Neuroscience

Neuroscience at St. Olaf is an interdisciplinary program that brings together biology, psychology, chemistry, physics, computer science, philosophy, and other fields to explore how nervous systems function across levels of organization, from molecules and cells to circuits, behavior, cognition, and society. Our curriculum emphasizes both the core concepts of contemporary neuroscience and the quantitative, experimental, and computational approaches used to make discoveries in the field today. Whether you are interested in the cellular basis of memory, the neural mechanisms underlying perception and behavior, brain health and disease, or how animals and humans interact with their environments, the program encourages students to integrate perspectives across disciplines and scales. Through coursework, faculty-led research, and hands-on experiences, students develop a broad and flexible understanding of neuroscience while gaining insight into how modern neuroscience is practiced in research, clinical, technological, and societal contexts.