Department of Biological Sciences
Department of Psychological Sciences
https://www.kent.edu/neuroscience/bs
About This Program
The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience combines biology, chemistry, psychology and other disciplines to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the nervous system. Together with our Neuroscience faculty, you will gain the advanced skills and knowledge needed to pursue careers in health professions, research or science communication. Read more...
Contact Information
- Wilson Chung, Ph.D. | neuroundergrad@kent.edu | 330-672-3641
- Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| BSCI 30140 | CELL BIOLOGY | 4 |
| BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
| BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) 1 | 1 |
| or PSYC 41901 | WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) | |
| or PSYC 41980 | RESEARCH WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) | |
| CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
| NEUR 10100 | SEMINAR IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| NEUR 30100 | NEUROSCIENCE I | 3 |
| NEUR 30200 | NEUROSCIENCE II | 3 |
| NEUR 30300 | EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| PSYC 21621 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I | 3 |
| PSYC 31574 | RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) | 3 |
| Biology Electives, choose from the following: | 6 | |
| DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY | ||
| MECHANISMS OF DISEASE: OBESITY AND RELATED METABOLIC DISEASES | ||
| MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DISEASE: NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS | ||
| NEUROBIOLOGY OF DRUG ADDICTION | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY (ELR) (WIC) 1 | ||
| NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY | ||
| ENDOCRINOLOGY | ||
| BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS | ||
| ADVANCED HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY | ||
| ADVANCED HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: READINGS AND CASE STUDIES | ||
| ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| Psychology Electives, choose from the following: | 6 | |
| PSYCHOPATHOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| BASIC LEARNING PROCESSES | ||
| DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| CLINICAL NEUROANATOMY | ||
| NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY | ||
| Neuroscience Elective, choose from the following: | 2 | |
| DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY | ||
| MECHANISMS OF DISEASE: OBESITY AND RELATED METABOLIC DISEASES | ||
| MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DISEASE: NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS | ||
| NEUROBIOLOGY OF DRUG ADDICTION | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY (ELR) (WIC) 1 | ||
| NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY | ||
| ENDOCRINOLOGY | ||
| BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS | ||
| ADVANCED HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY | ||
| ADVANCED HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: READINGS AND CASE STUDIES | ||
| ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| INTERNSHIP IN NEUROSCIENCE (ELR) 2 | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN NEUROSCIENCE 2 | ||
| PSYCHOPATHOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| BASIC LEARNING PROCESSES | ||
| DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| CLINICAL NEUROANATOMY | ||
| NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY | ||
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below) | 8 | |
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
| Additional Requirements or Concentration | ||
| Choose from the following: | 48 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
- 1
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
- 2
A maximum 6 credit hours of NEUR 40192 and NEUR 40196 combined may be applied toward major requirements.
Additional Requirements for Students Not Declaring a Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| Neuroscience Electives, choose from the list in the major | 13 | |
| General Chemistry Electives, choose from the following: | 8 | |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR LIFE SCIENCES I and GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR LIFE SCIENCES II | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) and GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | ||
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 3 | |
| Kent Core Additional | 6 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 18 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 48 | |
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Podiatry Concentration Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| BSCI 30130 | HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| or BSCI 40430 | ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY | |
| BSCI 30171 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY | 4 |
| CHEM 10060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | 4 |
| CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | 4 |
| CHEM 30284 | INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| or CHEM 40245 | BIOCHEMICAL FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICINE | |
| CHEM 30475 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) | 1 |
| CHEM 30476 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II | 1 |
| CHEM 30481 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I | 3 |
| CHEM 30482 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 3 |
| MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 |
| MATH 12002 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I (KMCR) | 5 |
| PHY 13001 & PHY 13021 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| or PHY 23101 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| PHY 13002 & PHY 13022 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| or PHY 23102 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| SOC 12050 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 48 | |
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.000 | 2.000 |
Foreign Language College Requirement, B.S.
- Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 8 credit hours of foreign language.1
- The following programs are exempt from this requirement: The Bachelor of Science in Cybercriminology and the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science.2
- Minimum Elementary I and II of the same language
- 1
All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 8 credit hours and two courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.
- 2
- The Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science exemption exists under another college policy (Three-Plus-One Programs). The Bachelor of Science in Cybercriminology exemption is due to its extensive collaboration with and contribution from the Information Technology program in the College of Applied and Technical Studies, which does not have a foreign language requirement.
Roadmaps
Neuroscience Major (No Concentration)
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
| NEUR 10100 | SEMINAR IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| General Chemistry Elective | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| BSCI 30140 | CELL BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| General Chemistry Elective | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
| NEUR 30100 | NEUROSCIENCE I | 3 |
| PSYC 21621 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I | 3 |
| Foreign Language Requirement | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| NEUR 30200 | NEUROSCIENCE II | 3 |
| NEUR 30300 | EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| PSYC 31574 | RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) | 3 |
| Foreign Language Requirement | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Five | ||
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Electives | 9 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) or WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) or RESEARCH WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) | 1 |
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Electives | 9 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Electives | 6 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| General Electives | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Elective | 3 | |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Podiatry Concentration
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| CHEM 10060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | 4 |
| CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
| NEUR 10100 | SEMINAR IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| BSCI 30140 | CELL BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | 4 |
| CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
| CHEM 30475 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) | 1 |
| CHEM 30481 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I | 3 |
| NEUR 30100 | NEUROSCIENCE I | 3 |
| PSYC 21621 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| CHEM 30476 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II | 1 |
| CHEM 30482 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 3 |
| MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 |
| NEUR 30200 | NEUROSCIENCE II | 3 |
| NEUR 30300 | EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN NEUROSCIENCE | 1 |
| PSYC 31574 | RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) | 3 |
| SOC 12050 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Semester Five | ||
| BSCI 30130 or BSCI 40430 | HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY or ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| BSCI 30171 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY | 4 |
| MATH 12002 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I (KMCR) | 5 |
| PHY 13001 & PHY 13021 or PHY 23101 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) or GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| CHEM 30284 or CHEM 40245 | INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY or BIOCHEMICAL FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICINE | 4 |
| PHY 13002 & PHY 13022 or PHY 23102 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) or GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Electives | 5 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) or WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) or RESEARCH WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC) | 1 |
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Electives | 6 | |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| Biology and/or Neuroscience and/or Psychology Elective | 3 | |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
| Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) | 2 courses |
Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core. | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
| Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
| Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
| Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
| Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
| Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Understand fundamental principles of neuroscience.
- Acquire fundamental hands-on research skills necessary for laboratory investigations into central nervous system function.
- Understand proper experimental design, data analysis and communication of research results.
- Gain greater knowledge and appreciation of the role neuroscience plays in societal issues, such as those related to neurological disorders, mental health, medicine and human and animal behavior.
Program Policies
Foreign Language Requirements
In general, students may elect any foreign language taught through the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies. However, certain majors, concentrations and minors require specific languages or limit the languages from which students may choose. In addition, students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular languages for that study. In such cases, students should seek the advice of the appropriate department before selecting a language.
Progress Toward Fulfillment
College of Arts and Sciences students are encouraged to begin meeting the foreign language requirement as early as possible in their program to ensure timely degree completion.
Mandatory Outcomes Assessment
In addition to the other General Requirements of the college, candidates for an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences are required, as a condition of graduation, to participate in an outcomes assessment. These outcomes assessments are conducted by each undergraduate degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience offers a broad-based and hands-on study of the mechanisms of brain function from the cell and molecular level through cognition and behavior. This major is for students interested in medicine, other health professions, research and graduate studies in biology, neuroscience and psychology. The major also prepares students for careers in industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, research administration and policy, science communication, teaching and other science-related businesses.
The Neuroscience major includes the following optional concentration:
- The Pre-Medicine/Pre-Podiatry concentration provides the courses necessary for admission to advanced degree programs in healthcare and biomedical science professions.