What Can You Do With A Neuroscience Degree?

Thanks in large part to technological and scientific advances, the field of neuroscience has made extraordinary contributions to our understanding of the human brain and nervous system in recent decades. This progress has led to an explosion of interest in the neuroscience careers and neuroscience degrees that underlie them. And there are no signs of that interest slowing down.

Experts predict that over the next 50 years, the neuroscience field will only continue to grow and accelerate because of the new therapeutic strategies designed to treat diseases that have also stemmed from the field’s significant progress.

Because neuroscience overlaps with several related disciplines that range from biology and psychology to computer science and philosophy, a career in neuroscience can be a compelling option for people with a range of interests. But this broadness can also leave students wondering what they can do with a career in neuroscience.

From embarking on a neuroscience degree program to salary expectations for neuroscientists, here’s a look into what the journey into and through a neuroscience career can look like.

What is neuroscience?

It’s important first to understand what neuroscience is because you want to have an idea of what you’ll be studying and what a neuroscience career might look like. It’s also important to understand what neuroscience is and means because there are several different types of neuroscience to study and practice.

So, what is neuroscience? Neuroscience, sometimes known as neural science, is the study of the nervous system—how it develops, what its structure is, and what it does. Naturally, there’s a major focus on the spinal cord and especially the brain in neuroscience because they compose the central nervous system.

While neuroscience has traditionally been considered to be a subset of biology, today, neuroscience is highly interdisciplinary and broken down into multiple branches.

Some of the major branches of neuroscience (or types of neuroscience) are developmental neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, molecular and cellular neurosciences, neurogenetics, behavioral neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, neurophysiology, and sensory neuroscience.

Careers in neuroscience

Deciding what to study often goes hand in hand with deciding what kind of career you want to have. Naturally, anyone considering neuroscience is going to be interested in what it means and looks like to have a career in neuroscience. Neuroscientists-to-be are often curious about what the different job options are, what the common career tracks are, and what neuroscience salaries tend to be.

Because neuroscience is so broad and interdisciplinary, the career options stemming from neuroscience are also broad. However, neuroscience jobs do tend to fall into common career categories depending on the level of schooling necessary to attain them.

Examples of careers in neuroscience with a bachelor’s degree

  • Laboratory Technician. Lab techs handle the duties associated with preparing for and carrying out diagnostic laboratory tests, usually of bodily fluids and tissues.
  • EEG Technologist. Often at the request of physicians, EEG technologists operate the electroencephalogram diagnostic machine otherwise known as an EEG test.
  • Pharmaceutical Sales. The work of pharmaceutical sales reps includes meeting with doctors and educating them about the various products offered by a pharmaceutical company.

Examples of careers in neuroscience with a master’s degree

  • Nurse Practitioner. Sharing many of the same duties as doctors, nurse practitioners conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat health conditions, and even prescribe medication in addition to mentoring and managing staff. 
  • PA. PAs carry out much of the same work that nurse practitioners do, but come at it from training in a medical model of care instead of the nursing model of care.
  • Neuroimaging Technician. The work of a neuroimaging technician includes interpreting scans and images (often of the brain) to help doctors diagnose health issues.

Examples of careers in neuroscience with an advanced degree

  • Professor. Those with an advanced degree in neuroscience can teach neuroscience at the college and university level.
  • Physician. It’s common for students with neuroscience degrees to advance to medical school and become physicians who examine and diagnose patients. 
  • Research Scientist. Running experiments and utilizing surveys and simulations to conduct and analyze scientific research in laboratory settings constitutes the work of a research scientist.

The salaries attached to jobs in the neuroscience field are just as broad and varied as the career paths and job opportunities themselves. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does shine some light on the average neuroscience salary.

The mean annual wage for neurologists was $255,510 in 2022. Neurologists who work in physician offices made an annual mean wage of $258,100 while those working in hospitals made a mean annual wage of $251,590. Those working in outpatient care centers netted an annual mean wage of $406,380 as of 2022.

If you’re curious about what your neuroscientist salary might be, the answer is that it depends on both whether or not you obtain advanced degrees and what kind of setting you work in.

Types of neuroscience degrees

Like many other fields of study, there are multiple levels of neuroscience degrees that span the undergraduate, graduate, and advanced degree levels.

The levels of neuroscience degrees

  • A Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience is intended to teach undergraduate students the concepts and methodologies foundational to cellular, molecular, cognitive, systematic, and behavioral neuroscience.
  • A master of science degree in neuroscience is typically a research-heavy graduate program that furthers students’ understanding of neuroscience and introduces them to emerging concepts and technologies.
  • A doctorate  in neuroscience is generally obtained after an additional four to six years of study, research, and specialization in neuroscience.
  • A doctor of medicine MD in neuroscience is another advanced neuroscience degree, but one that’s focused on clinical training.

It’s important to note the difference between a neuroscience degree and a neurology degree. 

Neurology is a subset of the broader field of neuroscience and is a specialized area of medicine chiefly focused on diseases that impact the nervous system. Neurologists are medical professionals who have a medical degree followed by several years of specialized study usually through internships and training.

Neuroscience degree programs

Neuroscience degree programs are offered by many colleges and universities around the country and the globe. While each neuroscience degree program will be different at each institute of study, they’re generally geared towards preparing students for careers in the vast field of neuroscience.

At Butler University, students interested in neuroscience have a variety of educational options to pursue. Butler’s Neuroscience major and minor curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study. The Neuroscience major at Butler is offered in three concentrations: biological, computational, and psychological. 

For students looking for additional training and degrees in neuroscience, Butler also offers an Applied Educational Neuroscience Graduate Certificate. This certificate program is available to educators, counselors, social workers, and mental health practitioners who wish to further their practice with an emphasis on adversity, trauma, and the brain. 

Are you ready to start exploring the wide world or neuroscience or take your current career to the next level? Schedule a visit, get more information, or apply to the program of your dreams today!