<p>One thing that has always interested me is the human brain. It is something I wish to study thoroughly in college from a medical standpoint. The only thing is, I'm not sure what major would really give me more of an understanding of it. Please if anyone could point me in the right direction I would be most appreciative.</p>
<p>Depending on what majors are available at a particular school, the most common majors focused on brain study are:
Neuroscience—an interdisciplinary field combining aspects of neurobiology and psychology (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience); some schools have a stand-alone dept; some have an interdisciplinary major drawing primarily upon coursework in biology and psychology
Psychology—some depts offer a subspecialty track in behavioral or cognitive neuroscience
Biology—some depts offer a subspecialty track in neurobiology
Cognitive Science—an interdisciplinary major drawing upon coursework in neuroscience, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, linguistics.
Speech & Hearing Sciences/Communication Disorders—if interested in speech and hearing; relevant for many types of neurological disorders that affect speech and hearing; while this major covers some aspects of neuroscience not usually addressed by the other fields, due to it’s more limited scope and focus on training for clinical speech pathology and audiology, it is less suitable as a major for students with broader interests in neurosciences.</p>
<p>Strong programs in neuroscience-related majors will require coursework in supporting sciences & math, roughly equivalent to the usual premedical requirements, so you might as well anticipate completing those requirements, especially since you’re interested in medical aspects. You can apply to medical school after completing your undergrad degree if you are interested in clinical aspects, or you can apply to grad school if your interests are more research-oriented. Medical aspects are studied in some psychology programs, but for certain aspects, it helps to have a medical degree. Any of the above majors could be appropriate for medical school, except perhaps Speech & Hearing Sciences, which is more oriented to providing the pre-requisites for a graduate clinical program in speech pathology and audiology.</p>
<p>Also, see my post in this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1034342-neuroscience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1034342-neuroscience.html</a></p>
<p>I’d recommend going to med school and hopefully becoming a neurologist rather than getting a science degree and trying to make a living off of research (not a good idea).</p>
<p>Neuroscience is the one that I have been looking into. I really want to have a double major so do you think it would be possible for me to major in both neuroscience and philosophy on top of the requirements for medical school?</p>
<p>Depends on how many credits the programs require, but most likely, yes.</p>