Neuroscience
What you'll do in college
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, focusing on the brain, spinal cord, and neural networks. Coursework spans molecular biology, cognitive psychology, neuroanatomy, and biochemistry. Expect to spend an inordinate amount of time memorizing brain regions, running behavioral tests on rodents in windowless basements, slicing brains in wet labs, and reading highly dense papers about synaptic plasticity. Many pre-med students flock to this major to stand out, though it requires surviving a heavy load of hard sciences combined with abstract cognitive theory.
What you'll do after college
Grads frequently use this major as a launchpad for medical school, clinical psychology, or a Ph.D. to become research scientists. If you don't go to grad school, you'll likely work as a clinical research coordinator, a lab technician, or in pharmaceutical sales. The tech industry also heavily recruits neuro grads for UX research, neuromarketing, and brain-computer interface startups (think Neuralink). Expect to permanently view human emotion as mere dopamine and serotonin fluctuations and diagnose your friends' behavior using neurochemical imbalances.
Famous graduates
- Mayim Bialik — Actress (The Big Bang Theory) and neuroscientist; B.S. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA
- Andrew Huberman — Prominent podcaster and neurobiologist; B.A. from UC Santa Barbara, Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Davis
- Wendy Suzuki — Renowned neuroscientist and author; B.A. in Physiology and Human Anatomy from UC Berkeley, Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC San Diego
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neuroscience | 300 | 11,227 | 29% / 71% | 4% | $66,881 | 94% |
| Neuroscience | 267 | 9,222 | 29% / 71% | 4% | $66,286 | 94% |
| Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior | 1 | 420 | 36% / 64% | 5% | $71,800 | 91% |
| Neurobiology | 3 | 318 | 32% / 68% | 4% | $59,190 | 92% |
| Integrative Neuroscience | 1 | 221 | 26% / 74% | 2% | $76,332 | 98% |
| Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology | 1 | 203 | 31% / 69% | 4% | $79,225 | 96% |
| Neuroscience and Behavior | 2 | 156 | 19% / 81% | 11% | $74,426 | 95% |
| Behavioral Biology | 1 | 120 | 32% / 68% | 13% | $64,334 | 91% |
| Physiology and Neurobiology | 1 | 116 | 31% / 69% | 2% | $70,746 | 98% |
| Biopsychology | 19 | 114 | 8% / 92% | 4% | $65,182 | 100% |
| Neurobiology and Behavior | 4 | 109 | 22% / 78% | 4% | $60,930 | 96% |
| Neurobiology and Anatomy | 4 | 97 | 26% / 74% | 5% | $67,452 | 95% |
| Neural Science | 1 | 66 | 33% / 67% | 14% | $76,041 | 82% |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 5 | 59 | 32% / 68% | 2% | $69,061 | 98% |
| Neuroscience (Course 9) | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $65,292 | 90% |
| Neuropharmacology | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $74,123 |