Capstone Major
The Neuroscience major is a designated capstone major. Undergraduate students have the option of conducting two terms of independent research within a faculty laboratory, applying to participate in DOPA-Team, or completing an advanced laboratory methods course with a series of research modules. Through their capstone work, students demonstrate ability to generate testable scientific hypotheses and develop a research plan to test such hypotheses; work on research projects independently and in small groups; evaluate and discuss primary literature and the validity of hypotheses generated by others; communicate effectively orally and in writing; and demonstrate creative thinking.
Learning Outcomes
Entry to the Major
Transfer Students
Transfer applicants to the Neuroscience major with 90 or more units must complete the following introductory courses prior to admission to UCLA: one year of general biology with laboratory for majors, preferably equivalent to Life Sciences 7A, 7B, and 7C, one year of calculus, one year of general chemistry with laboratory for majors, one semester of organic chemistry with laboratory, and one statistics course. A second semester of organic chemistry or one year of calculus-based physics is strongly recommended but not required for admission.
Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.
Major Requirements
Preparation for the Major
Life Sciences Core Curriculum
Chemistry
Life Sciences
Mathematics
Physics
The Major
Required Core
Elective Options
Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Neuroscience
Systems and Integrative Neuroscience
Capstone Research Options
Neuroscience 101L or Psychology 116A or 116B
Neuroscience C177 and 192CX
Neuroscience 198A and 198B, or 199A and 199B.
Honors Program
Policies
Preparation for the Major Policies
Each core curriculum course must be passed with a grade of C– or better, and all courses must be completed with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Students receiving grades below C– in two core curriculum courses, either in separate courses or repetitions of the same course, are subject to dismissal from the major.
The Major Policies
No more than eight courses may be from any one department. A maximum of 8 units of Neuroscience 198 or 199 in any combination) may be applied toward the major. Each course must be taken for a letter grade, and students must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better in all upper-division courses taken for the major.
Capstone
Students who select the Neuroscience 101L or Psychology 116A or 116B capstone research option must take four upper-division electives, with at least one from each of the three elective options. Students who select the Neuroscience C177 and 192CX, 198A and 198B, or 199A and 199B options must take three upper-division electives, one from each elective option.
Honors Program
Majors who have completed all preparation courses with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and an overall GPA of 3.2 or better may apply for admission to the honors program. Applications and program requirements are available in the Neuroscience Undergraduate Office. Students must submit the application before beginning their upper-division honors requirements. After completion of all requirements and with the recommendation of the faculty sponsor and a second reader of the thesis, the chair confers honors at graduation.