Neural Science

Neural science (NS) is a collection of disciplines unified by a concern for the function of the brain. Experimental approaches in neural science vary from analyses of molecular and cellular mechanisms in nerve cells and groups of nerve cells to behavioral and psychological studies of whole organisms. We attract students who are interested in understanding the brain’s command of all its diverse functions including but not limited to the following questions: How do cell circuits enable us to read and speak? How and why do we form relationships? How do we think, remember, despair, or motivate? What are possible causes of devastating disorders of the brain and body, as well as ways to prevent or cure them?

Requirements for the Major

Students can choose to follow the academic bulletin from the year that they were admitted or a more recent academic bulletin. For example, if you were admitted to NYU Shanghai in Fall 2019, you can choose to follow the academic bulletin 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022.

2026-2027
2025-2026
2024-2025
2023-2024
Click to View More Archived Academic Bulletins

2022-2023

2021-2022

2020-2021

2019-2020

2018-2019

Planning the Major

To declare the Neural Science major, students must have a final grade of C, or currently enrolled in BIOL-SHU 21 Foundations of Biology I.

Course Schedule Course Schedule
Curriculum Worksheet Curriculum Worksheet
Study Away Pathways Study Away Pathways

Faculty Mentors

Faculty mentors are the leading faculty and experts in the major disciplines. Students can reach out to faculty mentors for specific questions about the major, and references for connecting with relevant discipline resources. If you have specific questions about specific fields of study within the major, you can search for faculty through the faculty directory.

 

Xing Tian

Area Head of Neuroscience

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Linmin Zhang

Undergraduate Coordinator of Neuroscience

Neural Science FAQs
Research Opportunities
  • We encourage students to reach out to the professors and take Foundations of Science courses to gain the chance to work in the professor’s lab.
  • Students may refer to this study booklet of Neural Science for the faculty research interests.

 

Double Major

Neural Science major students can not double major or minor in Biology.

Independent Study

Students are permitted to work on an individual basis under the supervision of a full-time faculty member in the relevant discipline if they have maintained an overall GPA of 3.0 and have a study proposal that is approved by the professor, Area Head and Academic Affairs.

Honors Track

1. Independent study in Neural Science (Fall and Spring, at least 4 credits)

2. Preliminary Research Statement in early March

3. Honors Thesis upon acceptance of preliminary research statement

Students must apply to the DUS (Director of Undergraduate Studies) for admission to the Honors Track in their senior year. Students requesting Honors status must achieve a grade point average of 3.65 or better in all courses required for the major and 3.65 over all courses taken for credit. Students should also demonstrate a genuine interest in research. Students must complete the Honors Seminar (4 credits) and start conducting research with a faculty member in Neural Science in the fall semester of their senior year and complete the Independent Study in Neural Science (at least 4 credits) with the same faculty sponsor in their senior year. The student must submit an honors thesis (40-60 pages in length, double spaced) that is accepted for honors standing by the faculty sponsor and the DUS. Presentation of the thesis work at the NYU Shanghai Undergraduate Research Conference is required. Note: When calculating GPA in all courses that satisfy the major, we will NOT include Calculus and FoS classes. We will include classes that have been approved to satisfy the major, which can be courses from different categories.

Senior Thesis / Capstone Requirement

In order to comply with accreditation requirements, NYU Shanghai requires all students to complete either a capstone requirement in the form of a senior thesis and/or a required capstone course in the primary major.

Students in the Neural Science major must complete the capstone requirement by taking NEUR-SHU 997 Neural Science Independent Study (4 credits). This course is offered in the Fall and Spring and must be taken in person in Shanghai, meaning students must be in Shanghai during that semester(s). It is mandatory for all students who are pursuing Neural Science as their primary major. 

Starting from Fall 2025, if students’ secondary major requires a capstone, they must take an approved upper-level elective(s) in the major equal to the credit value of the capstone course(s) to replace the capstone. Approved upper-level electives for students who are pursuing Neural Science as a secondary major can be found below:

  • NEUR-SHU 270 Introduction to Theoretical Neuroscience
  • NEUR-SHU 222 Perception
  • NEUR-SHU 301 Action and Cognition
  • PSYC-SHU 344 Psychology of Human-Machine Communication and Relationships
  • PSYC-SHU 220 Cognition
  • PSYC-SHU 360 Evolutionary Psychology
  • BIOL-SHU 250 Organismal Systems
  • BIOL-SHU 261 Genomics and Bioinformatics
  • BIOL-SHU 263 Developmental Biology
  • CHEM-SHU 881 Biochemistry I
  • CHEM-SHU 882 Biochemistry II

 

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