With state approval secured, undergraduate neuroscience degree to be offered in Fall 2015
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia recently gave final approval for Virginia Tech's new Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience.
The new degree program, based in the College of Science's Academy of Integrated Science, will be available to undergraduates beginning in 2015 fall semester.
The new degree program joins the nanoscience and computational modeling and data analytics degree programs approved by SCHEV in July which are set to begin this spring. Also beginning this spring is the new microbiology degree program, housed within the College of Science’s Department of Biological Sciences.
The new neuroscience degree program continues the momentum started in 2011 when the College of Science introduced the Integrated Science Curriculum, creating a fully interdisciplinary approach to science by incorporating physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and statistics in a single four-semester course of study.
Virginia Tech is one of just two public universities in Virginia to offer a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and is the only one which benefits from the team of world-class neuroscience researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. The new degree program will draw on faculty and resources from biology, chemistry, economics, mathematics, physics, psychology, and statistics.
Graduates of this program will be able to integrate molecular, structural, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and will make them competitive candidates for the biomedical research employment market, for graduate degree programs in neuroscience, and for a growing spectrum of opportunities available to those with neuro training.
“Several years ago we started down a path to create an educational model whose foundation rests on interdisciplinary skills, one that will better prepare graduates for a rapidly evolving job market,” said J.P. Morgan, director of the Academy of Integrated Science and associate dean in the College of Science. “With the addition of neuroscience, our Academy of Integrated Science now houses three multi-departmental degree programs, as well as the innovative Science, Technology, and Law minor and the Integrated Science Curriculum.
"More programs are in the works as College of Science faculty continue to work to ensure students receive the very best that a scientific education can offer," said Morgan. “Students should expect to receive a solid foundation in a discipline with real research experience, as well as a wide breadth of exposure to other fields, providing them with the skills, knowledge, and tools to be highly competitive and sought-after in both the industrial and academic markets.”
Students interested in the neuroscience program can register online for an orientation session to be held on Monday, Nov. 17, 5:30 p.m. in 310 Hutcheson Hall.
Students can email an academic advisor in the Academy of Integrated Science or call 540-231-2551.
