Pre-medical* students are strongly encouraged to talk to the Pre-professional Advisor to learn about the requirements for medical* school. The standard pre-medical course requirements can be completed by the student majoring in neuroscience. Because medical schools require 2 semesters of biology lecture and laboratory, pre-medical students should take CELL 211 as one of their laboratory requirements plus either EEOB 101/111 or CELL 301/ 302 or CELL 311/312 in addition to the neuroscience co-requisite courses. EEOB 101/111 counts as an elective lecture course, as does CELL 301 or 311. CELL 302 or 312 would count as one of the three required laboratory courses. Note : although CELL 205 (Genetics) is not required for completion of the neuroscience major, it is a pre-requisite for the upper level CELL courses (e.g., CELL 301, 311).
* Note : Pre-dental and Pre-veterinary students also are encouraged to talk to the Pre-professional Advisor
A student who plans to study abroad for a semester or year, should talk to his/her college advisor and the neuroscience major representative, Dr. Beth Wee, about possible courses which are equivalent to Tulane courses. Once these courses have been identified, the student should take the course descriptions to each faculty member who teaches a similar course at Tulane and let that person decide whether or not the course really is equivalent. If it is, then the faculty member should sign the paper with the course description, indicating that it is an acceptable substitute. The student, his or her advisor, and the neuroscience office (via Dr. Wee) all should keep copies of these approved course descriptions. In some cases, a course NOT offered at Tulane, may still be acceptable as an elective, but this should be cleared with Dr. Wee and the student's college advisor. All of these arrangements should be done BEFORE the student leaves for the semester abroad. Students are advised to keep a syllabus from each course taken abroad to verify the course's content.
An honors thesis is a year-long research project conducted during the senior year. Neuroscience majors are not required to do an honors thesis. Successful completion of an honors thesis qualifies the student to graduate with departmental and university honors and is required for candidates for the degrees of summa cum laude and magna cum laude in Newcomb College or Tulane College. For specific information about the requirements for graduating with Honors, contact the Honors Program, 119 Norman Mayer Hall, 865-5517.
An empirical research project is required for an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience. An empirical research project includes the design, implementation, analysis, and write-up of an original experiment that tests a specific scientific hypothesis. Non-laboratory projects, such as papers based solely on library research, clinical internships, or community service activities, do not meet the standards of an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience. Completion of an Honors Thesis in Neuroscience requires two full semesters, typically conducted during the senior year. A student should only attempt an Honor Thesis in Neuroscience under the guidance of a faculty member with whom Independent Study has been pursued during one or more previous semesters.
Note : No student may receive academic credit for research activities if that student receives a salary or stipend for those activities. This policy applies to research conducted during the academic year and during the summer.
How do I sign up to do an Honors Thesis?No later than the spring of your junior year, you should select a Neuroscience faculty member to serve as your thesis director. You might begin by approaching one of your instructors, or your Neuroscience major advisor. You also should review the list of Neuroscience research faculty, to learn about the research interests of the Neuroscience faculty members.
Students should be aware that space in faculty laboratories is limited. Thus, students are strongly encouraged to contact the faculty member well before the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Once the faculty member has agreed to serve as your thesis director, make plans with him or her to carry out preliminary work for the thesis during the spring or summer before your senior year.
Students should sign up for Honors Thesis credit, NSCI 499 in the fall, and NSCI 500 in the spring, of the senior year. You should go to the Honors Program Office (119 Norman Mayer) to pick up the guidelines and schedule well in advance of your registration for an honors thesis. Students who are doing an Honor's Thesis will need to fill out the Tulane Honor's Thesis and Neuroscience Honor's Thesis forms. The completed forms should be turned in to Dr. Wee, 3029 Stern Hall, who will provide a section number and sign off on the form. For additional information, look at the honors program and the honors thesis web pages.
By midway through the first semester, the student must submit a prospectus to the Honors Program that has been approved and signed by the thesis director and a second reader. A first progress report, approved and signed by the thesis director and the second reader at the end of the first semester, indicates whether the thesis is to be continued or terminated. A second progress report is due in the middle of the second semester. A complete draft of the thesis is due to the honors thesis committee a month before the projected date of graduation. The thesis must be completed two weeks before graduation, and the oral examination is held after all other requirements have been met.
Ethics Approval Deadlines. Students must secure prior approval for honors theses from the appropriate ethics committees by the end of the first semester of their senior year. Approval of empirical studies with human subjects or animal subjects must be obtained from the appropriate internal review board. Students should consult with their thesis advisors regarding this process. Review and approval normally requires at least one month. Therefore, it is important that all forms be submitted by the thesis advisor to the appropriate committee NO LATER THAN November 15.
Proposal Approval. Research proposals, submitted in late January to the Honors Program office as the "first chapter," must include an introduction and complete methodology. Before submission to the Honors Program office, the proposal must be approved by a committee comprised of the thesis director, and another faculty member, who will serve as the second reader. The proposal must be approved before the data for the primary study are collected.
Q: Can I complete an honors thesis at the Tulane Medical Center, or at another institution?
A: Yes, however, students must adhere to the same guidelines as those given [below] for Independent Study projects.
Answer given for independent study projects: Students who wish to perform an independent study project at another institution must have two faculty sponsors: One at the host institution, and one in the Neuroscience Major. The student must obtain prior approval from the Neuroscience sponsor for the project. The sponsor will communicate with the host institution sponsor to make sure that the work being performed meets our major requirements for independent study projects. Also, the grade for the project will be submitted by the Neuroscience sponsor, in consultation with the host institution sponsor.
At the beginning of the project, your host institution sponsor must submit, by letter or e-mail, a description of the project to your Neuroscience sponsor. It is essential that your Neuroscience sponsor and your host institution sponsor communicate with one another to evaluate your final work; otherwise, an incomplete grade may result.
Students may sign up for Independent study credit as NSCI 491 or NSCI 492. Independent study forms are available from the Neuroscience Office, 3039 Stern Hall. This form must be completed by the student in consultation with and signed by the faculty member(s) supervising the research and by Dr. Wee. After the completed form is returned to Sherrie in the Neuroscience office, the student will be cleared to add the independent study to his/her schedule.
At the present time, students cannot declare new double majors in Neuroscience and Psychology. A policy change by Newcomb/Tulane College has forced us to reconsider the requirements for double majors. We hope to adopt a new policy for double majors in Neuroscience and Psychology in the spring of 2008. In the meantime, please meet with Dr. Dohanich (dohanich@tulane.edu) if you are interested in declaring a double major in the future. Any student who has already been approved by Dr. Dohanich to pursue a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology should follow the curriculum developed in consultation with Dr. Dohanich.
Due to the extensive overlap between the two majors, students may not pursue a double major in Neuroscience and Cell and Molecular Biology .
The Neuroscience program does not offer a minor in Neuroscience. Neuroscience majors can complete minors in other fields that offer minors provided that the departmental requirements are met.
Neuroscience Major with Psychology MinorA minor in Psychology requires completion of PSYC 100 or 101, 209, one course with a laboratory, and three additional 3 or 4 credit courses that do not overlap with the Neuroscience major.
Students wishing to minor in cell and molecular biology must complete CELL 101, 205, 301, and 311; two additional electives in biology; and 16 credits in chemistry (one year of both general and organic chemistry and their respective laboratories). In accordance with Tulane's undergraduate catalog, students completing a minor must complete at least 24 credits in the major which do not overlap with the minor. Questions about the minor in CMB should be directed to Dr. Jeff Tasker in the CMB department.
Most colleges and universities do not offer a major in Neuroscience. Tulane's Neuroscience major allows students to pursue an interdepartmental curriculum that focuses on the nervous system and its role in regulating physiology and behavior, as well as providing research experiences in this field. The plan of study expands the knowledge base of students beyond that normally attainable in conventional majors and establishes an excellent foundation for future medical and graduate training.
Research and ScholarshipNeuroscience majors pursue research in the University's Neuroscience laboratories as Independent Studies, Honors Theses, and summer employment. These experiences allow students to bring knowledge learned in the classroom into the actual research environment. Tulane undergraduates continue to play a vital role in the federally-funded research programs of Tulane neuroscientists. Their efforts have led to co-authorships on scientific publications and conference presentations.
FacilitiesTulane currently is building a modern, multipurpose laboratory that will be the centerpiece of undergraduate Neuroscience at Tulane. The purpose of the laboratory classroom is to allow students to utilize the most contemporary instrumentation in the field of Neuroscience guided by faculty members who are experts in the application of techniques related to their own research questions. In addition, undergraduates who work in the University's research laboratories will continue to have access to all the instrumentation and facilities used by faculty members in their research programs.
Internship OpportunitiesMajors work in research laboratories throughout the University, as well as in laboratories at the Tulane medical school. Service Learning allows students to work in hospitals, clinics, and community settings to apply classroom knowledge to real-life experiences.
The majority of students graduating with a B.S. in Neuroscience have gone on to prestigious medical and graduate schools including Tulane University, Yale University, Cornell University, University of California, Baylor University, University of North Carolina. Tulane offers a 4+1 Program in Neuroscience in which students who receive a B.S. degree can obtain their M.S. degree during an additional year of study.
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