Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration

The Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration (BNC) within Psychology provides interdisciplinary training for students preparing for academic or professional careers in neuroscience-related areas.

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About

The concentration brings together students with similar interests through a set of core courses and offers mentored research experiences in faculty laboratories, opportunities for research presentations, and participation in the Psychology Honors Program. The neuroscience concentration is an excellent option for students planning to attend medical school with a focus on neurology, neurosurgery, or psychiatry.

Given the extensive course requirements and the Honors Research component, it is essential that interested students consult with a Psychology advisor early to obtain detailed program information and declare the concentration as soon as possible after successfully completing the 100-level courses (see Course Requirements for details). The program’s major template includes a comprehensive checklist designed to help students maintain an ongoing record of their progress in the required coursework.

The BNC requires students maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a major GPA of 3.5. These standards are required to declare and remain in the program.

Course Requirements

To declare the BNC, students must complete all 100-level requirements and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a major GPA of 3.5. These courses provide an initial evaluation of a student’s capacity to complete foundational STEM coursework and demonstrate preparedness for advanced study within the concentration.

100-Level Classes [30 Credits]

PSYCH 10000: Introduction to Psychology [3 cr.]
PSYCH 1_____: Additional 100-level class [3 cr.]
MATH 15000: Calculus [4 cr.]
CHEM 10200: General Chemistry I [4 cr.]
CHEM 10400: General Chemistry II [4 cr.]
CHEM 10600: General Chemistry Laboratory [3 cr.]
BIOL 10000: Principles of Biology I [4.5 cr.] - Spring only
BIOL 10200: Principles of Biology II [4.5 cr.] - Fall only

200-Level Classes [25.5 Credits]

PSYCH 22400: Neuroscience (Biopsychology Content Area) [3 cr.]
PSYCH 2____: (Cognitive/Developmental Content Area) [3 cr.]
PSYCH 2____: (Social/Clinical/Health Content Area) [3 cr.]
PSYCH 24800: Statistical Methods in Psychology [4 cr.]
PSYCH 25000: Experimental Psychology: General [4 cr.]
BIOL 20300: Molecular Biology and Genetics [4.5 cr.] - Spring only
CHEM 22200: Organic Chemistry Lecture [4 cr.]

Upon successful completion of 200-level courses, students should schedule an appointment with the BNC director to discuss arrangements for selecting a laboratory in which to conduct their Honors Research.

Neuroscience Electives [12 credits]

A list of eligible electives is provided below. 12 credits of coursework are required, including:
Two 300-level PSYCH courses with neuroscience content,
One 300-level BIOL or PSYCH seminar with neuroscience content, and
One 300-level BIOL course with neuroscience content.

300-Level Psychology Classes [6 credits]

PSYCH 30100: Sensation and Perception [3 cr.]
PSYCH 30900: Behavioral Neuroendocrinology [3 cr.]
PSYCH 32700: Motivation and Emotion [3 cr.]
PSYCH 36900: Behavioral Pharmacology [3 cr.]

Seminar Class [3 credits]

PSYCH 31600: Cognitive Neuroscience [3 cr.]
PSYCH 38200: Current Topics in Biopsychology [3 cr.]
BIOL 47100: Special Topics [3 cr.]

300-Level Biology Class [3-4 credits]

Permission to take upper-level biology courses must be obtained first from the BNC advisor and then from the Biology Department.

BIOL 37000: Neurophysiology [4 cr.] - Spring only
BIOL 37600: Endocrinology [3 cr.] - Spring only
BIOL 38000: Molecular Neurobiology [3 cr.] - Fall Only

Honors Research [6 Credits]

This component is essential to the Concentration as it provides training in research ethics, academic writing, and presentation skills, while also establishing your research mentor as an important reference for postgraduate applications. Typically, the mentor will be a Hunter College faculty member; however, mentors from other institutions may be approved with the BNC director's consent. Students will complete this work while enrolled in PSYCH 39600 and PSYCH 39800.

PSYCH 39600: Honors Research I
PSYCH 39800: Honors Research II

Mentor approval requires a 2–3 page summary outlining the research project and the student’s role within it. The summary must be signed by both the student and the mentor before being submitted to the BNC director for final approval. View the list of approved Faculty laboratories in Psychology and Biology (also available from the Psych Advisors' office).

Notes:

For Biology Majors, a comparable Concentration in Neurobiology is offered by the Dept. of Biological Sciences.
The current BNC Director is Professor Nesha Burghardt.
Permission to enroll in upper level Biology courses is required by the Dept. of Biological Sciences.
Honors courses do not count towards the 12 BNC elective credits.