Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the brain basis of mind and behaviour. Core material includes courses from Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics that explore the function of the nervous system in health and disease.
Neuroscience is a natural science discipline that explores the neurological processes that control mind and behaviour. Topics in neuroscience can be studied at multiple levels from the molecular to the psychological. Courses in biology, psychology and chemistry explore the physiological, anatomical and evolutionary bases of behaviour. Course materials cover the ways in which genetic, physiological, developmental and experiential processes affect brain structure and function. Students will learn neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, cognitive and behavioural neuroscience. Though primarily focused on normal function, selected courses will explore the mechanisms of diseases that affect the brain and nervous system.
The Neuroscience program offers you the option of combining exciting disciplines to create a skill set that is interesting and unique. It is designed to appeal to people interested in careers in both basic and applied areas of neuroscience, including clinical areas such as neuropsychology and medicine.
This program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree (3-year, 4-year, or 4-year Honours).
SAMPLE CAREERS
Employment opportunities for Neuroscience graduates exist in government laboratories, university research laboratories, scientific consulting organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and the scientific publishing industry. This program also provides a basis for entry into graduate programs in psychology, biology, and neuroscience for students who take the four-year Honours degree option.
SAMPLE COURSES
Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity is a first-year Biology course. This course emphasizes the evolutionary and ecological processes that underlie the relationship between an organism and its environment. Topics include natural selection and the origin of species, systematics and taxonomy, the origin of biological diversity, growth and reproductive strategies, and communities and ecosystems.
Physiological Psychology I is a second-year Psychology course that considers the physiological determinants of behaviour. This course examines the development, structure, and function of the nervous and endocrine systems. Topics to be discussed include the brain bases of sensory, motor, and cognitive processes.
Cognitive Neuroscience is a third-year Psychology course that examines the neural substrates underlying cognitive functions. The course examines the cognitive functions performed by all of the major brain areas, including memory, language, movement, emotion, and decision-making
Human Neurobiology is a fourth-year course that explores the field of neuroscience from a biological perspective. Neuroanatomy and cells of the nervous system are discussed in terms of cellular networks and molecular mechanisms that govern neurological function, specifically in terms of homeostasis, motor control, perception, cognition and disease processes.
MORE SAMPLE COURSES
• Introductory Psychology • Comparative Animal Physiology • Biochemistry • Attention and Memory • Fundamentals of Animal Learning • Molecular Genetics
