The University of Windsor BCN program represents an emergent inter-disciplinary field related to the study of the brain and behaviour. It provides students with training in modern neuroscience, a strong and fast growing field that seeks to understand the structure, function, and mechanisms of the brain. It helps students use this knowledge to understand animal (including human) behavioural and cognitive functions and prepares them to address neurological diseases in the future, as well as ecological ramifications of animal behaviour. Training in the BCN program is related to fundamentals and emergent investigations of animal and human behaviour and cognition as well as neuroscience at the chemical, molecular, genetic and systems physiological levels.
The BCN program strongly encourages students to become involved in research laboratories during their first three years of study. In year 4, students are required to complete a BCN-related undergraduate thesis. All students attend a biweekly BCN colloquium and have the opportunity to interact with visiting researchers from other institutions.
Our goal is to prepare graduating BCN students to become the top candidates to enter graduate study in basic and applied programs in behaviour, cognition or neuroscience, or in professional programs in the health sciences. Our students have strong leadership as well as scholarly qualities. They are leaders in various University and community societies and have established a vibrant BCN Students' Association (uwindsor.ca/bcnsa). The recent addition of Windsor-Essex SPARK Health Institute offers further interaction between BCN and the Windsor-Essex community.