Join the Academic Accelerator for a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at American University. Gain credits and experience in just two semesters. Apply now!
The Academic Accelerator Program (AAP) may be completed in as few as two semesters and is designed specifically for students who are ready to succeed in immersive English-speaking classrooms. The Academic Accelerator program gives students a firsthand, practical, and cultural understanding of the American University campus and the Washington, DC, area through its contextual curriculum. They may enter the program in the spring or fall and progress into year two of their undergraduate education with up to a full year’s worth of academic credits. Depending on their intended degree, they may choose their elective curriculum in social sciences, humanities, or the sciences. Neuroscience is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field, including psychology, chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics/computer science. Neuroscientists work on a range of problems that are important for health and for understanding of what it means to be human (for instance, genetics of developmental disorders, pharmacological actions of drugs, animal models of human neurological diseases, human cognition and perception). To prepare students to meet these interdisciplinary challenges, the Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience capitalizes on the strength of faculty and course offerings from different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Neuroscience majors study biological and chemical mechanisms as well as computational and cognitive neuroscience. Two 200-level core courses in Neuroscience build a solid foundation in the field, and coursework in basic biology, chemistry, physics, and quantitative reasoning establishes a supportive general science background. Students achieve depth through upper-level specialization and research experience, and develop breadth by selecting courses from a range of possible electives. Completion of a research project in the final year is strongly recommended for those wishing to pursue a graduate research program. The program is particularly suited to those who are interested in the biological bases of behavior, including those interested in biology, psychology, and Premedical studies.
