Requirements for the B.S. Degree
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The B.S. program provides a broad and rigorous natural science education that prepares students for postgraduate work in BCS and related fields (e.g., cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, computational modeling). In addition to BCS courses, the curriculum entails a foundation in math, biology, computer programming, and symbolic systems so as to prepare students for all advanced courses within our discipline.
General Science Foundation Courses: 4 courses required
- 1 Cell Biology - BIO 110* or BIO 112
- 1 Calculus - MTH 161 (recommended) or MTH 141 (acceptable)
- 1 Symbolic Systems - (LIN 110, CSC 173, CSC/PHL 217, CSC 240, or CSC 242)
- 1 Computer Programming - (ECE 114, CSC 170 or CSC 171)
Exceptions:
- Biology AP: Students with AP Biology credit (score = 4 or 5) can use BIO 110, BIO 112, or BIO 115 (last offered Fall '03) to fulfill the Biology General Science requirement, and may then use their AP BIO credit as one of their allied field electives..
- Math AP: Students with AP Math credit (score = 4 or 5) can use MTH 142, MTH 162 or MTH 171 to fulfill the Math General Science requirement, and may then use their AP math credit as one of their allied field electives.
- Programming: Students who can demonstrate proficiency in computer programming (e.g. through programming required in another class or laboratory research) can replace the programming course with any BCS or approved allied field elective.
*Note that BIO 110 requires previous or concurrent registration with CHM 131 or equivalent background. Although CHM 131 is not required for the BCS degree, the biology faculty have found that students lacking an appropriate chemistry background may struggle with BIO 110. If you have any questions about whether you have adequate background for BIO 110, please seek advice from the instructor.
BCS Foundation Courses
- BCS 110: Neural Foundations of Behavior (Fall)
- BCS 111: Foundations of Cognitive Science (Fall & Spring)
BCS Core Courses
- BCS 151: Perception and Action (Fall)
- BCS 152: Language and Psycholinguistics (Fall)
- BCS 153: Cognition (Spring)
Formal Methods
- BCS 200 w/200L: Statistical Analysis and Experimental Design (Fall)
Note: The formal methods requirement cannot be fulfilled by AP stats credit. While this credit can be used toward general college credit requirements, it cannot be used toward requirements for the BCS concentration.
BCS Laboratory
Choose one of the following:
- BCS 203: Laboratory in Neurobiology (Spring)
- BCS 205: Laboratory in Development and Learning (Fall)
- BCS 208: Laboratory in Perception and Cognition (Spring)
BCS Upper Level Electives: 4 courses
At least three must be 200-level courses, and 3 of the 4 should form a coherent "track" around some theme within BCS. The department offers examples of common track themes (see Sample Track Themes), but students can form their own tracks in consultation with their advisor and with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies. Independent study or research (39X) courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.
Allied Field Electives: 2 courses
These electives can be chosen from the list of approved allied field courses in MTH, CS, BIO, CHM, PHY, PHL, LIN, OPT, or Engineering. They should be chosen, in consultation with a faculty advisor, to relate to the track theme formed by the BCS electives.
Exceptions:
- Physics AP: Score of 5 on test CI (Mechanics) or CII (Electromagnetism) can be used as one allied field elective. Score of 5 on test B (General) or score of 4 on test CI or CII can be used as one allied field elective ONLY IF a grade of B- is received in an upper-level UR physics course into which the students is placed (see PHY rules)
Open electives: 2 courses
This can be BCS or approved allied field elective course.
Senior Seminar
One course chosen from:
- BCS 310: Senior Seminar
- BCS 311: Senior Honors Seminar (see Honors program)
The College Upper-level Writing Requirement in BCS
Successful completion of a BCS degree will also satisfy the College upper-level writing requirement through significant writing experience at three levels of the curriculum: Core courses, Laboratory course, and Senior Seminar.