Person in lab holding a diagram of a brain

Neuroscience Majors

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science

Unique neuroscience bachelor degrees in Minnesota

Strategies for studying the incredible complexity of the nervous system are continually being developed and expanded. At Hamline, you’ll gain experience studying both biological and psychological approaches. By viewing neuroscience from multiple angles, you'll develop a layered approach to the nervous system while preparing for a broad variety of future careers.

In class, you’ll learn experimental and laboratory methods of neuroscience research, with the opportunity to work alongside faculty mentors to conduct your own original research. Your courses will feature interactive learning opportunities with professionals in the fields of neuroscience, allowing you the chance to expand both your expertise and your professional network.

Neuroscience major and pre-health track

Neuroscience major (BS)

Explore the neuroscience major designed for students who plan to go on to graduate studies in the sciences. 

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Neuroscience major (BA)

Learn more about the major in neuroscience for careers that do not necessarily require a graduate degree.

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Pre-health professional track

Interested in a career that requires postgraduate programs like medical school? We have the preparation you need. 

Pre-Health track

Neuroscience program details

Opportunities for student research

At Hamline, students starting as early as their first year participate in research with faculty, something normally reserved for graduate students at other institutions.

The list of possible research projects is as varied as your interests. For example, picture yourself:

  • Investigating the neural substrates of social cognition using electrophysiology (EEG)
  • Using cognitive neuroscience tools and techniques to address questions about prejudice, belief, and doubt
  • Recording and experimentally manipulating electrical signaling events in the neurons of crickets and worms using electrophysiology
  • Studying the localization and function of novel regulators of nervous system development using chick embryos as a model system
  • Exploring the mechanisms of cell migration within the nervous system by culturing, staining, and imaging neural crest cells

And during your research process, you’ll present your work at regional and national conferences and potentially publish your research in academic journals.
 

Learn more about undergraduate research at Hamline 

Internships for neuroscience majors

We make sure you leave Hamline with work experience in the field of neuroscience on your resume. And the opportunities are boundless. Whether you want to explore a career in health care, clinical research, medical technology, or other fields, we have internship opportunities for you.

Examples of past neuroscience student internships include:

  • Minneapolis Veteran's Affairs Health Care System, research assistant
  • Partners in Excellence, behavioral therapist intern
  • Re'ese Adbarat Tserha Aryam Kidist Selassie Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral, childhood disabilities programming intern
  • MRCI, personal care attendant
  • Woodwinds Hospital, emergency room volunteer
  • Hamline University Sports Medicine Facility, student medical assistant

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Explore career paths for neuroscience majors

Our innovative courses and one-on-one mentoring by faculty will give you the tools to succeed in a variety of jobs, such as:

  • Psychologist
  • Occupational, physical, or speech therapist
  • Physician
  • Licensed alcohol and drug counselor
  • Neuropharmacologist
  • Neurodiagnostic technologist
  • Biomedical researcher
  • Mental health worker

And you can explore careers in many different fields, such as:

  • Health care
  • Medical research
  • Psychotherapy and counseling
  • Criminology
  • Education
  • Community outreach
  • Social work

Take your studies further with graduate school

Our graduates have gone on to medical and graduate schools across the country in the pursuit of master’s and doctoral degrees. Examples of programs and schools include:

  • Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Minnesota
  • School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota
  • PhD in Psychology, Princeton University
  • PhD in Neuroscience, University of Iowa
  • Family Social Science MA/PhD Program, University of Minnesota
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies, St. Catherine University

 

Gabby Cook

The neuroscience faculty at Hamline are amazing. Professors Bridget Jacques-Fricke and Eric Asp do a great job of providing different perspectives on the field.

Gabby Cook '23, neuroscience and public health; of Longmont, Colorado
Read Gabby's story

Selected faculty in Hamline's neuroscience program

Bridget-Jacques-Fricke-Header

Bridget Jacques-Fricke PhD

Program Director, Neuroscience; Associate Professor of Biology
Areas of interest and expertise: Molecular mechanisms of cell motility during development of the nervous system; neural crest cells; scholarship of teaching and learning

Bridget Jacques-Fricke is a developmental neuroscientist with research interests in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell motility during development of the nervous system. She earned a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota. 

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Dr. Eric Asp 2

Erik Asp PhD

Director of the Wesley and Lorene Artz Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center; professor of psychology
Areas of interest and expertise: Neural substrates of belief and doubt, egocentric biases, prejudice, event-related negativity (ERN), and prefrontal cortex function; how neural regions and their associated cognitive/emotional functions are influenced by the aging process.

Dr. Asp received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Iowa in 2012. His research interests are broad and multidisciplinary; he uses several cognitive neuroscience tools from the human lesion method to electroencephalography (EEG) to address a diverse array of questions related to social cognition.

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Hamline’s neuroscience program was a great fit for me because it allowed me to follow my passions and study both biology and psychology. The faculty were supportive in all of my endeavors throughout my undergraduate experience and continue to provide support as I work on building my career.

Lila Khan '20, family social science; Family Permanency Specialist at Ampersand Families in Roseville, MN

Take your next step today

Interested in neuroscience? We’d love to send you information, including more on academics and student life at Hamline.

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