Neurobiology Major
Penn State Offers a Superior Neurobiology Degree
Neurobiology at Penn State is designed for students interested in the structure and function of the brain/nervous system and how it controls cognition, physiological processes, and behavior in healthy animals and during disease.
Internationally recognized for our research-infused and hands-on curriculum, the major prepares students for successful careers in health, industry, and research.
Why Study Neurobiology?
Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary science that integrates molecular, cellular, functional, evolutionary, computational, and medical perspectives to study the nervous system. Our neuroscience faculty are both teachers and leading researchers, bringing to the classroom their expertise in tackling the field's biggest questions involving the basis of learning and memory, sleep, aging, addiction, autism, and stress. Neurobiology majors learn the fundamental workings of the nervous system and how its malfunction can cause disease, while studying and working side-by-side with Penn State’s leading experts in neuroscience and brain health. The degree includes exposure to field-relevant techniques and instruments as well as designing and conducting lab experiments to discover new science.
Careers in Neuroscience
The neurobiology degree provides the rigor and breadth needed for entry into competitive health-related professional schools, including medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, dentistry, and physician assistant programs. Recent statistics indicate 90% of our students who graduate from Biology (home of neurobiology degree) are working in Biology related careers. Approximately 30% of our graduates are working in health care, over half of which are physicians.
The neurobiology degree’s access to hands-on research experience also prepares students for entry into graduate programs in research (20 percent of past biology graduates) and direct employment in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry (27 percent of graduates).
Neuroscientists are working in roles as diverse as sales, product and drug development, university or government research, medical care, clinical trials, law, education, and many other fields.
Coursework
The coursework effectively prepares students for all possible career paths in neuroscience. Strengths of the program include contextualized teaching focused on the field's biggest health concerns, research-infused fundamentals that keep students up to date on the latest discoveries, and hands-on exposure to instruments critical to the field.
Questions about the major? Contact Academic Adviser Barb deHart.
Student Perspectives, Research, and Experiences