What is the mind, and how does it work? These are two questions that have been at the forefront of human thought throughout history. Modern advances in technology, genetics and data science have begun to shed light on these mysteries at an accelerating pace. At its core, neuroscience is about understanding the brain and using that understanding for the betterment of humanity.

Neuroscience at Rice

Rice University’s partnership with our colleagues in the Texas Medical Center forms one of the largest concentration of neuroscience researchers, engineers, and educators in the world. We are in a unique position to lead in creating new scientific and engineering breakthroughs through research, as well as provide a world-class educational mission for training tomorrow’s neuroscience scholars, scientists and engineers.

If you are interested in joining either the neuroscience major or minor, we heavily suggest that you read the Welcome Letter for the major that was written by the chair of the undergraduate curriculum committee for neuroscience. It provides an informal overview of the neuroscience majors and surrounding opportunities that many students find helpful.

What are the formal programs?

At Rice, there are several neuroscience related educational programs, which we have listed and described below.

Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience

This is an  interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programs designed to provide multiple paths for students interested in the brain and how it works. The BA degree provides a general overview of all of the major facets of modern neuroscience, as well as research opportunities for students who want to see how modern neuroscience is done first hand. Degree requirements can be found here, and a sample Plan-Of-Study can be found here. Below is a map of the curriculum that shows how the courses interrelate. It can also be accessed for creating your own printout here.

Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience

Compared to the BA in neuroscience, the BS program provides a more focused course of study by introducing specific tracks for students to specialize in. Additionally, doing a research internship goes from being suggested to being required. The first track is in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, which gives students a deep dive into the biological mechanics of how the nervous system works. The second track  is in Computational Neuroscience, which focuses on how the brain works as an information processing system, as well as how computational techniques can be applied to understanding neurological processes. Degree requirements for the BS can be . Degree requirements, sample Plans-Of-Study and curricular maps similar to above can be found below: .

• BS Degree Requirements
• Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Plans-Of-Study
• Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Curricular Map
• Computational Neuroscience Plans-Of-Study
• Computational Neuroscience Curricular Map

Neuroscience Minor

The minor  provides students interested in neuroscience a supplementary course of study to complement their main educational focus. The broad focus of this minor works with a wide variety of majors, ranging from philosophy to electrical engineering. There are two tracks:

• The Humanities and Social Science track focuses on cognitive and behavioral approaches to neuroscience.
• The Natural Sciences and Engineering track focuses on genetic, cellular/molecular, neuroengineering, computational, and systems-level investigations.

The degree requirements for the minor can be found here.