The Certificate in Neuroscience allows some undergraduate students to obtain recognition for completing coursework that provides a foundational understanding of brain function at multiple levels of organization.
To declare the certificate, students must meet with an MCB advisor and complete the online declaration form by the 10th day of their final semester.
Students completing the certificate will be presented with an official certificate and will be free to use this credential on a CV, resume, or application for advanced study. Certificates do not provide transcript recognition.
In order to receive the printed certificate and for School of MCB students to be recognized at the school's convocation, students must complete this checklist by the last day of classes in their final semester.
Twelve hours of coursework in Neuroscience is required for completion of the certificate. Courses must be chosen from the Approved List of Courses below. MCB 461 and 462 are specifically required, but the remaining 6 hours can come from any courses on the Neuroscience Approved List. Up to 3 hours may come from MCB 290 undergraduate research conducted in a neuroscience lab.
Note that courses marked with an asterisk (*) will also count toward the 15 hours of required approved advanced coursework for the MCB major. Courses not marked with an asterisk will count toward the certificate but will not count toward the 15 required advanced hours in the MCB major.
Approved List of Courses for Neuroscience Certificate:
| MCB 290 | Undergraduate Research in approved lab | up to 3 hours | |||||
| * | MCB/NEUR 314 | Introduction to Neurobiology | 3 hours, Fall | ||||
| * | MCB 401 | Cellular Physiology | 3 hours, Fall | ||||
| PSYC/NEUR 403 | Memory and Amnesia | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 404/405 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 hours, Spring | |||||
| * | PSYC/NEUR 414 | Brain, Learning and Memory | 3 hours, Spring | ||||
| PSYC/NEUR 417 | Neuroscience of Eating and Drinking | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 421 | Principles of Psychophysiology | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| IB/NEUR 432 | Genes and Behavior | 3 hours, Spring | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 433 | Evolutionary Neuroscience | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 450 | Cognitive Psychophysiology | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 451 | Neurobiology of Aging | (currently not offered) | |||||
| PSYC/NEUR 453 | Cog Neuroscience of Vision | 3 hours, Fall | |||||
| * | MCB 460 | Neuroanatomy Laboratory | 2 hours, Fall and Spring | ||||
| *† | MCB/NEUR 461 | Cell & Molecular Neuroscience | 3 hours, Fall | ||||
| *† | MCB/NEUR 462 | Integrative Neuroscience | 3 hours, Spring | ||||
| * | MCB 466 | Neuro & Molecular Pharmacology | 3 hours, Spring | ||||
| * | MCB 493 NMI | Neurobiology of Mental Illness | 3 hours, Spring | ||||
| * | MCB 493 NOS | Neurobiology of Senses | 3 hours, Spring |
† Required for the Certificate
* Counts toward the required 15 hours of approved advanced courses in the MCB major
Notes:
Students are not guaranteed a seat in a course required by the certificate but are welcome to enroll in courses where seats remain available after any restriction, which may have been placed, has been removed.
NEUR/PSYC 413 only counts as an approved advanced MCB course for students who took it prior to spring 2022. Students who take the course in Spring 2022 or later cannot count it towards the certificate or towards their 15 required advanced MCB hours.
A course may not be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one MCB certificate.
Contact
Email advising@mcb.illinois.edu or call 217-333-6774 for more information.