The Princeton Neuroscience Institute offers the Neuroscience Major for Princeton University undergraduates with a strong interest in pursuing an in-depth study of the brain. Neuroscience is a broad interdisciplinary field requiring rigorous preparation in basic science. Students in this discipline are expected to understand the basic principles and approaches of modern neuroscience. The major provides an opportunity for serious study of molecular, cellular, developmental, and systems neuroscience as it interfaces with cognitive and behavioral research.Since modern neuroscience is relying increasingly on quantitatively sophisticated methods and theory, students are also expected to gain competency in physics, mathematics, and computation. By offering a combination of courses and interdisciplinary research, students who complete the neuroscience major will be highly qualified to pursue graduate work at the best neuroscience, psychology or biology graduate programs and will also have completed, in large part, the background requirements to enter medical or veterinary school.Declaring NEU as Your MajorProvided that you completed the prerequisites, A.B. sophomores preparing to enter the junior year and wanting to declare Neuroscience as their major must do so prior to selecting courses for the fall semester. For detailed instructions on how to declare a major see Declaring a Major. You can also make an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Elizabeth Gould.Topics for discussion include (among anything else you would like to discuss): future courses and their timing (e.g., Physics, core courses, etc) and study abroad opportunities. Contact Director of Undergraduate StudiesElizabeth Gould FAQs What is the recommended plan of study? View the NEU Major Course of Study. You should plan on completing NEU 201, NEU 202, and MAT 103 by the Spring of your sophomore year. You must take NEU 201 or NEU 202 in order to enroll in the major. In your junior year, you should take NEU 314 (Fall) and NEU 350 (Spring). All other courses can be taken anytime during your time at Princeton. Other than my NEU major, I am interested in pursuing several certificates, can I double count courses? NEU will allow individual courses to fulfill both NEU requirements and certificate requirements, providing it is permissible to the certificate program. Those of you who are seeking to obtain a certificate in another unit should check with those requirements. From whom do I get advice and approval from for declaring the NEU major and getting my list of courses of approved? The Director of Undergraduate Studies, (DUS), Professor Elizabeth Gould. If I study abroad, can neuroscience courses I take count towards the major? Yes, but you can only take two NEU courses at an institution outside of Princeton (this includes any approved courses you take during the summer at other institutions in the US). For any NEU course taken outside of Princeton, you must share, and have approved, the course syllabus with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Substitutions for NEU 314 and NEU 350 are not accepted. What are the study abroad opportunities for Neuroscience concentrators? Studying abroad can be a wonderful opportunity. Below is a document provided by the Office of International Programs that contains links to some places that have neuroscience programs and their course offerings. Some of these courses may be used to fulfill your major elective requirements. [Note: You should always check with the NEU Director of Undergraduate Studies before making any course selections.] A selection of opportunities to study neuroscience abroad. There are certainly other countries that you may want to check out; please consult with the Office of International Programs. If I do research abroad, can I use this research as my senior thesis work? Unlikely. It would have to be a pretty significant project and you would have to find an interested co-advisor on the PNI faculty to help guide you through your work. I am a sophomore. I just decided on a NEU major and have not taken all the prerequisites to enter the department. Can I still do so? As long as you have completed one NEU course, it is possible. Communicate with the DUS. I am a sophomore. I just decided on a NEU major and am worried about fitting in all the courses required during my remaining time at Princeton. Can I use course XXX (in some other department) to replace a NEU course? No, not for NEU courses, but maybe for cognate electives. Communicate with Director of Undergraduate Studies. Can I place out of the math or physics requirements? Yes, but the decision is made by the Math or Physics departments. We follow their placement decisions. Follow up with your Residential College Dean and the department to facilitate your placement for these courses. Also advance placement (AP) credit must be listed in TigerHub.
