A multidisciplinary exploration of the brain and human personhood Neuroscience

With a Neuroscience Degree from Wheaton, you will understand how the nervous system functions at all levels: from molecules and cells, to systems, to behavior and cognition, to social interactions. You will be able to apply your understanding to a variety of issues related to neuroscience and human personhood and analyze them from a Christian perspective. This program provides a strong undergraduate foundation for graduate training in neuroscience, psychobiology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, pharmacology, or psychiatric-mental health nursing.

Credential Type

  • B.A., B.S.

Major Credits Required

  • 50

Offered As

  • Major

98.9% employed or in graduate school

Within six months of graduation, nearly 99% of Wheaton’s Class of 2021 found work in their field or continued their education.

75% completed an internship

Three-quarters of the most recent graduating class pursued at least one internship.

11:1 student-faculty ratio

Small class sizes mean individualized attention and greater access to faculty.

Connect with Admissions

You can reach us anytime via admissions@wheaton.edu.

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Wheaton College Neuroscience Students

Program Highlight Benefit From an Integrative Approach

Neuroscience is part of the Biological and Health Sciences Department, which also includes Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (offered jointly with the Chemistry Department), Biology, Conservation and Ecological Health, and Health Science. Together, these five majors share a core curriculum designed to introduce you to foundational biological and chemical concepts, scientific research methods, and the intersection of Christian faith with science. You will learn to read scientific literature critically, communicate scientific information effectively, and conduct scientific experiments correctly. This firm foundation prepares you for a variety of professions or entry into graduate or professional schools.

This curriculum involves contributions from several other departments such as Psychology, Chemistry, Biblical and Theological Studies, and Philosophy. This interdisciplinary approach provides to students an integrated, robust learning experience.

Faces & Spaces Where You’ll Learn, Who You’ll Meet

Nate Thom with Student in Neuroscience Lab Experiement

Our Faculty

Learn from accomplished, caring faculty members with scientific expertise in neurobiology, neurological processing of novel environments, visual processing, genetics, microbiology, cardiovascular physiology, diabetes, nutrition, epidemiology, parasitology and disease transmission, botany, marine biology, and theories of origins. 

Meet Our BHS Faculty > 

Meet our Psychology Faculty
Dr. Bill Struthers >
Dr. Ray Phinney >

Students in Neuroscience Lab

Our Facilities & Equipment

The Meyer Science Center houses state-of-the-art labs filled with modern equipment and instrumentation including functional near infrared spectroscopy for measuring brain blood flow and oxygenation, high-density EEG for measuring electrocortical activity, eye-tracking equipment, a suite of peripheral psychophysiological measures, and a rodent research laboratory. Other available equipment includes a fluorscence microscope, a microtome for tissue sectioning, and tissue culture incubators.

Wheaton College Neuroscience students looking at test results on a computer

Our Experiences

Majoring in Neuroscience at Wheaton exposes you to many immersive learning experiences, from internships and collaborative research projects with faculty mentors to mission-driven service work around Chicagoland and abroad. 

WITH Wheaton Opportunities Across Campus & Beyond

Interdisciplinary learning is a way of life at Wheaton. In addition to your work within your chosen major, you can enrich your educational experience and connect with peers and professors across campus and beyond in many ways.  

 


Real-World Learning at Wheaton & Beyond

  • Wheaton Summer Research Program
  • Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) program
  • Council for International Educational Exchange
  • (CIEE) Study Abroad programs
  • DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia

Other Opportunities

  • Faculty-mentored student research
  • Internships
  • Teaching assistantships and lab assistantships
  • Other international and domestic travel programs

Related Centers, Organizations & Co-Curriculars

  • Pre-Health Ministry
  • Society of Women in STEM
  • Wheaton Pre-Dental Society
  • Symbiosis (BHS student-run club)
  • Health Professions Advising

 

Wheaton College Neuroscience students and prof doing experiment in lab
NEUROSCIENCE for Christ & His Kingdom

Faith & Learning

A Wheaton education is built on the foundation of our unique Christ at the Core general education curriculum. Studying Neuroscience at Wheaton provides you the opportunity to engage in the scientific process alongside deep-thinking Christians, develop research skills, and be critical evaluators of research in an area that has a great degree of theological importance and potential—the brain.

More About Christ at the Core

Success After Wheaton What You Can Do With a Neuroscience Degree

Nationally, neuroscience is one of the top 10 career options and is very popular with national and foundation funding support. Studying the nervous system is critical in helping make the connections between mind and brain, and this mind-brain link has significant theological implications on questions of human personhood and the imago Dei.

Neuroscience is one of the fastest-growing interdisciplinary fields of study in the 21st century. It has extended an impact on philosophy

  • law
  • business
  • the arts
  • the social sciences
  • and the humanities 

A neuroscience degree from Wheaton will prepare you for graduate school, medical school, or other professional training in neuroscience. It prepares you for careers in basic and applied research and teaching, as well as careers in traditional healthcare fields, by offering both a core set of courses and a degree of flexibility to tailor your coursework to your own interests.

Wheaton neuroscience graduates are well-prepared to enter graduate or professional schools or gain employment in a variety of occupations, including: 

  • Artificial Intelligence Engineer
  • Artist
  • Audiologist
  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Data Scientist
  • Designer
  • Educator/Teacher
  • Lab Manager
  • Lawyer
  • Marketing or Advertising Consultant
  • MRI technician
  • Musician/Music Instructor
  • Neuroeconomics
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Nutritionist
  • Physical Therapist
  • Physician/ Physician’s Assistant
  • Professor
  • Researcher
  • Scientific Writer/Editor
  • Social Worker
  • Speech & Language Therapist
  • Veterinarian

Next Steps

Interested in studying neuroscience at Wheaton? Request more information or start your application today.