Neuroscience

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Overview Neuroscience is the multidisciplinary study of the nervous system. In addition to focusing on basic scientific problems related to psychology, biology, and chemistry, neuroscience also forms the fundamental basis of many medical specialties, including psychiatry, neurology, and neurosurgery. The basic and applied nature of the field has attracted a large number of scientists during the past decades.

Increasingly, neuroscientists must be well trained in a variety of scientific disciplines to stay abreast with the rapid advances in the field. A successful neuroscientist must be trained in fields spanning from molecular biology to cognitive neuroscience. The program in neuroscience is designed to provide majors with the necessary skills to master this highly multidisciplinary scientific field.

The objectives of the major are:

1. To provide students with a structure for coursework that assures a solid grounding in natural science and an overall familiarity with neuroscience as a discipline.
2. To sponsor events that communicate neuroscience research and activities on grounds, as well as provide students with information on research careers. Such events include special lectures, symposia, trips to national and local scientific meetings, and workshops on graduate school and career options.
3. To foster active participation of undergraduate students in neuroscience research in neuroscience oriented laboratories in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the School of Education and Human Development. 

Faculty The major is administered by the recently established Program in Fundamental Neuroscience (PFN). The director of the Neuroscience Undergraduate Program (NUP) and the PFN undergraduate committee will oversee the curriculum, select students for the major, advise majors, and determine the ongoing direction of the program. The faculty primarily responsible for classroom training are neuroscientists in the Biology and Psychology departments. Faculty from other departments and schools will also participate in the program through teaching and through mentoring research projects.

Students Applications for the Neuroscience major are typically accepted during the student’s 4th semester at UVA. Students will be chosen on the basis of prior academic performance, research experience (if applicable), and an essay explaining the students’ interest in neuroscience.