MISSION STATEMENT

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves), the biological mechanisms that underlie behavior and the nature of mind and consciousness.  It utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the nervous system and behavior by incorporating elements from a diverse array of scientific disciples including biology, physiology, biochemistry, physics, pharmacology, psychology and cognitive science.  The Claremont Colleges offer two four-year programs towards completion of a BA degree in Neuroscience: the Pomona College Neuroscience Program, geared towards Pomona College students and the Joint-Sciences Department of the Claremont Colleges geared to students enrolled at Claremont-McKenna, Scripps, Harvey-Mudd, and Pitzer College. Both programs offer a diverse array of interdisciplinary courses centered on core areas of neuroscience including electrophysiology, neurochemistry, neurobiology, cellular-molecular neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience and neurophilosophy.    

The Claremont Colleges offers one of the most comprehensive neuroscience programs for undergraduate students in the US with strong research contacts with a number of premier neuroscience research institutions including the University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Irvine, University of Southern California, City of Hope Neurosciences Division, Huntington Medical Institute and Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Our faculty have diverse research interests including elucidating the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, synaptic transmission, social neuroscience, mechanisms of appetite control in relation to obesity, reading and dyslexia, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology and behavior in invertebrates, neuroscience of decision-making, neuroeconomics, neural feedback control mechanisms, behavioral endocrinology and the neuropsychology of sex differences.   Our emphasis on both teaching and research provides a sound bases for student success in graduate school, medical school or employment in government or industry.

Currently, Neuroscience is the fastest growing major of the Claremont Colleges and the second largest with over 130 undergraduate neuroscience majors across both Pomona College and the Joint-Sciences Neuroscience program.  Students from both programs are particularly well prepared to succeed in neuroscience by virtue of their unusually broad background and research experience. Indeed, our recent graduates have gone onto pursue graduate studies in neuroscience in a number of accredited institutions including Yale University, University of Chicago, Stanford and Johns Hopkins University.  Many of our majors have also been accepted to a number of medical schools including UCLA School of Medicine, Georgetown Medical School & Northwestern School of Medicine.

Our mission is to provide undergraduate students with the theoretical and practical knowledge to succeed in the burgeoning field of neuroscience. Please take the time to navigate through our website to see what the Claremont Colleges’ neuroscience program has to offer.

Thomas Borowski, Ph.D.
Neuroscience Program Coordinator
Claremont Colleges