Co-major in Neuroscience


photo of Tiffany Campbell"My neuroscience research at Miami has been huge. I received a CAS Dean's Scholar Award to do research as an assistant in Dr. [Jennifer] Quinn's lab, where we've been working on memory reconsolidation in animal models…Dr. Quinn also played a big role in my decision to add my neuroscience co-major."

- Tiffany Campbell, Psychology/Biology majors; Neuroscience/Premedical Studies co-majors


Neuroscience is a rapidly advancing, interdisciplinary field with relevance to all aspects of our everyday lives. As a highly interdisciplinary field, neuroscience requires an in-depth study of the nervous system at multiple levels of analysis—including molecular, genetic, cellular, and systems levels.

The interdepartmental Neuroscience Co-major offers students the opportunity to pursue an in-depth exploration of:

  • biology of individual nerve cells
  • organization of nerve cells into a functional nervous system
  • role of the nervous system in behavior and cognition

The co-major is multidisciplinary, including coursework in biology, psychology, chemistry and statistics. It provides a basic framework for students planning advanced work at the graduate level. This curriculum will ensure a strong foundation in neuroscience along with a methodological and statistical mastery (one year of statistics) that is often lacking in neuroscience education at the undergraduate level. Students in the co-major must also be enrolled in, and complete, a primary major; the co-major cannot be taken as a stand-alone major.

The Neuroscience Co-major requires 40-43 semester hours, distributed as listed below. Depending on your major, some of these credits may also count toward your primary major.

  1. Core Courses in Biology and Psychology (15 hours)
  2. Chemistry (10 hours)
  3. Statistics (3-4 hours)
  4. Advanced Biology Courses (6-7 hours)
  5. Advanced Psychology Courses (6-7 hours)

For more information about the Neuroscience Co-Major and how to enroll, please contact:

Dr. Kathleen Killian (killiaka@MiamiOH.edu) or
Dr. Jennifer Quinn (quinnjj@MiamiOH.edu)

Program Requirements (Miami General Bulletin)