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