Program Overview

Program Overview

The Psychological & Brain Sciences: Cognitive Neuroscience Major at Washington University in St. Louis is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the study of the brain and mind at various levels of analysis. This includes cellular biology, brain systems, cognitive and affective function, and neural computation. The major aims to provide an understanding of psychological processes such as attention, memory, thinking, and emotion in terms of physical principles and biological components.

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 45-49 units (36-37 units plus prerequisites for the major requirements, plus 9-12 units for a specialization; adding a specialization to the base major is not required)
• Grade Requirement: For a course to count toward the major, a grade of C– or better must be achieved.

Prerequisites

Students must complete the following courses outside of Psychological & Brain Sciences:

• BIOL 2160: Principles of Biology I (3 units)
• MATH 1520: Calculus II (3 units)
• Total Units: 6

Required Courses

• PSYCH 1000: Introduction to Psychology (3 units)
• PSYCH 3000: Introduction to Psychological Statistics (3 units)
• PSYCH 3010 Experimental Psychology or PSYCH 3011 Experimental Psychology (4 units)
• PSYCH 3401 Biological Psychology or BIOL 3411 Principles of the Nervous System (3 units)
• PSYCH 3600: Cognitive Psychology (3 units)
• PSYCH 3604: Cognitive Neuroscience (3 units)
• Total Units: 19

Additional Cognitive and Biological Distributions

Students must complete two courses — one each from the Distribution A and B lists:

Distribution A Eligible Courses

• PSYCH 3175: Applied Statistical Analysis with R (3 units)
• PSYCH 3210: Developmental Psychology (3 units)
• PSYCH 3300: Sensation and Perception (3 units)
• PSYCH 3580: Language Acquisition (3 units)
• PSYCH 3610: Psychology of Learning (3 units)
• PSYCH 3800: Human Learning and Memory (3 units)
• PSYCH 3980: Advanced Psychological Statistics: The General Linear Model and Beyond (3 units)
• PSYCH 4099: Human Evolutionary Psychology (3 units)
• PSYCH 4182: Perception, Thought and Action (3 units)
• PSYCH 4330: Psych of Language (3 units)

Distribution B Eligible Courses

• BIOL 3057: Physiological Control Systems (3 units)
• BIOL 3151: Endocrinology (3 units)
• BIOL 3280: Principles in Human Physiology (3 units)
• BIOL 3421: Neuroethology (3 units)
• BIOL 3422: Genes, Brains and Behavior (3 units)
• DANCE 3170: The Neuroscience of Movement: You Think, So You Can Dance? (3 units)
• PHYSICS 3350: Physics of the Brain (3 units)
• PSYCH 3175: Applied Statistical Analysis with R (3 units)
• PSYCH 3450: Genes, Environment and Human Behavior (3 units)
• PSYCH 3890: Advanced Psychological Statistics: The General Linear Model and Beyond (3 units)

Computation Requirement

Students must complete one of the following courses:

• CSE 1301: Introduction to Computer Science (3 units)
• PSYCH 3175: Applied Statistical Analysis with R (3 units)
• PSYCH 4631: Computational Cognitive Science (3 units)
• PSYCH 5007: Statistics and Data Analysis in MATLAB (3 units)

Capstone/Depth Requirement

Students must complete three of the following courses:

• ANTHRO 4581: Principles of Human Anatomy and Development (3 units)
• BIOL 4030: Biological Clocks (3 units)
• BIOL 4040: Laboratory of Neurophysiology (3 units)
• PHIL 4200: Philosophy of Neuroscience (3 units)
• PNP 4020: The Physiology and Biophysics of Consciousness (2 units)
• PSYCH 4182: Perception, Thought and Action (3 units)
• PSYCH 4414: Advanced Cognitive Neuroscience (3 units)
• PSYCH 4512: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (3 units)
• PSYCH 4631: Computational Cognitive Psychology (3 units)
• PSYCH 4746: Genes, Brain and Behavior: Pathways to Psychopathology (3 units)
• PSYCH 4765: Inside the Disordered Brain: Neural Systems of Behavior and Psychopathology (3 units)

Acceptance Into the Major

Acceptance into the Psychological & Brain Sciences: Cognitive Neuroscience Major is contingent upon an application and then approval by the major committee. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for admission into the major. Washington University students will be considered for admission to the P&BS:CN major no sooner than during their third semester (sophomore year). Decisions are based on the student's statement and academic record as well as the interview with the advisor. A brief, one-page statement from the student about why they feel the cognitive neuroscience major is appropriate for them will be requested as part of the application.