• Foundation courses: A student who has taken foundation courses outside of Wesleyan may be able to apply them to the major. As a general rule, courses acceptable to the Biology, Chemistry, and Physics departments for University credit are acceptable to the NS&B program for substitution for foundation courses.
• Advanced courses: Advanced courses, inside or outside of the University, might be acceptable as substitutes for the advanced courses of the NS&B major. In general, only one such course can be substituted, and approval must be obtained in advance from the program director.

Undergraduate research. NS&B majors are encouraged to become involved in the research of the faculty. Research tutorials and senior thesis tutorials are taken with mode of grading and amount of credit to be arranged with the research supervisor. Research tutorials are numbered 401/402 (Individual Tutorial), 421/422 (Undergraduate Research), 411/412 (Group Tutorial), and 409/410 (Senior Thesis Tutorial). These courses can fulfill the Category C requirement or can receive graduation credit. See the pamphlet Research in the Neuroscience Behavior Program available in room 257 Hall-Atwater for descriptions of the ongoing research programs in the laboratories of the NS&B faculty, or visit our Website.

Seminars. The program periodically invites neuroscientists from outside Wesleyan to come here and describe their research. These seminars frequently complement course material and give students the opportunity to interact with noted researchers. The talks are usually scheduled for noon on Thursdays. Students are encouraged to attend.

Honors in neuroscience and behavior. To be considered for honors, a student must be an NS&B major and have a B average (grade average 85) in the courses credited to the major. The student must submit a laboratory research thesis that was supervised by a member of the NS&B faculty and be recommended for honors by the NS&B faculty.

Petitioning for exemptions. A student may request a variance from the requirements of the major or for honors by submitting a written petition to the chair of the program. The petition should indicate why the requirement cannot be met and the educational justification for the alternative. The petition will be considered by the NS&B faculty, and the student will receive a statement of the decision by letter.

Teaching apprentice program. Students may be appointed teaching apprentices with the approval of the participating faculty member and the Office of Academic Affairs. The apprenticeship position involves assisting a faculty member in the teaching of a course. Concurrently, the apprentice enrolls in an apprenticeship tutorial (NS&B491/492), which is usually one-credit course and operates in either the graded or credit/no credit mode. Apprentices are usually given a modest stipend.

Steps in becoming an NS&B major. One or more of the foundation courses in biology (BIOL181, 182) are prerequisites for the advanced NS&B courses offered by the Biology Department. Although not legislated as prerequisites, NS&B213 (Behavioral Neurobiology) and NS&B laboratory courses provide important conceptual and practical background for independent research in the junior and senior years. The ideal course sequence would include BIOL181 and 182 along with chemistry in the first year. In the sophomore year, one would take Behavioral Neurobiology (NS&B213). The other required courses and research tutorials would be spread out over the last two years. BIOL181 should be taken no later than fall of the sophomore year by students considering an NS&B major.

Admission to the major. To be admitted to the major during March of the sophomore year, a student must have completed, with grades of C- or better, at least two of the full-credit courses listed in part I, above. At least one of these credits must be either NS&B213 or BIOL181.