| Elective, Second Major, Minor Course | 3-4 | |
| Hours | 3-4 | |
| Total Hours | 120-127 | |