Prospective Students
Charlotte Monck is isolating virgin female fruit flies under a dissecting microscope for genetic crosses
Why Study Neuroscience at Virginia Tech?
Choosing where to study neuroscience means choosing the kind of experience you want as a student. At Virginia Tech, neuroscience majors join a close-knit academic community within a major research university, combining personal mentorship and individualized support with access to research, specialized training, and exciting career-building opportunities.
Our interdisciplinary program helps students understand the nervous system from molecules to behavior while preparing for a wide range of futures. We challenge students to rise to their full potential, developing the knowledge, discipline, and independence that make them competitive for the workforce, medical and health-related professional programs, and advanced degrees.
What Makes Virginia Tech Distinctive?
Students in our program benefit from:
- Faculty who are both dedicated teachers and active researchers
- A close-knit program within a major research university
- Early opportunities to engage in research and experiential learning
- Flexible degree pathways aligned with different interests and career goals
- Strong preparation for medical school, graduate study, and other professional pathways
- A culture that emphasizes professionalism, self-reliance, personal responsibility, and the habits expected of adult learners and future professionals
One of the most distinctive features of our program is the opportunity to connect classroom learning to real-world neuroscience and medicine. Virginia Tech is one of the only neuroscience programs in the nation to offer students a classroom experience that includes entering a real operating room to observe brain surgery on humans.
Students interested in medicine also benefit from additional support through our Premedical Scholars Program, a specialized program designed to help neuroscience majors become more competitive applicants for medical school.
Four Degree Pathways
Virginia Tech offers four neuroscience degree pathways so students can align their education with their interests and career goals:
Neuroscience
A flexible, research-focused pathway for students interested in laboratory science, biotechnology, and discovery-driven research.
Clinical Neuroscience
Designed for students pursuing medicine and the health professions, with strong preparation for clinical and patient-centered careers.
Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience
Ideal for students interested in behavior, thought, memory, decision-making, and the relationship between brain and behavior.
Computational and Systems Neuroscience
Designed for students interested in coding, modeling, artificial intelligence, quantitative analysis, and neurotechnology.
Hands-On Learning
A defining strength of the program is hands-on training. In our program, students in the very first laboratory course are taught basic research surgical skills and perform mock stereotaxic surgeries, gaining early exposure to techniques that set our program apart.
These experiences are designed to build technical skills, strengthen scientific thinking, and show students how neuroscience is studied in real settings. They also help students discover their strengths, refine their goals, and develop the confidence that comes from meeting high expectations.
Research and Mentorship
At Virginia Tech, students do not just learn about discovery. They have opportunities to take part in it.
Neuroscience students can pursue undergraduate research, faculty-mentored projects, summer research experiences, conference presentations, and other forms of experiential learning that build confidence and prepare them for future careers.
Just as important, students benefit from strong mentorship throughout the program through faculty guidance, academic advising, specialized support programs, and a vibrant student community.
Where a Neuroscience Degree Can Lead
A neuroscience degree from Virginia Tech can prepare students for many different futures, including:
- Medicine and the health professions
- Biomedical research and academia
- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries
- Data science and computational fields
- Clinical psychology and behavioral health
- Science policy, law, and other professional pathways
Your Future Starts Here
If you are curious about how the brain works and excited by the possibility of discovery, Virginia Tech is an outstanding place to study neuroscience.
Here, students find scientific rigor, personal mentorship, hands-on learning, and a program that challenges them to grow into capable, independent, and highly competitive future professionals.
School of Neuroscience
Undergraduate Program
Email: neuroadvising@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-7995
Fax: (540) 231-1475
Location
School of Neuroscience (MC 0719)
Sandy Hall
Virginia Tech
210 Drillfield Dr.
Blacksburg, VA 24061