Electives

Students in the Master’s program are required to complete an additional 6 credits of elective courses. There are a variety of courses available, and we encourage you to take advantage of them. Please work with your supervisor to plan your electives.

No more than 6 credits of 300- or 400-level coursework will count towards the Master’s degree. However, registering in additional courses does not affect your tuition fees. This is a great opportunity to take additional courses that may benefit your research, and you should discuss course selection with your supervisor.

The list below is meant as a guideline only, and is not exhaustive. Other courses not listed may also be appropriate for some students in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Note: not all electives are offered each semester or year (some tend to be offered every other year), and some electives may be restricted to that department or require pre-requisites. Look on the Student Service Centre (SSC) – Course Schedule for more information and to register for your courses. You can also check with the course instructor or coordinator for more information specific to a course.

If you are not able to register directly into an elective course on the SSC, you need to complete the ‘G+PS registration form’. Please obtain the course instructor’s approval prior to sending the form to ubc.neuroscience@ubc.ca.

Additionally, you can fulfill your credit requirements by taking a directed studies course (self-guided research study). For more information, contact one of the module leaders or other faculty with whom you are interested in working with. They will direct you to the relevant department for registration and can help determine how to fulfill course requirements.

Details regarding the various courses are available on the respective department websites and the UBC Calendar – Course Descriptions page. You MUST register for all the courses you are taking on the SSC, including NRSC 500 and 501. You are required to register for the NRSC 549 thesis (Masters) or NRSC 649 thesis (Doctoral) for all semesters you are enrolled at UBC. You must be continuously registered, even during the Summer terms.

Registration and current course schedule 

500 – Level Courses

Dept.Course CodeCreditsCourse Name
Anatomy
 ANAT 5043Cell Structure and Function
 ANAT 5906Introduction to Functional Human Anatomy: Survey of Microscopic Anatomy, Neuroanatomy and Gross Anatomy
Biochemistry
 BIOC 5513Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
 BIOC 5521.5Membrane Proteins
 BIOC 5541.5Nucleic Acids: DNA/RNA Structure and Function
 BIOC 5551.5Epigenetics
Biology
 BIOL 5303The Biology of the Cell
 BIOL 5481Advanced Topics in Biology
Cell & Developmental Biology
 CELL 5013Cell and Developmental Biology Research Literature
 CELL 5021.5Current Topics in Developmental Biology
 CELL 5031.5Current Topics in Cellular Communication
 CELL 5041.5Current Topics in Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility
 CELL 5051.5Current Topics in Intracellular Trafficking
 CELL 5061.5Fluorescence Microscopy
 CELL 5091.5Cell Systems Biology
Computer Science
 CPSC 5043Data Management
 CPSC 5323Topics in Artificial Intelligence
 CPSC 5543Topics in Human-Computer Interaction
Experimental Medicine
 MEDI 5033Introduction to Clinical, Patient Oriented and Translational Research
 MEDI 5903Molecular Regulation of Cell Growth and Differentiation
Neuroscience
 NRSC 5103Topics in Neurodata
Pathology
 PATH 5012Foundations of Human Histopathology
 PATH 5022Current Topics in Pathology Research
Pharmacology and Therapeutics
 PCTH 5024Drugs and Intercellular Communication (including Neuropharmacology)
 PCTH 5134Pharmacology of Anesthesia
Pharmaceutical Sciences
 PHAR 5153Nanomedicines
Psychology
 PSYC 5143Advanced Topics in Biopsychology
 PSYC 5173Biopsychology of Motivation
 PSYC 5203Developmental Biopsychology
 PSYC 5453Advanced Statistics I
 PSYC 5713Special Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience
 PSYC 5823Cognition
 PSYC 5943Psychoneuroendocrinology
Rehabilitation Sciences
RHSC 506A3Current Topics in Rehabilitation: The Future of Assistive Technology: Theory and Practice
 RHSC 5143Neuroimaging: Basic Concepts and Applications to Research and Practice
RHSC 5193Neurotrauma – From Basic to Community Research
Statistics
 STAT 5363Statistical Theory for the Design and Analysis of Clinical Studies
 STAT 5381.5Generalized Linear Models
 STAT 5451.5Exploratory Data Analysis

300/400 – Level Courses

For more basic background on particular Neuroscience, Psychology and Biology topics, students may also take the following undergraduate courses towards the completion of a MSc or PhD degree. For registering into the undergraduate Neuroscience courses, please contact advising@neuro.ubc.ca. Other courses not listed may also be appropriate for some students in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Note: graduate students do not incur additional fees by signing up for supplementary courses.

Dept.Course CodeCreditsCourse Name
Biology
 BIOL 3713Principles of Neurobiology I
 BIOL 3723Principles of Neurobiology II
 BIOL 4373Laboratory in Animal Cell Molecular Biology
 BIOL 4513Comparative Neurobiology
 BIOL 4583Developmental Neurobiology
 BIOL 4603Neurobiology of Vision
Cellular & Physiological Sciences
 CAPS 4213Cell Biology and Human Disease
 CAPS 4263Nervous System Function in Human Health and Disease
Neuroscience
 NSCI 3013Neuroscience, Ethics, and Society
 NSCI 3023Mechanisms of Nervous System Dysfunction and Recovery
 NSCI 3033Foundations of Computational Neuroscience
 NSCI 3113Advanced Neuroanatomy
Pathology
 PATH 4046Diagnostic Histochemistry
Pharmacology and Therapeutics
 PCTH 3253Rational Basis of Drug Therapy
 PCTH 4043Drug Assay and Pharmacometrics
Psychology
 PSYC 3013Brain Dysfunction and Recovery
 PSYC 3333Memory: Historical, Clinical and Cognitive Perspectives
 PSYC 3353Gambling and Decision Making
 PSYC 3613Neuroscience of Motivation
 PSYC 3633Neuroscience of Simple Learning
 PSYC 3653Cognitive Neuroscience
 PSYC 3683Perceptual Processing
 PSYC 3703Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience I
 PSYC 3713Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience II
 PSYC 4013Clinical Psychology
 PSYC 4093Cognitive Neuropsychology
 PSYC 417A3Special Topics in Psychology
 PSYC 4603Behavioural Neuroendocrinology
 PSYC 4613Neuroplasticity and Behaviour
 PSYC 4623Drugs and Behavioural Neuroscience
 PSYC 4723Advanced Neuroscience of Motivation
Rehabilitation Sciences
 RHSC 4204Elements of Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology