Academic Program

  1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Departments & Programs
  4. Neuroscience Program
  5. Academic Program

This information is part of the Colgate University catalog, 2024-25.

Faculty

Professors Kelly, B. Hansen, Tierney
Associate Professors Liu (Director), Meyers
Assistant Professor Galaj, Niraula
Visiting Assistant Professor Brawner

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the anatomy and physiology of neurons and neural circuits. The Neuroscience program at Colgate is one of the first two established at undergraduate institutions in the U.S., and has a particularly strong focus on brain-behavior relationships. Its interdisciplinary faculty are drawn from the  and the . Additionally, majors take courses in the fields of chemistry, computer science, math, philosophy, and physics. In addition to a broad education, the program offers students the opportunity to focus their research interests on a variety of levels of nervous system functioning, ranging from the activity of single neurons to the behavior of complex organisms.

Awards

The William E. and Nellie K. Edmonston Neuroscience Award — awarded annually to the senior neuroscience major(s) who, in the course of pursuing the major, demonstrate(s) academic excellence, a noteworthy dedication to the field of neuroscience, and an outstanding quality of intellectual curiosity.

The F. Scott Kraly Award — awarded annually to a senior neuroscience major(s) whose academic achievements demonstrate an extraordinary appreciation for the integration of neuroscience and the behavioral sciences.

 

Transfer Credit

Transfer of major credit from other institutions for students already matriculated at Colgate requires prior written permission from the registrar and the coordinator of the neuroscience program. No more than one transfer course or Colgate study group course can count toward your major in neuroscience.

Majors may spend a semester at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to carry out biomedical research and take courses. In addition, Colgate sponsors a study-abroad program in the natural sciences and mathematics at Cardiff University in Wales, and at the University of Wollongong near Sydney, Australia. See Off-Campus Study for more details.

Contact neuroscience for more information regarding transfer credit within the program. 

Honors and High Honors

The requirements for achieving honors and high honors in neuroscience are as follows:

Honors

  1. Overall GPA of 3.30 or better
  2. Major GPA of 3.50 or better, calculated across all courses counting toward the major
  3. A two-semester independent research project of high quality( and ) 
  4. Satisfactory oral examination performance on the subject matter of the senior thesis and related fields

High Honors

  1. Overall GPA of 3.50 or better
  2. Major GPA of 3.70 or better, calculated across all courses counting toward the major
  3. A two-semester independent research project of very high quality ( and )
  4. An oral examination performance that demonstrates mastery of the senior thesis and related fields

Study Group

Majors may spend a semester at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to carry out biomedical research and take courses. In addition, Colgate sponsors a study-abroad program in the natural sciences and mathematics at Cardiff University in Wales, and at the University of Wollongong near Sydney, Australia. See .

Related

Majors and Minors

Major

Courses