Xavier University in New Orleans has announced that it is offering four new programs of study this fall. The university is adding an undergraduate major in neuroscience, that the university says is the first of its kind to be offered at a historically Black college or university. Another new offering is a minor degree program in cognitive neuroscience.
Jeremy Cohen, the neuroscience program coordinator at Xavier University, notes that “neuroscience is an exciting and expanding field exploring how the brain and nervous system give rise to cognition from the level of genes and molecules up to whole brain function. Xavier offers a unique opportunity to study this field by capitalizing on its rich history of training students in the biomedical sciences, and leading the nation in African Americans who graduate from medical school.”
Xavier is also offering a new concentration in crime and social justice for undergraduates who major in sociology. Amy Bellone Hite, chair of the sociology department at Xavier, says that “given Xavier’s mission to promote social justice by preparing students to assume leadership roles, the study of crime in the context of a rigorous liberal arts program will better prepare students for career advancement not just within the traditional criminal justice system, but also in working with families, schools, and government.”
The university will also be offering a new minor degree program in bioethics.
