Students interested in studying abroad during their time at UCLA are highly encouraged to meet with a Neuroscience advisor early in their academic careers to create and discuss a course plan that will allow them to satisfy the Neuroscience major or minor requirements by their Degree Expected Term (DET). It is also recommended to connect with an advisor from the International Education Office (IEO) to discuss possible study abroad programs and review program eligibility/requirements. To assist with planning, students are also encouraged to check out the Major Academic Plan (MAP) for the Neuroscience major.
Students seeking to earn credit abroad for the Neuroscience major/minor requirements will typically participate in a UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP). This is due to the fact that courses taken within UCEAP are easier to transfer, receive course credit for, and often scheduled based on the quarter system. Many semester summer programs do not work well since UCLA’s spring quarter finals are held during the second week of June.
Due to the structure of the Neuroscience curriculum, it is generally recommended that students study abroad during any summer or fall of senior year. It is possible to study abroad in other quarters within students’ time at UCLA, however they should plan to meet with a Neuroscience advisor to discuss how this will affect their progress with the Neuroscience major/minor requirements.
It is not mandatory to study abroad for the Neuroscience major/minor. Students can also earn credit abroad for College requirements (e.g. GEs, foreign language, etc.). As such, students should contact their respective College Counseling Unit for assistance with fulfilling non-major requirements abroad. Students should consult with the respective departmental advising office if they are seeking to earn credit for another major or minor program.
Any courses taken abroad to satisfy Neuroscience major/minor requirements need to be pre-approved by the department. Once a study abroad program has been identified, students should undergo the course substitution petition process outlined here if the courses have not previously been petitioned.
Yes, it is possible to earn credit abroad for some Neuroscience major preparation requirements depending on the study abroad program. Most commonly, students will earn credit toward the Physics requirement abroad. Please find more information regarding the UCEAP Summer Physics programs here.
Students can petition to satisfy Neuroscience major/minor upper division requirements through UCEAP. It is recommended to complete the Neuroscience M101 series at UCLA, so major/minor elective requirements tend to offer more flexibility.
Prior to petitioning, please refer to this database to see which UCEAP/study abroad courses have previously been reviewed and approved to satisfy Neuroscience major/minor upper division requirements (these approvals are contingent upon the courses being UC-transferable, letter-graded, and equivalent in units to the UCLA course/requirement being substituted).
If the course you were planning to petition is listed in the database above and has previously been approved to satisfy a Neuroscience major/minor upper division requirement, you do not need to submit a new course substitution petition (unless the course content has significantly changed). Please contact the Neuroscience Advising Office via email to manually update your DARS once your transfer credit has been processed.
This may vary per student, however it is typically recommended for Neuroscience majors who are eligible to complete the NEUROSC M101 series in their third year to do so since the courses are only offered once a year. Students cannot enroll in NEUROSC M101B or M101C without having completed M101A (with a C- or higher) prior. Students who study abroad during fall of their third year will likely complete a flipped schedule, which entails completing the NEUROSC M101 series in the fourth year, unless they are able to successfully identify an appropriate course equivalent to NEUROSC M101A abroad.
