Advising | Integrative Neuroscience | Binghamton University

Integrative Neuroscience Academic Advising is here to help! We have many resources available on this page. Be sure to check our other pages as well, such as Upcoming Courses.

Quick Links

Meet with our advisors

Degree and Course information

Helpful material for IN majors

Declaring your major

Transfer Students

FAQ

Meet with our advisors!

Appointments are available Monday through Friday.
Our Academic Advisor and Peer Advisors are here to help, with both in person and Zoom appointments.
See advisor availability, and schedule your appointment on B-Successful. Instructions can be found here.
For simple questions, please email neuro@binghamton.edu

Drop-in advising hours vary. When available, they are announced through the listserv and posted at the top of this page.

Important Reminder about Advising:

Binghamton University operates on a "dual advising model." Which means you should you be meeting with a psychology advisor AND a Harpur advisor on a regular basis. Additionally, certain academic questions and concerns are handled specifically by Harpur Advising. See Major/Minor Faculty Advising for clarification.

Pre-Health Advising: If you plan to follow the pre-health track, you MUST meet with a pre-health advisor! Learn more about what steps you must take on the Pre-Health Advising webpage.

Degree and Course Information

Students should consult their DegreeWorks audit for more detailed information about their degree requirements. You can also view the requirements for the integrative neuroscience major by going to the Academic Guide, and by viewing the Integrative Neuroscience, B.S. Major Requirement Sheet below.
See our Course Offerings page for information about our projected courses for upcoming semesters. Course descriptions are available in the BU Brain: Schedule of Classes.
To see how courses transfer from other colleges, use the Transfer Equivalency Table.

Helpful Material for Integrative Neuroscience Majors:

PLEASE READ: Some of the course requirements for the IN Major have changed starting with the 2025-2026 Catalog Year. This only applies to students who enroll at Binghamton starting in Fall 2025. Returning students will not be affected.

Important Dates:

Declaring Your Major

All students enter Binghamton as undeclared, so declaring an interest in integrative neuroscience on your admissions application does not mean you have declared your major. Please review the Harpur information page on choosing a major to learn more.

*Due to significant overlap in course requirements, it is not possible to double major as integrative neuroscience, and psychology, biology, biochemistry, or Global Public Health: Future Healthcare Provider BS. It is also not possible to minor in biology, or biochemistry.

How to declare you major in integrative neuroscience:
There are two steps in declaring as integrative neuroscience:
1. Meet with a psychology advisor to review degree requirements and discuss course planning.
2. Submit the Integrative Neuroscience Major Declaration Form. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly.
*By filling out the declaration form, you acknowledge that you are aware of the requirements for the major and you affirm that you will work to meet those requirements. If you do not continue to make consistent progress towards your IN degree requirements, you will risk being dropped from the major.
- Declarations are processed weekly. You will receive a confirmation email when your request has been processed.

Are You A Transfer Student?

We understand that as a transfer student you are coming into a new environment and that you may feel initially lost. See the links below for helpful campus resources:

Frequently Asked Questions:

How can I get into closed courses?

First, check whether the course has a waitlist. If a waitlist is available, the only way to enter the course is to add yourself to the waitlist.

If you have questions about the waitlist or petition process for Biology or Chemistry courses, please contact those respective departments.

If the course is closed and does not have a waitlist, you should monitor BU Brain closely during open registration periods and self-register if a spot becomes available.
How do I add myself to a waitlist?

The registrar has several helpful videos about registration, including the waitlist process.

Some important things to note about waitlists:

Putting yourself on the waitlist does not mean that you are guaranteed a spot OR you are enrolled in the course.

Check your email every 12 hours to see if you have received an email from the registrar that says that a seat has become available. You have 18 hours to add yourself to the course from the time you received the email (not when you open the email). If you do get the email, you must add yourself to the course on BU Brain by going to "Register for Classes" and selecting "Web Register" from the same drop-down menu as when you were signing up on the waitlist.

If you get an email offering you a seat in the course that you no longer want to take, please drop the course as soon as possible so that other students can enroll.

If you have questions about the waitlist or petition process for Biology or Chemistry courses, please contact those respective departments.
Is the course restricted?

Check Restrictions for a course by going onto BU Brain and clicking on the course title. At the bottom of the page, restrictions for the course will be listed.

If a course is restricted, you must meet the prerequisites before you are able to register for the course.

If you are having credits for the prerequisite transferred in, but the credits do not yet appear on your Binghamton University transcript, please visit the Integrative Neuroscience Academic Advising office.

If you have questions about restricted courses offered by the Biology or Chemistry departments, please contact those departments directly.
I'm trying to register for the lecture and discussion sections, but it won't let me. What do I do?

When registering for a lecture and discussion section (ex. PSYC 344), you must make sure that the two are linked. In the schedule of classes, on the far right of the lecture section there will be a button that says "View Linked." There you will find a list of discussion sections linked to that course. Choose the one that best fits your schedule.

Watch Register for a Linked Course for step-by-step instructions.
I'm taking the pre-req course over the summer/winter, will I be able to register for my course(s) in fall/spring?

If you are taking the pre-req course at BU, then the system will recognize it and assume you will meet the requirement. You should be able to register for your courses as you normally would.

*Keep in mind, if you do not earn the minimum grade in the pre-req course, you will be removed from the course(s) that require it.
How can I register for a teaching assistantship? (PSYC 391)

Complete the PSYC 391 Teaching Assistant registration form. You must be logged into your browser using your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly. Please complete this form carefully.

An email will be sent to the instructor supervising your assistantship appointment requesting confirmation of your appointment and the number of credits you will be receiving. Once approved, you will automatically be registered for PSYC 391.

Note: Be sure to submit these forms early. Students who want to register for 4 credits of teaching assistantship after the add/drop deadline will need to file a late add petition through Harpur and pay the late add fee. See Harpur Forms and Petitions for more information.
How can I register for independent study credits? (PSYC 397)

Complete the PSYC 397 Independent Study registration Form. You must be logged into your browser using your B-mail account in order for the forms to work correctly. Please complete the form carefully.

An email will be sent to the professor supervising your Independent study, requesting confirmation of the position and the number of credits. Once approved, you will automatically be registered for PSYC 397.

Note: Be sure to submit these form early. Students who want to register for 4 credits of independent study after the add/drop deadline will need to file a late add petition through Harpur and pay the late add fee. It is possible to register for 2 credits of independent study after the regular add/drop deadline. Please email neuro@binghamton.edu to request late registration for only 2 credits. See Harpur Forms and Petitions for more information.

For Biology independent study, fill out the appropriate form and return to their main office.
Will any independent study in psychology or biology count toward the major?

Perhaps toward upper level electives for the major, but not for one of the three IN labs. Only an independent study with course content that is integrative neuroscience-related will count toward the lab requirement for the major. Meet with the Academic Advisor to clarify whether approval will be given for a particular independent study course.

Research experience is still valuable, even if those credits might not fulfill requirements for your major. Independent Study may fulfill other Harpur requirements.
What requirements will independent study/research assistantship courses fulfill? (PSYC 397)

Independent study research has the potential to triple count towards major requirements:

Up to eight (8) credits may count towards the 16 upper-level credits for the major. These credits can be from Psychology or Biology research.

Up to six (6) credits may count towards the psychology elective requirement for the major.

Additionally, four (4) credits of independent research may be used to fulfill one (1) of the three (3) required labs, but ONLY if the independent study is with an Integrative Neuroscience faculty member. See the academic advisor to determine whether your lab will count.

Independent research courses may not automatically appear in the major section of your Degree Works. You will need to see the academic advisor so that a Degree Works Exception can be made to allow the research courses to count.
Can my Elective courses (Related Subjects, Biology Type A or B, Psyc electives) fulfill more than one requirement for the major?
A single course may fulfill multiple requirements. Some courses may fulfill multiple elective requirements. For example, PSYC 363 satisfies one course for the laboratory requirement, four credits for the upper-level requirement and four credits for the psychology electives category. However, no courses can count toward both the core and the elective requirements.
How will I know which seminar I should take?

You can take either one 4-credit or two 2-credit approved seminars to meet the requirement. A list of eligible seminars is available on the Course Offerings page, and is also sent to the Integrative Neuroscience listserv prior to advance registration each semester.

You can also verify by checking the seminars course description in the Schedule of Classes. The seminar is approved for IN if it does not state, "This course will NOT fulfill the seminar requirement for Integrative Neuroscience."
How do I know if a course I've taken or plan to take at another college will count toward my IN major requirements?

First, check the Transfer Equivalency Table. If courses are listed as transfer equivalencies here they do not have to be reviewed.

If the course does not show on the transfer equivalency table, submit a Course Evaluation Form, including a full course syllabus and course description. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly. Please read the form carefully.

Be aware that evaluations can take up to a week or more.

Students are highly encouraged to petition BEFORE taking courses at other institutions as there is no guarantee that courses/credits will be accepted.
How can I get credits from a study abroad program to count towards my major?

Complete the Course Evaluation for Transfer Credit Petition Form. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly. Make sure to attach the full course syllabus. Please complete this form carefully.

Be aware that evaluations can take up to a week or more.

Students are strongly encouraged to have a course reviewed BEFORE taking courses abroad. There is no guarantee that the courses/credits will be counted toward fulfilling the requirements for your major.

During this process, we encourage you to keep in close contact with the Office of International Education and Global Initiatives as well as the Harpur Academic Advising in order to ensure a smooth pre-departure.
Can I change a course to pass/fail and still have it count towards my IN major requirements?
What if I need to take an incomplete in a course?

You must meet with your instructor to determine if you will be permitted to receive an incomplete in a course. Incompletes are warranted when a student has a personal or medical emergency that prevents them from completing coursework.

We highly encourage students and faculty to use the Incomplete Contract to ensure that all parties know exactly what coursework remains and when it must be completed by. Copies of the contract should be provided to the instructor, the student, and the advising office (Science 4, Room 175).
Can a course I take for my minor also count towards my IN major, and vice versa?

Harpur College has a policy that no more than two classes (8 credits total) can double count for both a major and a minor.

Beyond the above Harpur policy, what courses count for each major/minor depends on the policies of the individual departments.
If I decided that IN is no longer right for me, how do I drop my major?

If you are already declared but would like to drop the IN Major, please send an email with this request to neuro@binghamton.edu. Include your full B#.

If you are unsure, please schedule an appointment with a psychology advisor to see if dropping the major is best for your situation.
If I want to switch from IN to Psychology, do I have to drop my IN major first?

More Information

For more information about course registration, graduation/commencement, enrollment verification and the final exam schedule, as well as access to any forms, please see the Registrar's website.

See Harpur Advising for any General Education or Harpur College requirement questions. You may access overload requests, course petitions, transfer petitions on the Harpur Forms and Petitions page.