Prospective Students

How do I declare my major?
You must make an appointment with a neuroscience advisor. During this meeting the advisor will help you fill out the appropriate paperwork to officially submit your declaration in a major program.

Is there a minimum GPA requirement to declare a major?
You should have a major GPA of at least a 2.0 to declare; prerequisite courses for the major are included in the GPA calculation. You should meet with a neuroscience advisor to discuss the program and your plans to declare early in your college career.

Do I need to complete all my prerequisites before declaring my major?
No. You may declare before you finish all of the prerequisites.

May I double-major or major/minor in two different concentrations?
Yes, but you cannot elect two majors or a major and a minor offered in the same department. The Program in Neuroscience is in the same department as the Program in Biology. One notable exception is the election of a Neuroscience major and an EEB major/minor. This is because the EEB major/minor is administered solely by the EEB department and the Neuroscience major is managed by the MCDB department.

May I use the honors versions of prerequisites to fulfill the prerequisite requirement for the Neuroscience major?
Yes.

May I take a prerequisite pass/fail?
Prerequisites other than introductory biology may be taken pass/fail; however, it is not recommended, especially for chemistry. Remember that you must earn at least a C - to pass a course you take pass/fail.

What is a passing grade for a course taken in the Program in Neuroscience?
D -

What is the minimum major GPA in order to graduate?
A major GPA of 2.0 is required in order to declare a major and to graduate. Prerequisite and cognate classes used toward the major are included in calculating the major GPA.

How is the major GPA calculated?
Divide the total number of honor points ("MHP" on your transcript) by the total number of credit hours. All prerequisites, major courses, courses from the department(s), and cognate courses are used in the calculation.

Note: If a course has been repeated, both grades will be used to calculate the major GPA. That is, if you earned a D+ in a class, repeated the course and earned a B, the credits and honor points for both the D+ and B will be included in the major GPA calculation.

Do human physiology (PHYSIOL 201, 502) or human anatomy (MEDADM or BIOMED 401) courses count toward my major?
None of these courses count toward the neuroscience major.

Does UROP credit count toward my major?
No.

I am a double-major. How many classes may I overlap to fulfill both major requirements?
There is not a hard rule on this. Technically you may overlap as many courses as you wish for both majors, provided that the courses you take meet a requirement for both.

How many classes may I overlap to fulfill my major and my minor?
Students may count one class to meet both a major and minor requirement.

Letter grades must be assigned to all courses fulfilling major requirements. LSA permits students to fulfill concentration prerequisites on a pass/fail basis. A grade of at least C - is required to achieve a passing grade in a pass/fail course.

To graduate with any major, a student must achieve an overall grade point average of 2.0. A grade of D - is still a passing grade as long as the overall GPA in the concentration is acceptable. A passing grade generates honor points, which are used to calculate the GPA.

Credits for a repeated course that was passed the first time will not count towards graduation. Grades for repeated courses will be indicated on the transcript each time the course is repeated; however the repeat grade will only contribute toward the student’s GPA when the initial grade for the course was D+ or below.

“I” (incomplete) grades must be made up by the fourth week of the next fall or winter semester in which the student is enrolled. Otherwise, the grade will lapse to “E.”

Students dissatisfied with grades received in Biology courses may follow grade grievance procedures, which can be obtained from Undergraduate Student Services Office.

How do I use my override?
You will receive an email message that indicates the course and the section for which the override was issued, and some instructions about the override. Read the message, then register for the course through Wolverine Access as you would for any course.

I got an override, but I'm still not registered. Why not?
Receiving an email notification that you've been granted an override does not mean you have been enrolled in the course. Please follow the directions in the email, and register for the course through Wolverine Access as you would for any course.

If my override is for the same section as the one I am waitlisted for, do I have to drop before I can register?
No.

If the override is for a different section than I'm waitlisted for, do I have to drop that section before I can register for the one I have the override for?
Yes.

I can't register for a certain course because, although I have taken the prerequisites, they do not appear on my transcript/in the system (departmental credit, honors BIO, etc.). How do I get into the course?
You must come in person to the UPiN office (1140 USB) with documentation that you have the prerequisite, and an override will be issued to you. You must provide the staff with the particular course and three-digit section number you wish to enroll in. Please note that an override cannot be granted to you until your registration appointment begins, and only if the class is not already full.

I can't get on an electronic waitlist for a certain course because, although I have taken the prerequisites, they do not appear on my transcript/in the system (departmental credit, honors BIO, etc.). How do I get on a waitlist?
You must come in person to the UPiN office (1140 USB) with documentation that you have the prerequisite. You will be added to a paper waitlist for the course and section you wish to enroll in. The paper waitlist works just like the electronic waitlist; i.e., you will be eligible for an available seat in the class according to your registration appointment date and time.

If any Biology or Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) course becomes full, students are strongly encouraged to use the waitlist. Overrides will be issued at the discretion of the instructor for a given course, prioritized by a combination of the student’s concentration, class schedule, and their order on the waitlist. Students on the waitlist must attend the first day of class or discussion and notify the instructor or GSI of their desire to enroll in the course. Students issued overrides will have a set amount of time to register (varies based on the period of registration). The Registrar’s Office will clear the waitlist of students’ names with expired overrides.

I can't register for a certain course because, although I have taken the prerequisites, they do not appear on my transcript/in the system (departmental credit, honors BIO, etc.). How do I get into the course?
You must come in person to the UPiN office (1140 USB) with documentation that you have the prerequisite, and an override will be issued to you. You must provide the staff with the particular course and three-digit section number you wish to enroll in. Please note that an override cannot be granted to you until your registration appointment begins, and only if the class is not already full.

I can't get on an electronic waitlist for a certain course because, although I have taken the prerequisites, they do not appear on my transcript/in the system (departmental credit, honors BIO, etc.). How do I get on a waitlist?
You must come in person to the UPiN office (1140 USB) with documentation that you have the prerequisite. You will be added to a paper waitlist for the course and section you wish to enroll in. The paper waitlist works just like the electronic waitlist; i.e., you will be eligible for an available seat in the class according to your registration appointment date and time.

Major prerequisites or required courses cannot be waived! However, substitutions for prerequisites may be approved if the student demonstrates that he or she has mastered the topic of a prerequisite. For instance, a student who did not achieve a high enough score on the AP exam to receive credit for calculus, but nonetheless elected MATH 215 and received a passing grade, should have 215 approved as satisfying the calculus requirement.

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the Biology AP test will receive credit for BIO 195, and are eligible to register for any course listing introductory biology as a prerequisite.

Students who receive a score of 3 on the AP exam will receive credit for BIO 100. Such students will need to take BIO 171, 172, and 173 to satisfy their introductory biology requirements.

Students may receive no more than 17 credits for biology courses numbered 199 and below.