Our Neuroscience Program is Fast-paced and Flexible

We combine an in-depth study of psychology and neuroscience with courses in biology and biochemistry to make your degree stand out to employers and graduate schools alike. You'll learn the broader skills employers seek, too, such as working independently, interpreting data, and explaining your findings—skills that will give you an edge throughout your career.

You'll learn about more than the connections between body, mind, and behavior in the classroom. LVC's undergraduate neuroscience degree program helps you gain extensive experience in the lab, practice advanced instrumentation, and develop the foundational skills you need to become an excellent scientific investigator. You may also want to specialize further by earning your degree in one of our related programs, including biochemistry, biology, or psychology.

If you're planning on a career in the health professions, our faculty-led Health Professions Committee will advise you, help you track your academic progress, guide you through the graduate school application process, and prepare you for medical school. Our rigorous mock interview will prepare you for the admissions process, so you'll be ready to take the next step in the field that suits you best.

Discover Your Degree Pathway

• Tailor your degree to your interests and career goals by pursuing a related program, like biology, biochemistry, medical technology, or psychology.
• Master your degree requirements, from genetics to the science of emotion.

Gain Hands-On Research Experience

As an LVC neuroscience major, you'll choose upper-level courses based on your interests in both psychology and biology. And we will help you pursue the self-directed research opportunities and skills most meaningful to your lifelong career in neuroscience or the health professions. 

You'll stand out in your career because of your ability to solve real-world problems, investigate difficult questions, and conduct research in the lab and beyond.

With support from faculty advisors, neuroscience majors have pursued collaborative research projects on:

• Cell cycle regulation in astrocytes
• How iron deficiency alters serotonin, dopamine, and adenosine signaling in animals 
• Changes in neuroblastoma cell signaling in response to retinoic acid exposure 
• How omega-3 fatty acid deficiency affects mammalian spatial learning and anxiety
• And more!

Get Internship Experience

You can also gain experience as a bench scientist or medical researcher with our for-credit internship program. Develop clear career goals or identify potential employers that will jumpstart your career. During the past five years, Neuroscience majors have served as interns for organizations including:

• Penn State Hershey Medical Center
• Lebanon County Drug & Alcohol Center
• Eurofins Labs

What Makes Studying Neuroscience at LVC Special?

• Work in our state-of-the-art facility, the Neidig-Garber Science Center, complete with animal behavior labs, a biotechnology suite, and advanced instrumentation.
• Conduct research with faculty who specialize in areas such as behavioral neuroscience, psychobiology, and mammalian anatomy.
• Receive extensive support for the pre-medicine or health professions track.
• Apply to our Research First program for incoming freshmen, which pairs newly admitted students with faculty-led research teams.
• Join a student-faculty research project, design one of your own, or test-drive your career with an internship.

What You Can Do with a Neuroscience Degree

Our undergraduate program in neuroscience prepares you for a multitude of careers and scientific pathways. While about half of our students pursue graduate school in fields like occupational therapy, counseling, and clinical psychology, your neuroscience degree opens up an array of career opportunities. We'll prepare you to work in any number of settings, whether that's in a research lab, clinic, or hospital.

Recent neuroscience graduates work as industrial or bench scientists for companies like Eurofins Lancaster Labs. Others have pursued work as software developers, pharmacy technicians, therapeutic staff, and medical technicians, or attended graduate school at The University of Minnesota, Penn State College of Medicine, and Millersville University.

Strong Health Professions and Medical School Preparation

Neuroscience is a joint degree program, shared with biology and psychology faculty. Biology majors who pursue health professions—including medical school—have an 83% acceptance rate to graduate or professional school, and neuroscience students share the same preparatory resources. 

In the past three years, biology graduates have enrolled in programs at West Virginia Medical School, East Carolina University, Temple University, Drexel University, Indiana University, Penn State College of Medicine, Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sarah Lawrence College, The Commonwealth Medical College, the University of Maryland, and Virginia Commonwealth University, among others.