Utah State launches new behavioral neuroscience undergraduate major

Utah State University is inaugurating a brand new undergraduate behavioral neuroscience program beginning this October.  

This major will be a part of the Department of Psychology within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education, Health, and Human Services. Coursework for students enrolled in this major will begin in January.  

The American Psychological Association describes behavioral neuroscience as the study of how our nervous systems and brains react to different stimuli, exhibit behavior and respond to genetic influences that affect the decisions and actions we make every day. Neuroscience combines biology, chemistry and psychology to observe and determine behavior in sentient beings. Students who major in psychology are not required to take these natural science courses.  

Behavioral neuroscience has many career paths to follow. Some of the leading positions include research scientists, neuropsychologists and neuroscience technicians.  

Neuroscience is crucial to exploring the human brain, peripheral nervous system and spinal cord, which are all vessels for emotions, behavior and basic bodily functions. Christopher Warren, an associate professor of psychology at USU and the director of the behavioral neuroscience program, and Scott Bates, department head of the psychology department and professor of psychology, have been the leading coordinators and overseers of this process.  

Bates said the idea of an undergraduate neuroscience major has been in the works since before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.  

According to the Utah State Department of Psychology, psychology is one of the largest and most favored majors on USU’s campus, with almost 800 undergraduate and over 200 graduate students currently enrolled.  

Many of these students have expressed interest in furthering their education and deepening their understanding of the brain and how it affects human behavior.  

This request, along with many others from students and members of the USUSA Neuroscience Club, was the foundation for creating this new opportunity to learn and grow. 

In the early stages of developing this major, the Neuroscience Club president conducted surveys to estimate how many students were interested in pursuing a degree in neuroscience. This research helped show how extensive the demand for a neuroscience major was on campus.  

Warren spoke about what attributes USU already has that could help grow this program rather than starting from ground zero.  

“We had most of the courses that are typical of neuroscience programs in our catalog,” Warren said.  

Along with the available required courses for the major, the psychology department had some specific attributes that could enhance the success of the behavioral neuroscience major.  

USU has multiple researchers in behavioral analysis who have extensive qualifications and experience in the field.  

These professors teach courses and lead labs for students to gain hands-on experience under the supervision of a trained professional for guidance.  

This neuroscience major is designed to help students prepare for medical school, as well as other career paths in this field, according to the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. All prerequisites needed for medical school are available to students in this major.  

Bates discussed the bridge that is forming between neuroscience and the technology industry. According to the Columbia University Zuckerman Institute, neuroscience is helping build connections from neurons and how they communicate and process information to neuro-inspired artificial intelligence.  

Bates believes that this will be a substantial career path for students to consider when deciding their specific area of concentration.  

To apply to the behavioral neuroscience major, reach out to one of USU’s academic advisors.  

For students who are interested in the major and want to learn about more opportunities that are available to them, there will be a launch party for the new neuroscience major on Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will be held in the International Lounge at the TSC, where there will be activities, refreshments and information about the major.