Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Program

Programs

Honors Program

Qualified seniors are encouraged to participate in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Honors Program. Admission to the Honors Program depends upon criteria established by the college and sponsorship by a member of the neuroscience and behavioral biology core faculty. Students must complete NBB 221or NBB 470Clinical Research Practicum and two semesters of undergraduate research NBB 495A (four hours) and NBB 495B (four hours) and attend a biweekly honors seminar. In addition, students are required to enroll in at least one graduate-level course.

See “Honors Program” under the curriculum section of the catalog and consult the department for further details.

Study Abroad

University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Brain StEm (Spring and Fall Courses)

The Emory Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Program (NBB) and the University of St. Andrews Schools of Biology and Psychology have established a unique type of study abroad exchange program. The "Brain StEm" Program, represents the creation of a true "sister school" relationship between the extremely strong neuroscience and behavioral sciences programs at the two institutions. Emory's NBB Program is one of the largest undergraduate programs in North America with over 300 majors and seventy-five faculty members. The neuroscience program at University of St Andrews is a joint undertaking of the Schools of Biology and Psychology which both recently received top ratings from RAE, the national audit of research quality in UK university departments. What does all this mean for the students?  By implementing "The Institute of Behavioral and Neural Sciences", rather than an a la carte approach to selecting courses, a coherent program of pre-approved courses has been put into place. Overall curriculum and appropriate courses have been evaluated and selected by the faculty of each institution and faculty advisors are in place at Emory and St. Andrews to assist the students participating in "Brain StEm". Here at Emory this translates into a study abroad program that provides pre-approved equivalents for: NBB 301& 401, required core courses; NBB 221, the statistics & experimental design course which is a prerequisite for undergraduate research; and twenty-five University of St. Andrew courses which can serve as electives for the NBB major!

MPhil in NBB (Masters in Philosophy- 1 year)

Building upon the successful Brain StEm program, Emory and St. Andrews are offering a 4+1 BS (Emory) MPhil (St. Andrews) research-based NBB degree combination. To qualify, Emory NBB majors must have a 3.5 GPA and have an invitation from one of the St. Andrews participating professors, or graduate from Emory with honors in NBB. The first year of the normally two-year MPhil program will be waived, allowing qualifying NBB BS graduates to complete their Masters degree in one year. Contact the NBB office for further information.

Emory Melbourne University Science Experience (E.M.U.S.E)

A program that has been designed specifically for Emory Biology, Chemistry, and NBB students in their junior and senior year who are interested in spending a semester abroad in Melbourne, Australia. As a student program, you will undertake a research-focused study abroad experience while also taking biology, neuroscience, or chemistry courses offered Fall and Spring semesters: Semester 1 runs from early February to mid June; Semester 2 runs from early July to Mid November. This program is ran in conjunction with the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne. For more information please contact the NBB office.

NBB Study Abroad in France (summer)

Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology program is offering a unique opportunity to study in Paris for a 5-week program that will connect the rich history of French neurology with contemporary neuroscience research. Students will couple in-class discussions with a variety of extracurricular outings to locations that illustrate France's role in early Neurology (e.g. Hôpital de la Salpêtrière) and its current research interests (e.g. Institut Curie or La Cité des Sciences). This program provides completion of one NBB core course and one NBB elective. Please note: NO FRENCH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IS REQUIRED.

Students are encouraged to have a GPA minimum of 3.0  for  the above study abroad programs.

Advising

Each NBB major is assigned an academic advisor. It is imperative that students meet with their advisers at least once a semester to discuss courses that meet the requirements of the major. In addition, students should talk to their advisors about future career plans; i.e., graduate school, medical school, etc., as there may be additional courses they should take for entrance to graduate school. Advisors will be available during pre-registration and their office hours. However, advisors will often have more time to spend with students at times other than pre-registration. Students should take advantage of these times in scheduling appointments with their advisors.

The NBB office has an open-door policy to assist students in receiving information needed to further their undergraduate academic education.