2017-58

Arizona State University
University Senate

Senate Motion #2017- 58

Motion Introduced by: Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee, Caroline Harrison, Chair

Date of First Reading: March 27, 2017

Date of Second Reading: April 24, 2017

Title of Motion: Request from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - School of Life Sciences– for the establishment of an undergraduate degree – BS in Neuroscience

Action Requested: This curricular proposal has received all college, school, unit and university administrative approvals, and is being presented to the Senate for review and voting decision.   

Rationale: The BS degree in Neuroscience will build on rigorous, in-depth training in cellular, molecular, and systems Neuroscience. With this broad depth of fundamental knowledge, students will move into different areas of specialization that reflect the diverse areas of study that are now parts of the field.

Neuroscience is concerned with understanding the structure and functioning of the nervous system and its relation to behavior. As a field it is highly interdisciplinary in nature, spanning all levels of biological analysis with interfaces to many fields, such as mathematics, law and engineering. The diversity of fields represented in modern Neuroscience requires students to master depth in one field yet be exposed to information from several disciplines. Mastering depth and diversity will train students to work in highly collaborative and interdisciplinary basic and translational research programs that are now pushing the field of Neuroscience forward at a rapid, accelerating pace. It will also enable students seeking to enter biomedical fields – MD, Nursing, DVM, etc. - to integrate developing outcomes from the research community into their practice.