Biopsychology

The biopsychology major is designed to offer students an integrative perspective on the biological basis of behavior. Towards this end, students will take courses in both psychology and biology to gain exposure to a broad range of theories and research covering a variety of topics such as cognition, motor control, sensation/perception, emotion, and psychopathology. These topics will be studied at multiple levels of analysis including genetic, neural, and environmental.

The biopsychology major will provide students with a strong foundation of courses in neuroscience, statistics, and chemistry. This broad training can help prepare students for careers in research, medicine, public health, education, and pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.

Biopsychology Faculty:  Matthew Beckman (Biology), Ralph Butkowski (Biology), David Crowe (Biology), Stacy Freiheit (Psychology), David Matz (Psychology), Dale Pederson (Biology), Bridget Robinson-Riegler (Psychology), Nancy Steblay (Psychology), Henry Yoon (Psychology).

Major (Thirteen Courses)

Psychology Courses:

PSY 105     Principles of Psychology

PSY 215     Research Methods and Statistics I

PSY 315     Research Methods and Statistics II

PSY 355     Biopsychology

Biology Courses:

BIO 151     Introductory Biology

BIO 152     Ecology, Evolution and Diversity

BIO 253     Introductory Cell Biology

BIO 475     Neurobiology

Psychology Electives (two required):

PSY 299     Directed Study (Research in Biopsychology)

or PSY 360     Psychology Lab (two semesters)

PSY 354     Cognitive Psychology

PSY 391    Individual Differences

PSY 410     Clinical Neuropsychology

PSY 491     Advanced Research Seminar

PSYC 322     Sensation and Perception (St. Thomas)

PSYC 407     Seminar in Behavioral Neuroscience (St. Thomas)

PSYC 378     Psychology of Language (Macalester)

PYSC 486     Seminar in Neuropharmacology (Macalester)

Biology Electives (two required):

BIO 355     Genetics

BIO 369     Biochemistry

BIO 471     Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology

BIO 473     Animal Physiology

BIO 495    Animal Behavior (this topic only)

Biol 356     Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (Macalester)

Keystone (one required):

BIO 490    Biology Keystone

PSY 400    Keystone Internship

SCI 490    Integrated Science
Note:  Students will need to take the CHM 105/106 or 115/116 sequence to complete the biology courses. A minimum of five courses must be from Augsburg.

Graduation skills in Critical Thinking (CT), Quantitative Reasoning (QR) and Writing (W) are embedded throughout the offered courses and are met by completing the major. The graduation skill in speaking (S) is met by completing COM 111 or 115. Transfer students must consult an adviser about potential adjustments to their course requirements to fulfill these skills. An average grade of 2.0, with no grade below a 1.0 is required for the Biology introductory sequence BIO 151, 152, 253. A grade of 2.0 or above is required for all upper division courses applied to the major.

Transfer course policy for majors

All transfer courses, including ACTC courses, must be approved in writing by the department chair(s). Only those biology and psychology courses successfully completed (2.0 or above) within the last 10 years will be considered. In general, courses that meet the transfer guidelines may only be applied to introductory or elective credit for the major.

Biopsychology Honors
GPA of 3.5 in the major, and 3.3 overall.  Students must complete a high-quality research project, approved and evaluated by three members of the Biopsychology faculty.  Formal application must be made no later than the junior year.