Sample Schedules
This page has schedules for the three concentrations: Neurobiology sample schedule, Cognitive Neuroscience sample schedule, Computational Neuroscience sample schedule.
We also have some suggestions for first year students who are interested in exploring Neuroscience as an option.
These schedules are only one option. Each student will have his or her own goals & interests and may wish to have a minor or second major. Students should work with the advising staff to develop a personalized plan and meet with their advisor each semester to modify the plan as needed.
Your First Year
During your first year, you should:
- Meet with your home college's advisors to work out a schedule (MCS first year advisors, DC first year advisors)
- Complete your home college's recommended core first year courses
- Choose a major & concentration
- Begin to complete the important pre-requisite courses for your major & concentration
Undecided Students
A student who is interested in Neuroscience as a major, but is undecided about which concentration to complete, is advised to follow the schedule below for the first year.
This schedule maintains flexibility and completes the crucial prerequisite courses.
Freshman Fall
03-121 Modern Biology
or 85-102 Introduction to Psychology
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
76-101 Interpretation & Argument
Freshman Seminar [see your academic advisor for seminar requirements - they vary by college]
99-101 Computing @ CMU
Freshman Spring
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
21-122/124 Calculus II
36-200 Statistics
or 33-121 Physics I [MCS students may choose to take physics and defer statistics]
xx-xxx GenEd course
xx-xxx Elective*
* Students should take 03-121 (Modern Biology) here if they did not take it in the fall. Other options are 15-112 (for Computational Concentration), 03-161 (for Neurobiology Concentration), or a free elective.
Students interested in the Cognitive Concentration should ideally take 85-102 in the Fall of their freshman year and 03-121 in the Freshman Spring. However, 85-102 can be made up in the Fall of the Sophomore year, and students can instead take 85-211 in the Freshman Spring.
Neurobiology Sample Schedule
This is one sample schedule to complete the neurobiology concentration. Students should meet with their advisors to come up with a personalized schedule.
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Freshman Fall
03-121 Modern Biology
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
76-101 Interpretation & Argument
99-101 Computing @ CMU
Freshman Seminar [see your academic advisor for seminar requirements - they vary by college]
Freshman Spring
03-161 Molecules to Mind
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
21-122/124 Calculus II
36-200 Statistics
or 33-121 Physics I [MCS students may choose to take physics and defer statistics]
xx-xxx GenEd course
or 15-110 Principles of Computing
Sophomore Fall
03-220 Genetics
09-217 Organic Chemistry I
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
xx-xxx Elective
or 33-121 Physics I [students who didn't complete physics freshman year may choose to take it here]
Sophomore Spring
03-231 Biochemistry I
xx-xxx Neuroscience elective [09-218: Organic Chem II can fill this]
xx-xxx Neurobiology elective [09-208: Tech Lab II can fill this]
xx-xxx GenEd course [MCS students who have deferred statistics (36-200) should take it here]
xx-xxx Free Elective [Premed students may wish to take 33-122 (Physics II)]
Junior Fall
03-320 Cell Biology
03-343 Experimental Techniques in Molecular Biology
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience
xx-xxx GenEd course
xx-xxx Elective
Junior Spring
03-346 Experimental Neurobiology
or 03-345 Experimental Cell and Developmental Biology
03-363 Systems Neuroscience
xx-3xx Advanced (300-level or above) Neuroscience elective
xx-xxx GenEd course
85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing*
or 02-319/03-360 Genomics and Epigenetics of the Brain and add after (usually offered in the fall)
Senior Fall
15-110 Principles of Computing [if not already completed]
xx-xxx GenEd course
03-3xx 300-level or above neurobiology elective
or xx-xxx Elective
xx-xxx Elective
xx-xxx Elective
Senior Spring
xx-xxx GenEd course
03-3xx 300-level or above neurobiology elective
or xx-xxx Elective
xx-xxx Elective
xx-xxx Elective
* Alternatively, a student can take 86-375 (Neural perception, usually offered in the fall).
Additionally, students will be required to complete their home college's General Education requirements and enough other elective courses to have 360 credit hours total at CMU.
Cognitive Neuroscience Sample Schedule
This is one sample schedule to complete the cognitive neuroscience concentration. Students should meet with their advisors to come up with a personalized schedule.
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Freshman Fall
85-102 Introduction to Psychology
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
76-101 Interpretation & Argument
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
99-101 Computing @ CMU
Freshman Seminar [see your academic advisor for seminar requirements - they vary by college]
Freshman Spring
03-121 Modern Biology
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
21-122/124 Calculus II
36-200 Statistics
xx-xxx Elective, GenEd course, or Freshman Seminar
Sophomore Fall
03-220 Genetics
33-121 Physics I for Science Students
36-309 Experimental Design for Behavioral and Social Sciences
85-219 Biological Foundations of Behavior
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Sophomore Spring
33-122 Physics II for Biologists and Chemists
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
85-xxx Cognitive Neuroscience elective
85-314 Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Junior Fall
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
or 03-124 Modern Biology Laboratory
15-110 Principles of Computing
85-310 Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Junior Spring
03-363 Systems Neuroscience
85-3xx Advanced (300-level or above) Cognitive Neuroscience elective
85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing
xx-xxx Neuroscience elective
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Senior Year
Student who have stuck to this schedule will have to complete the two following courses their senior year:
- xx-3xx: Advanced (300-level or above) Neuroscience elective
- 85-3xx: Advanced (300-level or above) Cognitive Neuroscience elective
Additionally, students will be required to complete their home college's General Education requirements and enough other elective courses to have 360 credit hours total at CMU.
Computational Neuroscience Sample Schedule
This is one sample schedule to complete the computational neuroscience concentration. Students should meet with their advisors to come up with a personalized schedule.
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Freshman Fall
03-121 Modern Biology
or 15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
21-127 Concepts of Mathematics
or 09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I*
76-101 Interpretation & Argument
99-101 Computing @ CMU
Freshman Seminar [see your academic advisor for seminar requirements - they vary by college]
* Premed students or students who are undecided about concentration should take 09-105 (Chemistry) in their freshman fall so they can complete 09-106 in spring and avoid falling behind on lab courses in sophomore year.
Freshman Spring
03-121 Modern Biology
or 15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
or 09-106 Modern Chemistry II*
21-122 Calculus II
36-218 Probability Theory for Computer Scientists [Dietrich: ask Dietrich advisors]
or 36-219 Probability Theory and Random Processes
xx-xxx Elective, GenEd course, or Freshman Seminar
* Premed students or students who are undecided about concentration should take 09-105 (Chemistry) in their freshman fall so they can complete 09-106 in spring and avoid falling behind on lab courses in sophomore year.
Sophomore Fall
03-220 Genetics09-106 Modern Chemistry II
or 21-127 Concepts of Mathematics
21-241 Matrices & Linear Transformations
15-122 Principles of Imperative Computation
or 15-150 Principles of Functional Programming
85-219 Biological Foundations of Behavior
Sophomore Spring
15-386 Neural Computation33-121 Physics I for Science Students
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
xx-xxx Computational Elective
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Junior Fall
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience09-217 Organic Chemistry I
or 33-122 Physics II for Biologists and Chemists
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
or 03-124 Modern Biology Laboratory
xx-xxx Neuroscience elective
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Junior Spring
xx-xxx Computational Elective03-363 Systems Neuroscience
xx-3xx Advanced (300-level or above) Neuroscience elective
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
xx-xxx Elective or GenEd course
Senior Year
Student who have stuck to this schedule will have to complete two of the following courses their senior year:42-/86-631 Neural Data Analysis
42-632 Neural Signal Processing
85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing
85-435 Biologically Intelligent Exploration
15-494 Special Topic: Cognitive Robotics
15-883 Computational Models of Neural Systems
Additionally, students will be required to complete their home college's General Education requirements and enough other elective courses to have 360 credit hours total at CMU.
Premedical Requirements
Students interested in pursing premedical coursework should work closely with their major advisor and with the Health Professions Program director (dantonio@andrew.cmu.edu) to design a plan. A complete list of course requirements and recommendations to prepare for medical school can be found here.
All Concentrations
Physics II (33-122) or Organic Chemistry II (09-218), but not both, may count toward the major. The other must be taken as a free elective.Neurobiology Concentration
All Neurobiology Concentration students are required to take Organic Chemistry I (09-217), Chemistry Lab I (09-207), Biology Laboratory (03-343), and Biochemistry I (03-231).
Additionally, students in the Neurobiology Concentration make count Organic Chemistry II (09-218) as a general neuroscience elective and may count Organic Chemistry Lab (09-208) as their one neurobiology elective.