Core CourseS s

Required of all students:

NACS600 Ethics in Scientific Research

NACS728R Foundational Readings in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

Three of the five following courses (at least one course from each area)

Cognitive Area:

NACS642 Cognitive Neuroscience

NACS728Y Introduction to Cognitive Science

Neuroscience Area:

NACS641 Introduction to Neuroscience

NACS643 Computational Neuroscience

NACS644 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Students who have satisfactorily completed graduate courses with comparable content can be exempted from NACS 600, 641, 642, 643, 644, and 728Y core course requirements with written permission of their committee and the Graduate Director. This includes students with prior training in neural, cognitive, and/or computational neuroscience, and students entering the NACS Program with a Master’s degree in a related field.

 

Supplemental Courses

In addition to the core courses, each NACS student must complete three courses (minimum of 9 credits) that are relevant to their program of research. These courses should be approved by the student’s committee. Credits from core courses beyond the three mandated will count toward the total of 9 credits.

The student’s advisory committee may require additional course work to remedy any areas of weakness in the student’s previous training.

The Graduate School requires 12 credits of 899 dissertation research credits before graduation. 

NACS courses and Descriptions

Check out all classes on Testudo

 

Course	Description
NACS 600	Ethics in Scientific Research (offered every Spring) (2 credits)
	Description: This class is a discussion and seminar of important topics dealing with how to do scientific research. Topics include mentoring, data ownership, animal and human subjects, peer review, publication, inventions and patents, etc.
	Prerequisites: At least one year of doctoral studies (preferred). Permission of instructor.
NACS 608	Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Seminar (offered Fall and Spring) (1 credit)
NACS 641	Introduction to Neuroscience (offered every Fall) (4 credits)
	Description:Detailed examination of neurophysiology and sensorimotor systems
	Prerequisites: Permission of NACS office.
NACS 642	Cognitive Neuroscience (offered every Spring) (4 credits)
	Description: A study of the fundamental concepts and techniques of cognitive and computation. Recurring themes in the field, such as face recognition, learning, and language, are examined.
	Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
NACS 643	Computational Neuroscience (offered every Spring) (4 credits)
	Description: Provides a mathematical foundation in computational neuroscience.
	Prerequisites: NACS 641 and calculus or permission of instructor.
NACS 644	Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (offered Spring 2012, Spring 2014) (4 credits)
	Description: Overview of recent insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the nervous system, including the molecular machinery subserving neuronal function, intracellular signaling cascades initiated by synaptic activation, and synaptic plasticity. In addition, we examine the techniques employed to gain these insights.
	Prerequisites: NACS 641 or permission of instructor.
NACS 728R	Foundational Readings (offered every Fall) (2 credits)
	Description: Weekly discussions of classic papers in neuroscience and cognitive science. This course is open to first-year NACS students only.
	Prerequisites: Permission of NACS Office
NACS 728Y	Introduction to Cognitive Science (offered every Fall) (4 credits)
	Description: Graduate seminar on selected topics in contemporary neuroscience and cognitive science. Extensive readings from the primary literature. Topics vary by semester.
	Prerequisites: none
NACS 728B	Quantitative Analysis of Biological Data (offered Fall 2013, Fall 2015) (4 credits)
	Description: Methods of analysis for time series and other data, including spatial data. Analysis methods include signal processing, statistics, and simple modeling. Matlab programming is taught and used throughout the course. Topics include data smoothing, Fourier/frequency analysis, spectrograms, and bootstrap error estimation. The class format is two 75 minute lectures plus one hands-on computer lab.
	Prerequisites: Students from biology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and related fields are encouraged. There are no formal prerequisites beyond calculus, but willingness to learn both mathematical techniques and some programming is essential. Basic calculus, complex numbers, and related concepts will be reviewed.
NACS 898	Pre-Candidacy Research (1-6 credits)
	Description: Individual instruction course. Contact NACS office to obtain section number.
NACS 899	Doctoral Dissertation Research (6 credits)
	Description: Individual instruction course. The Registrar's Office registers students who have advanced to candidacy for 6 credits of NACS 899 each fall and spring semester until the students graduate.

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NACS COURSE LIST
This is a list of NACS-related courses that are taught by NACS faculty. It is not an all-inclusive list of neuroscience and cognitive science courses. Check out all classes on Testudo.

Fall 2012 Course List

Spring 2012 Course List

Fall 2011 Course List

Spring 2011 Course List

Fall 2010 Course List

Spring 2010 Course List