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Neuroscience

Program Overview

Scranton’s neuroscience major will appeal to any student interested in the human brain and nervous system and how they work.

The program is interdisciplinary, combining faculty, courses and research from these departments: biology, psychology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and physics. This broad range is necessary to examine the mechanisms of the brain and clinical disorders related to the nervous system.

Neuroscience involves the study of the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, nerves and all connected organs. This includes functions like breathing, heart rate, muscle control, sensory detection of the environment, as well as higher thought processes involved in learning, memory, personality and emotions.

As a neuroscience student, you’ll benefit from:

  • A wide range of course subjects -- from neuroanatomy and neurodevelopment to cellular and molecular biology and cognitive neuroscience.
  • A wide range of faculty interests – including human attention, neurodevelopmental disorders and spinal cord regeneration.
  • Opportunities to be involved in research projects.
  • State-of-the-art facilities – Scranton’s Loyola Science Center – with 22 classrooms and 34 laboratories – was designed to foster collaboration and model the environment of professional research.

"We offer the opportunities of a large university but in the small college setting where the faculty and students learn and work together. Opportunities begin the first week of the semester in our neuroscience seminar - Lab Rotations - where you will meet half the faculty in the coming few months. "

Program Director Robert Waldeck, Ph.D.

Curriculum

Curriculum

 The foundation courses for the major come from the biology, psychology and chemistry departments. Students must take some biology and psychology electives. They are also required to earn research credits through specific neuroscience courses.

From their first year, students in the major get to know their professors through lab rotations with neuroscience faculty. They later work with individual professors to conduct research in specific areas of expertise, such as behavioral changes following a spinal cord injury.

View the Curriculum

Research

Research

Research is critical and integral to the neuroscience curriculum.  We encourage students to develop as independent thinkers using research. It is our most powerful tool of scientific inquiry.  Research is a process and so students are encouraged to get started early in their college life so they have time to complete a meaningful project.

Learn More About Research Opportunities

 

Involvement in Clinical Applications of Neuroscience

Over the last few years, the Geisinger Neuroscience Institute has offered lectures for our students about clinical disorders as well as review of diagnostic skills.

Our professors have also worked with the Institute’s faculty to jointly develop podcasts to examine clinical applications in neuroscience that are extensions of material covered in class. The podcasts are presented by a team of instructors including neurology residents from the Institute.

In 2021, one of our students completed an internship at the Institute, carrying out research duties and observing patient-related clinical cases.

Careers

Our graduates are well prepared for a wide range of careers, given the record of where alumni of the program are now. This is one of the reasons we provide a flexible curriculum and research program – to match what courses you will need to take in preparation for your future career goal.

Learn More About Career Options

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