What are the NEUROSCIENCE Major CAPSTONE OPTIONS?
The Neuroscience, B.S. is designated as a capstone major. The capstone major at UCLA serves as a project-based culmination to a curriculum (a meaningful, shaped collection of courses typical of a major or minor), bringing together in a coherent way key elements of that curriculum. The acquisition of knowledge should lead to a specialized topic explored in a paper or project. Methodological training should be applied to a specific inquiry. Knowledge integrated across a range of topics and disciplines should provide broader contexts for a topic or project. And specific skills, such as research, discussion, teamwork, project design, performance, oral presentation, and writing, should be employed as appropriate to that inquiry.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TWO CAPSTONE OPTIONS:
First, what is the main difference?
Option 1 involves regular coursework. Option 2 involves research contract courses. This means you must create research course contracts on MyUCLA and have a faculty mentor agree to supervise your work in their lab. In other words, Option 2 is like having a job and, therefore, you should treat it like one.
Option 1: Laboratory Methods
(1) Neuroscience 101L
Winter Quarter Only
Pre-requisites: NS m101A, m101B (NS m101B can be taken concurrently)
Psych 116 is an approved substitution for NS 101L. Neuroscience majors should keep in mind that students in the Psych department receive priority for enrollment in Psych 116.
(2) Additional major elective
Students who choose the NS 101L option must take a total of 4 upper division electives with at least one from each elective option. Neurobio M169 or Phy Sci 135 can be taken provided that student has already completed one elective for each of the 3 elective categories.
Option 2: Independent Research
(1) Neuroscience 199A
and
(2) Neuroscience199B**
Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters
Pre-requisites: NS m101A & SRP 99 under same faculty mentor
Students who choose the NS 198A/B or NS 199A/B option must take 3 upper division electives, one form each elective option. Neurobio M169 and Phy Sci 135 do not apply.
Poster required at the annual NS undergraduate poster session in May
Please see Research Courses for detailed guidelines.
**Students pursuing Departmental Honors must sign up for NS 198AB instead.
Option 3: Project Brainstorm Capstone
NOTE: LIMITED CAPACITY (~6 students per Winter - Spring Quarter)
Project Brainstorm (usually offered as NS 192B) is an outreach class offered to Juniors and Seniors in which you have an opportunity to develop teaching lessons on Neuroscience that you present to local K-12 students.
To use Project Brainstorm to fulfill your capstone requirement, you must do the following:
1) Contact the organizer for Project Brainstorm and the undergraduate Neuroscience advisor to declare your intent to use Project Brainstorm for your capstone
2) Commit to two consecutive quarters (Winter and Spring) of Project Brainstorm
3) Register for Project Brainstorm as a capstone by completing 199A/B contracts and have them approved by the faculty instructor. Opt for letter grading.
4) Participate in all activities of Project Brainstorm, including additional activities designated especially for capstone participants.
5) Prepare and present a poster on your Project Brainstorm experiences at Neuroscience Poster Day in the Spring Quarter of your participation in the capstone.
The Project Brainstorm Capstone has been filled for Winter and Spring 2017.
PLEASE NOTE
You may ONLY do Neuroscience 199AB OR Neuroscience 198AB ONCE. If you'd like to continue with your Neuroscience research, please visit the Research page and check out Neuroscience 199C which may also only be taken once.
Psychology 115 cannot be substituted for Neuroscience M101A; however, Physiological Science 111A can be substituted.
A maximum of eight units of Neuroscience 198 or 199 may be applied toward the major.
All required and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade, and a 2.0 average must be maintained in all upper division courses taken for the major.
Students will still need 13 additional upper division units in order to reach the 60 minimum required.
