Certificate in Neuroscience

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Neuroscience as a subdiscipline of psychology and biology is one of the fasting growing interdisciplinary ﬁelds of the 21st century. Providing a foundational understanding of the chemical, cellular and anatomical underpinnings of brain/nervous system function, cognition, behavior, perception and psychological/neurological disorders will be of beneﬁt to students moving into numerous graduate study programs and vocational areas. Studies included in the neuroscience certificate program will also provide students opportunity at Covenant to consider mind/brain/body connections from a Christian perspective. Contact the program coordinator: Dr. Richard Nelson.

Program components: To complete the proposed certiﬁcate in Neuroscience, students are required to complete an interdisciplinary mix of 23-24 course credit hours and to perform at an acceptable level on written and oral components of a capstone comprehensive exam. Many of these courses would overlap with courses included in the biology and psychology majors, and would also overlap signiﬁcantly with students pursuing other majors, but who are completing prerequisites for medical school. Required coursework will include both courses in the foundational grounding component, and a selection of courses from each of the three topical areas.

Required Courses

Foundational Grounding (8 hours)
BIO 111 General Biology I 4 hour(s).
PSY 120 Introductory Psychology 3 hour(s).
PSY 120L Introductory Psychology Lab 1 hour(s).
Topic Area 1 - Cellular/Molecular Emphasis (8 hours)
PSY 373 Physiological Psychology 4 hour(s).
Choose one from the following:
BIO 242 Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 hour(s). (may only be used to fulfill this requirement by students outside the Biology major)
BIO 313 Genetics 4 hour(s).
BIO 323 Developmental Biology 4 hour(s).
CHE 423 Biochemistry I 4 hour(s).
Topic Area 2 - Systems Emphasis (3-4 hours)

Choose one from the following:
BIO 222 Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 hour(s).
BIO 321 Comparative Animal Physiology 3 hour(s).
PSY 372 Sensation and Perception 3 hour(s).
Topic Area 3 - Behavioral/Cognitive Emphasis (3 hours)

Choose one from the following:
PSY 370 Cognitive Psychology 3 hour(s).
PSY 346 Addiction 3 hour(s).
Capstone Review and Assessment
BIO 401 Conceptual Review of Neuroscience 1 hour(s).