Neural Engineering (NE) Track

Neural Engineering is an exciting new field, which applies engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties of neural systems. The neural engineering track is designed to prepare the students for the fundamental understanding of both neuroscience and engineering principles.

This graduate track has a specific menu of courses to satisfy the “Life Science” and “Track Courses” requirement for the PhD.

Life Science Requirements:  neural track students are required to take one cellular level and one systems level neuroscience course to fulfill their life science requirement. 

For molecular neuroscience, choose between 1) NROSCI 2100  and NROSCI 2101  (Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology I and II, 8 credits) and 2) BIOENG 2585  3 credits); both are offered in the fall.

For systems neuroscience, choose between 1) NROSCI 2102  (Systems Neurobiology, 6 credits) and 2) BIOENG 2586  3 credits); both are offered in the spring. 

There are four different combinations of possibilities:

• NROSCI 2100 , NROSCI 2101  and NROSCI 2102 , equaling 14 credits
• NROSCI 2100 , NROSCI 2101  and BIOENG 2586   equaling 11 credits
•  BIOENG 2585  and NROSCI 2102 , equaling 9 credits
• BIOENG 2585  and BIOENG 2586 , equaling 6 credits

These courses are typically taken at the first year.  Students without a biology background will need to take foundational biology courses (e.g. BIOENG 2520 , fall) before taking any of the cellular and systems neuroscience courses.  Students who have taken graduate-level equivalent neuroscience courses can petition to take other more advanced life science courses.

Track Courses Requirement:  please select at least three track courses from the following courses:

• BIOENG 2540 - NEURAL BIOMATERIALS AND TISSUE ENGINEERING  
• BIOENG 2615 - INTRODUCTION TO NEURAL ENGINEERING   
• BIOENG 2650 - LEARNING & CONTROL OF MOVEMENT  
• BIOENG 2810 - BIOMATERIALS & BIOCOMPATIBILITY  
• NROSCI 2005 - COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE  
• NROSCI 2011 - FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY  
• NROSCI 2012 - NEUROPHYSIOLOGY  
• NROSCI 2039 - PROCESSING IN NEURAL CIRCUITS  
• ECE 2195 - SPECIAL TOPICS: COMPUTERS  
• ECE 2646 - LINEAR SYSTEM THEORY  
• ECE 2695 - SPECIAL TOPICS: ADAPTIVE CONTROL  
• ECE 3650 - OPTIMAL CONTROL  
• CMU 36-759/MATH 3375 - COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE METHODS  (can be used as a track course, cannot be used to fulfill the math requirement, and can possibly be used to fulfill the statistics requirement.  Please see the list of Approved Statistics Courses , and ask the Graduate Coordinator if you have any questions about this requirement.)
• CMU 10-601 - MACHINE LEARNING
• CMU 15-883 - COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF NEURAL SYSTEMS
• CMU 42-590 / 18-699 - NEURAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
• CMU 86-595 / 42-595 - NEURAL DATA ANALYSIS 
• CMU 18-612 - NEURAL TECHNOLOGY: SENSING AND STIMULATION

Elective Courses Requirement:  a minimum of 6 credits are required in this category. By taking the track-specific life science courses, (total of 14, or 12 or 10 credits, depending on which option you take) the students in this track would satisfy the 6 life science credits with extra credits that can be counted as elective credits.  Any additional graduate level courses approved by the advisor can be considered as electives.

Center for Neural Basis of Cognition (http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/):  the majority of NE track students are members of CNBC and participate in the CNBC graduate training program (http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/training/).  All three of the CNBC core courses can be considered track or elective courses.  If you are in CNBC, you must satisfy both BIOENG and CNBC requirements before graduation.

For more information, please contact the Track Coordinator.