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Neuroscience

Our Neuroscience major is a gateway to understanding the brain and behavior. Through a blend of scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary exploration, we equip you with tools to explore the brain and its functions. 

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About Our Neuroscience Program

  • Pitzer’s Neuroscience major is an interdisciplinary program of 16 courses designed to provide you with an appreciation of the diverse approaches to studying the nervous system.
  • Our interdisciplinary approach gives our students an edge. While many other science programs focus solely on the subject at hand, your interdisciplinary coursework will enable you to make connections to other fields of study.  
  • You will declare and immerse yourself in a specialization of the field. Choose from Behavioral Neuroscience, Cellular-Molecular Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, Motion Science & Functional Anatomy, Neuropharmacology, or Neurophilosophy.  
  • Pitzer’s Neuroscience program is part of the Department of Natural Sciences, in partnership with Scripps College. At our shared cutting-edge facility, the Nucleus, you’ll have access to state-of-the-art research labs, advanced instrumentation, and other leading technologies as you conduct your research. 
     

At a Glance

Degree Awarded

  • Bachelor of Arts

Field Group

Neuroscience (Department of Natural Sciences)

Program Type

Area of Study

This program is offered through the Department of Natural Sciences

Neuroscience & Our Values

Pitzer’s core values are woven throughout all of our academic programs. Learn how our Neuroscience program specifically addresses interdisciplinary learning.

Interdisciplinary Learning

“Scientific literacy and evidence-based decision-making skills are particularly powerful within the context of a liberal arts education, where our students gain experience in STEM and in the humanities.”

Tessa Solomon-Lane

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Natural Sciences

16 Interdisciplinary Courses

Pitzer’s core Neuroscience curriculum is built to be interdisciplinary to help students grasp how different fields understand the brain.

4 Disciplines Represented

In addition to expert Neuroscience faculty, you will learn from professors in the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, and Biology.

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Get Involved

A student writes notes in a lab run by Pitzer's Department of Natural Sciences

Research Opportunities

As a Neuroscience major, a variety of competitive research opportunities, fellowships, and internships are open to you.

Explore Research Opportunities
Pitzer's brand-new science building, Nucleus West

Resources

Pitzer’s Neuroscience program is offered through the Department of Natural Sciences, a joint department that serves students from Pitzer and Scripps College. The department has 50+ full-time faculty and places an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and research. 

Department of Natural Sciences Website

Neuroscience Program Details

View Course Catalog

What You Will Learn

  1. How to use foundational neuroscience principles and how to apply them to real-life problems found in nature.
  2. How to develop your own hypothesis and design experiments to test them.
  3. How to demonstrate and articulate the ways science is applied in the modern world.
  4. How to write and speak effectively about scientific concepts and critically evaluate published scientific literature. 

Learn More

Visit the Department of Natural Sciences website for more information and resources. 

Neuroscience at the Department of Natural Sciences
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The major in Neuroscience requires the completion of 14-15 courses (maximum).

Required Courses

Common Core (5)

  • BIOL 043L KS -Introductory Biology
  • CHEM 014L KS -Basic Principles of Chemistry
  • NEUR 095L JT -Foundations of Neuroscience or approved substitute.
  • NEUR 148L KS -Cell and Molecular Neuroscience
  • NEUR 149 KS -Systems & Behavioral Neuroscienc  

Common Core Electives (4)

Choose from at least 3 categories from the following:

  • Introductory Courses: BIOL 044L KS -Introductory Biology, PSYC 010 PZ -Introduction to Psychology, PSYC 030 CM -Introduction to Psychology, PSYC 052 SC -Introduction to Psychology, or an approved equivalent course
  • General Physics: two semesters of PHYS 030L KS -General Physics Life Sciences - PHYS 031L KS -General Physics Life Sciences or PHYS 033L KS -Principles of Physics - PHYS 034L KS -Principles of Physics or an approved equivalent course; only one semester of physics may count
  • Mathematics: MATH 031 PZ -Calculus II , BIOL 175 KS -Applied Biostatistics or PSYC 091 PZ -Psychological Statistics, PSYC 103 SC -Psychological Statistics, PSYC 109 CM -Stats for Psychological Science, or approved equivalent course
  • Computer science: NEUR 133L KS -Intro Computational Neuroscience, PHYS 100 KS -Computational Phys/Engineering, or approved equivalent course
  • Research Methods: PSYC 092 PZ -Research Methods, PSYC 104 SC -Research Design in Psychology, PSYC 104L SC -Research Design in Psyc Lab, PSYC 110 CM -Research Methods, or approved equivalent course

Elective Specialization Courses (4-5)

A coherent grouping of 4-5 elective courses to be determined in consultation with an adviser in Neuroscience and approved by the Coordinator of the Intercollegiate Neuroscience Program. Students studying abroad are allowed to use a maximum of two courses towards their course elective specialization. Areas in which a student may elect to specialize include, but are not limited to,

  • Behavioral Neuroscience,
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, or Neuropharmacology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience,
  • Computational Neuroscience,
  • Philosophy of Neuroscience,

Senior Thesis (1-2)

A one- or two-semester Senior Thesis on a topic related to the student’s course specialization (one-semester thesis needs 5 specialization courses; two-semester thesis needs 4 speciali

  • NEUR 188L KS -Senior Thesis Proj Neuroscience  and NEUR 190L KS -Senior Experimental Thesis, two-semester thesis; or
  • NEUR 191 KS -One-Sem Thesis in Neuroscience, one-semester thesis or equivalent for dual majors

Learn More

For more information on course requirements for the Neuroscience major, visit Pitzer's academic catalog.

View the Catalog
Next:

Behavioral Neuroscience

Common Core (5)

  • CHEM 014L KS — Basic Principles of Chemistry (Fall)
  • BIOL 043L KS — Introductory Biology (Fall)
  • NEUR 095L KS — Foundations of Neuroscience
  • NEUR 149 KS — Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience
  • NEUR 148L KS — Cellular Molecular Neuroscience

Common Core Electives (4)

  • CHEM 015L KS — Basic Principles of Chemistry (Spring)
  • BIOL 044L KS — Introductory Biology (Spring)
  • NEUR 099 KS — Introduction to Python
  • BIOL 175 KS — Biostatistics

Behavioral Neuroscience Specialization Courses (4)

  • PSYC 111 PZ — Physiological Psychology
  • NEUR 161L KS — Neuroendocrinology (NEUR 161L)
  • BIOL 131L KS — Vertebrate Physiology
  • BIOL/CHEM 177 KS — Biochemistry

Two-Semester Thesis (if taking a one-semester thesis, add another specialization course)

  • NEUR 188L KS — Senior Research in Neuroscience
  • NEUR 190L KS — Senior Thesis in Neuroscience

Computational Neuroscience

Common Core (5)

  • CHEM 014L KS — Basic Principles of Chemistry (Fall)
  • BIOL 043L KS — Introductory Biology (Fall)
  • NEUR 095L KS — Foundations of Neuroscience
  • NEUR 149 KS — Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience
  • NEUR 148L KS — Cellular Molecular Neuroscience

Common Core Electives (4)

  • MATH 032 PZ — Calculus III
  • CSCI 004 or 005 HM — Introduction to Computer Science
  • MATH 060 PZ — Linear Algebra
  • BIOL 175 KS — Biostatistics

Specialization Courses (4)

  • NEUR 133L KS — Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
  • NEUR 125L JT — Minds, Brains, and Program
  • CSCI 152 HM — Neural Networks
  • MATH 162 PZ — Machine Learning

Two-Semester Thesis (if taking a one-semester thesis, add another specialization course)

  • NEUR 188L KS — Senior Research in Neuroscience
  • NEUR 190L KS — Senior Thesis in Neuroscience
View Course Catalog

Neuroscience Faculty

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Gautam Agarwal

  • Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
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Thomas Borowski

  • Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience Field Group
  • Psychology Field Group
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Darin R. Brown

  • Associate Professor of Psychology
  • Psychology Field Group
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Melissa Coleman

  • Professor of Neuroscience
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Timothy Justus

  • Professor of Cognitive Science
  • Cognitive Science Field Group
Professor Brian Keeley

Brian L. Keeley

  • Professor of Philosophy
  • Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Science, Technology & Society Field Groups
  • IRB Chair
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Jenna Monroy

  • Associate Professor of Biology
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Tessa Solomon-Lane

  • Associate Professor of Neuroscience
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Sandra Watson

  • Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
No profile image for Xiao Zhang

Xiao Zhang

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Contact Us

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Thomas Borowski
  • Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience Field Group
  • Psychology Field Group

(909) 607-3808

Broad Hall 104

Contact Professor

Office of Admission

(909) 621-8129

Pitzer Hall, 1st Floor

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