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.

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 can discuss course selection with your supervisor.

The list below is meant as a guideline only, and is not exhaustive. Note, not all electives are offered each semester or year (some tend to be offered every other year). Check the UBC calendar or with the course instructor for more details and for any pre-requisites. Other courses not listed may also be appropriate for some students in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience.

If you wish to take a course not listed below, approval by the Graduate Advisor is required.

Additionally, you can fulfill your credit requirements by taking a directed studies course (self-guided research study) in the department of your choice. 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 Student Service Centre (SSC). You MUST register for all the courses you are taking on the SSC, including NRSC 500 and 501. Once you are done with courses and are working exclusively towards completing your research, you will be required to register for the NRSC 549 thesis (Masters) or NRSC 649 thesis (Doctoral) to continue being enrolled at UBC.  You must be continuously registered, even during the Summer terms. 

UPDATE - August 26, 2020: Added Topics in Neurotrauma

UPDATE - June 16, 2020: You may choose any BIOL or BIOC course level 500 or higher

UPDATE - June 5, 2019: You may choose any PSYC course 300 or higher

UPDATE - January 10, 2020: added BIOL 459

Registration and current course schedule 

Dept.   No.      Credits             Course Name

ANAT 516        3                      Functional Human Neuroanatomy: Central Nervous System

BIOC   509      3                      Membrane Structure and Function

BIOC   511      3                      Biochemical Aspects of Cellular Regulation

BIOL    437      3                      Laboratory in Animal Cell Molecular Biology

BIOL    441      3                      Animal Cell Biology

BIOL    456      3                      Comparative and Molecular Endocrinology

BIOL    458      3                      Developmental Neurobiology

BIOL    459     3                       Neurobiology of Sensory and Motor Systems

CELL   506      1.5                   Fluorescence Microscopy

CELL   511      1.5                   Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease

MEDI   520      3                      Advanced Topics in Visual Sciences

MEDI   590      3                      Molecular Regulation of Cell Growth and Differentiation

OBST 501      3                      Reproductive Endocrinology I

OBST 504      3                      Reproductive Endocrinology II

OBST 505      6                      Experimental Techniques in Reproductive Biology

PATH 404      6                      Diagnostic Histochemistry

PHYL 426      3                      Physiological Basis of Central Nervous System Functions

PHYL 526      3                      Advanced Topics in Neurophysiology

PHAR 542      3                      Central Nervous System Pharmacology

PCTH 500      3                      Molecular Aspects of Drug Action at the Membrane Level

PCTH 502      4                      Drugs and Intercellular Communication

PCTH 513      4                      Pharmacology of Anasthesia

PSYC 460      3                      Behavioural Neuroendocrinology

PSYC 462      3                      Drugs and Behavioural Neuroscience

PSYC 579      3                      Special Topics in Perception

PSYC 582      3                      Cognition

PSYC 593      3                      Neurophysiology and Cortical Plasticity

PSYC 594      3                      Psychoneuroendocrinology

RHSC 506     3                      Topics in Neurotrauma

Any STAT or CPSC course 500 or higher

For more basic background on particular Neuroscience and Biological topics, students may also take the following undergraduate courses, although these may not necessarily count towards the completion of a MSc or PhD degree. Note: graduate students do not incur additional fees by signing up for supplementary courses.

Dept.   No.      Course Name

BIOL    437      Laboratory in Animal Cell Molecular Biology

BIOL    441      Animal Cell Biology

BIOL    455      Comparative Neurobiology

BIOL    456      Comparative and Molecular Endocrinology

BIOL    458      Developmental Neurobiology

PATH   404      Diagnostic Histochemistry

PHYL   426      Physiological Basis of Central Nervous System Function

PHAR  408      Clinical Pharmacokinetics

PCTH  404      Drug Assay and Pharmacometrics

PSYC  401      Clinical Psychology

PSYC  402      Research in Anxiety Disorders

PSYC  407      Cognition and Culture

PSYC  417A    Special Topics in Psychology

PSYC  431      Special Topics in Forensic Psychology

PSYC  460      Behavioural Neuroendocrinology

PSYC  462      Drugs and Behavioural Neuroscience

PSYC  465A    Computers in Psychology

PSYC  469      Psychoneuroimmunology