<p>I'm considering eventually going for a Ph.D in Neuroscience, however, my school (I'm an undergrad) does not have a Neuroscience program. What courses should I take to be competitive for admission to Ph.D programs?</p>
<p>Depends what field in neuroscience you’re considering</p>
<p>Taking as many physiology and biology classes as you can is not a bad thing. Taking Biopsychology and Cognitive Psychology (as well as other psychology/cognitive science classes that interest you) would be nice, too.</p>
<p>The usual minimum course work for a PhD in neuroscience is: Calculus 1-2; statistics; cellular biology, organic chemistry 1-2; all the prerequisites to get into those courses. Some programs also list one or two semesters of general physics. Basically, the requirements are the same as those for premed, except that you insert research experience where premeds insert community service, shadowing, etc. Of course, there are also PhD programs in psychology that allow you to concentrate in cognitive sciences, and they often don’t require courses such as organic chemistry and physics.</p>
<p>To <em>enhance</em> your application, it depends on your focus, as Oyama states. Courses you may want to add include higher level math, computer science, molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, cognitive psychology . . . the list goes on. Obviously, if you want to focus on neurobiology at the molecular level, your courses will be very different than if you want to study cognitive neuroscience or clinical applications. </p>
<p>I advise doing some research into the field of neuroscience to see how many different subfields there are. Once you identify what interests you, then you can tailor your undergraduate course work and research to fit.</p>