Neuroscience is a complex field that involves physiological and psychological studies of the human brain and nervous system. High school students can prepare for neuroscience research by taking advanced science and math courses, while graduate students have several options when choosing their courses. Upon graduation, most neuroscience students apply to accredited master’s or doctoral programs. Many universities, hospitals, and research laboratories offer formal postdoctoral and graduate programs for new scientists and psychologists.
Neuroscience is a broad scientific field that incorporates physiological and psychological studies of the human brain and nervous system. People from very different educational backgrounds engage in neuroscience research, hoping to coordinate discoveries towards a greater explanation of such a complex system. Many of today’s leading psychologists, biologists, chemists, and medical researchers are involved in neuroscience studies. Regardless of a person’s area of expertise, starting independent neuroscience research usually entails earning a master’s or doctoral degree and completing a postgraduate fellowship at a university, hospital, or private research laboratory.
High school students who plan to someday do neuroscience research can prepare by taking advanced science and math courses. Biology, chemistry, and physics classes introduce students to scientific research principles and laboratory techniques. Advanced math and statistics classes teach beginning researchers how to interpret data and apply different formulas. Undergraduate students often apply for admission to four-year colleges and universities with esteemed science departments.
Graduate students interested in neuroscience research have several options when choosing their courses. Students intrigued by the physiological aspects of the nervous system may choose to major in a biological science, while those concerned with behavior, emotions, and other conceptual matters often specialize in psychology. Many students take on internship positions in their school’s laboratories, giving them the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the fundamentals of neuroscience research. Upon graduation, most neuroscience students apply to accredited master’s or doctoral programs.
Undergraduate and doctoral students often receive intensive classroom and laboratory instruction, learning all the necessary skills as they begin to conduct independent research. To test the skills of potential scientists, many programs require students to write theses or dissertations on some aspect of neuroscience and defend their findings before a panel of professors and experts. Upon approval of a dissertation and completion of a degree program, a graduate may pursue an internship or fellowship at a research institution.
Many universities, hospitals, and research laboratories offer formal postdoctoral and graduate programs for new scientists and psychologists. Interns typically observe and assist experienced professionals in their research, performing tasks such as installing laboratory equipment, conducting evaluations and experiments, recording results, soliciting grants, and writing scientific papers. After one to three years of experience, a scientist will be able to begin designing and conducting research experiments in neuroscience. In addition to enriching our understanding of the human brain, neuroscience researchers are instrumental in creating new drugs and therapy techniques that can be used to save countless lives.
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