Neuroscience Minor

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Coordinator: David McKemy, PhD
Undergraduate Advisers: Pablo Lopez, pablol@usc.edu; Mia Kirsten Santos, mnsantos@usc.edu

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or higher is required to count toward minor requirements.

Core Requirements (12 Units)

BISC 407 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Units: 4
BISC 421 Neurobiology Units: 4 **
NEUR 408 Systems Neuroscience: From Synapses to Perception Units: 4 **

Statistics Requirement (4 units)*

Choose one course from the following:

BUAD 310g Applied Business Statistics Units: 4
ECON 317 Introduction to Statistics for Economists Units: 4
HP 340Lg Health Behavior Statistical Methods Units: 4
MATH 208x Elementary Probability and Statistics Units: 4
MATH 307 Statistical Inference and Data Analysis I Units: 4
MATH 407 Probability Theory Units: 4
PSYC 274Lg Statistics Units: 4
QBIO 305g Statistics for Biological Sciences Units: 4

Electives (4 units)

Choose one course from the following:

BISC 307L General Physiology Units: 4
BISC 312x Molecular Biochemistry Units: 4
BISC 313L Evolution and Population Genetics Units: 4
BISC 320Lg Molecular Biology Units: 4
BISC 325 Genetics Units: 4
BISC 330L Biochemistry Units: 4
BISC 403 Advanced Molecular Biology Units: 4
BISC 406L Biotechnology Units: 4
BISC 410 Applications of Molecular Biology to Medicine Units: 4
BISC 411 Advanced Cell Biology Units: 4
BISC 423 Epilepsy to Ecstasy: Biological Basis of Neurological Disorders Units: 4
BISC 424 Brain Architecture Units: 4
BISC 425 Genetics through the Scientific Literature Units: 4
BISC 438 Nutritional Biochemistry Units: 4
BISC 444 Practical Analysis of Biological Data in R Units: 2
BISC 461 Seminar in Molecular and Computational Biology Units: 2
BISC 462 Seminar in Neurobiology Units: 2
*can be repeated twice; different topic each semester
BISC 466 Neuroimmunology Units: 4
BISC 480L Developmental Biology Units: 4
BISC 499 Special Topics Units: 2, 3, 4
BME 210 Biomedical Computer Simulation Methods Units: 4
BME 402 Control and Communication in the Nervous System Units: 4
BPSI 405 Organ Systems Physiology, Drug Delivery and Drug Action Units: 4
CHEM 350 Molecular Principles of Biochemistry Units: 4
CSCI 360 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Units: 4
CSCI 445L Introduction to Robotics Units: 4
ECON 405 Neuroeconomics Units: 4
GERO 310 Physiology of Aging Units: 4
GERO 320g Psychology of Adult Development Units: 4
GERO 321 Introduction to Psychology and Aging Units: 4
cannot take if completed GERO 320
GERO 414 Neurobiology of Aging Units: 4
GERO 415 Neuroaffective Disorders of Aging Units: 4
GERO 494 Resilience in Aging: A Cross-Cultural Exploration Units: 4
HBIO 306 Biology of the Non-Human Primates Units: 4
HBIO 308 Origins and Evolution of Human Behavior Units: 4
HBIO 420L Applied Human Physiology Units: 4
HBIO 435 Neurobiology of Feeding Behavior and Obesity Units: 4
HP 340Lg Health Behavior Statistical Methods Units: 4
HP 409 Environmental Impacts on the Brain Units: 4
LING 385Lg Human Language as Computation Units: 4
MEDS 320 Human Cadaveric Anatomy Units: 4
MEDS 340 The Brain in Health and Disease Units: 4
MEDS 350 Neurochemistry of Addiction: Drugs, Brain, and Behavior Units: 2
NEUR 490x Directed Research Units: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
PSYC 301L Cognitive Processes Units: 4
PSYC 304L Sensation and Perception Units: 4
PSYC 305 Learning and Memory Units: 4
PSYC 320 Principles of Psychobiology Units: 4
PSYC 326 Behavioral Neuroscience Units: 4
PSYC 337L Adult Development and Aging Units: 4
PSYC 339Lg Origins of the Mind Units: 4
PSYC 404L Psychophysiology of Emotion Units: 4
PSYC 420 Animal Behavior Units: 4
PSYC 424 Neuropsychology Units: 4
PSYC 425 Functional Imaging of the Human Brain Units: 4
PSYC 426 Motivated Behaviors and Addiction Units: 4
PSYC 427 Neuropsychopharmacology Units: 4
PSYC 428 Advanced Psychobiology Seminar Units: 4
PSYC 432 From Eugenics to Neurodiversity: History of DisAbility Units: 4
PSYC 438 Behavioral Genetics Units: 4
PSYC 440 Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience Units: 4
PSYC 450 Neural Network Models of Social and Cognitive Processes Units: 4
PSYC 452 Social Neuroscience Units: 4
PSYC 468 Happiness: Research in Neuroscience and Positive Psychology Units: 4
QBIO 481 Structural Bioinformatics: From Atoms to Cells Units: 4
RXRS 403 Neuropharmacology in Health and Disease Units: 4
RXRS 405 Breaking Brains: The Pharmacology of Addiction Units: 4
RXRS 412 Ethics, Drugs and Society Units: 4
SCRM 487 Regenerative Medicine: Principles, Paradigms and Practice Units: 4

Note:

*An equivalent course may be substituted with permission.

**Prerequisite: BISC 220 or BISC 221 .

***Prerequisite: PSYC 100 .

Recommended but not required: CHEM 103Lx (or CHEM 105La ) plus MATH 125

Students who have not already taken the prerequisites (BISC 220 /BISC 221 and PSYC 100 ) will need to take a total of 28 units to satisfy the requirements of a minor in neuroscience. Thus, the range of units will vary from 20 to 28 depending on a student’s background; consult an academic adviser.