The Neuroscience major was first offered in the fall semester of 2010.  The major has seen tremendous growth in four years and there are now well over 200 majors.  However, there is a population of students at the University of Vermont with an interest in Neuroscience who are not being served; these students have a core interest in another major and are interested in Neuroscience as either a supplement to their major or as simply a field of inquiry that they enjoy studying.  Some of these students are outside of the College of Arts and Sciences, and their opportunities to take Neuroscience-related courses are extremely limited.  We believe that the creation of a Neuroscience minor would serve students both within and outside of the College of Arts and Sciences who have an interest in Neuroscience.

The curriculum for the Neuroscience minor would be balanced between courses in the Behavioral and Biological Sciences that are integral to the Neuroscience major, including foundational courses in research methods (PSYS 053) and introductory neuroscience (NSCI 111), and upper level courses that must be chosen from a list of cognitive/behavioral options and cell/molecular options.

For more information on the proposal, please visit the Curriculum Committee web site: http://blog.uvm.edu/cas-ascurcomm/

Approved by the Board of Trustees February 2016