What Can You Do With a Neuroscience Degree?

What Is Neuroscience?

Meet Dr. Felix Schweizer

Felix Schweizer, PhD followed his curiosity about how biological systems work to a rewarding career in neuroscience. 

“I got a PhD in biochemistry, which looks at how cells and molecules work and how they interact with each other,” he says. 

While he enjoyed his biochemical investigations, things really clicked when he began experimenting with neuroscience. 

“In many neuroscience experiments, you can get immediate feedback on what's going on,” he explains. 

“If there isn't an action potential, you change your experimental approach a little bit, and then you try it again.” 

In neuroscience, Dr. Schweizer found a way to investigate how things worked while also benefiting from immediate feedback. He found it absolutely captivating. 

Today, Dr. Schweizer spends a majority of his time conducting basic science research in his lab—untangling the brain’s mysteries. 

“We’re really trying to get to the basic building blocks of how the brain works,” he says. “Many years ago, I decided to approach that goal by focusing on how cells, especially neurons, communicate.” 

Neuroscience Definition

Neuroscience is a life science that focuses on the structures and functions of the nerves, brain, and all other cells and tissues that make up the nervous system. 

“Neuroscience deals with everything that makes us human,” says Dr. Schweizer. 

“It focuses on how the brain takes up sensory information from the environment, how that information is processed, and how appropriate motor actions are selected. Neuroscience intersects with many other fields e.g. in the humanities, engineering, and medicine.” 

Neuroscience Subspecialties

The myriad branches of neuroscience reflect the complexity of the human nervous system. 

Some neuroscience subspecialties include but are not limited to: 

• Molecular Neuroscience 
• Cellular Neuroscience 
• Developmental Neuroscience 
• Cognitive Neuroscience 
• Behavioral Neuroscience (Neuropsychology) 
• Systems Neuroscience 
• Computational Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging 
• Clinical Neuroscience 
• Neuroengineering
• Neuroethics
• Neurophysiology 
• Neuropharmacology 
• Neurogenetics
• Neurochemistry 
• Neuropathology 
• Neuroendocrinology 

Exploring Your Neuroscience Degree Options

Bachelor of Neuroscience

While earning a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, students gain a broad understanding of the nervous system and develop foundational skills in key areas, areas such as experimental design and data analysis, essential to conduct effective research. 

“As a bachelor student, you learn the ground rules of the field,” says Dr. Schweizer. “You get a sense of the people in the field. Essentially, you learn where the sandbox is but you don’t get much time to play in it.” 

Masters in Neuroscience 

While earning a master’s degree in neuroscience, students build on their foundational knowledge, picking up specialized understanding of the nervous system. They may also begin exploring different neuroscience subspecialties. 

PhD in Neuroscience

While earning a PhD degree in neuroscience, students conduct their own research, under the supervision and guidance of a mentor.

They deepen their core skills and develop research-adjacent proficiencies essential for long-term success, such as communicating about research goals as well as finding and writing grants. 

Dr. Schweizer says that during a PhD program, students learn how to ask well-developed questions, solve problems, and distill mountains of data into original hypotheses. 

Students hoping to work in industry may wish to choose the PhD path—just as Dr. Schweizer did when he first started his career. 

“I was convinced I wanted to go into industry, and getting a PhD was the path,” he recalls. “Another attraction the PhD had for me was that it allowed me to work abroad.” 

Best Schools for Neuroscience

Exploring Specific Neuroscience Programs

Aspiring neuroscientists should consider the features of potential neuroscience programs in addition to the degree types. 

Program Breadth and Interdisciplinary Focus 

“At UCLA, our neuroscience PhD program is very broad,” says Dr. Schweizer. “We have people working on anything from whether breathing can change your physiology to how channels in cell membranes work together to help cells maintain homeostasis to developing novel treatments for brain disorders.” 

Other institutions offer a more specific focus, which may be a good fit for students committed to a specific career path or neuroscience niche. 

Programs that, like UCLA, incorporate a range of disciplines and neuroscience focus areas, on the other hand, provide more flexibility and opportunity for exploration. They give students more options to choose from if they decide to deviate from their original plan, for example, or if their preferred lab or mentor has capacity limitations or staffing changes. 

Resources and Technology 

The shared resources and technology an institution has available for neuroscience students influences their learning experience. Students considering an area of neuroscience closely linked with novel technology may wish to prioritize programs that can provide access to it. 

Lifestyle Preferences 

Dr. Schweizer advises anyone considering a career in neuroscience to give full attention to their own personal and lifestyle preferences in addition to program-specific details. 

A program’s stipends, completion time, support initiatives, and location all have a substantial impact on a student’s quality of life. 

“Listen to yourself, because if your living circumstances make you feel unhappy, the academic work may also suffer.”

Collaboration and Networking 

Most institutions offer resources and support programs to help students build community, network with industry colleagues, and deeply explore their career paths of interest. 

Students may wish to favor programs with offerings aligned with their specific career goals and research interests. 

Different Types of Neuroscience Jobs

Career Opportunities in Neuroscience

Neuroscience is an expansive field where individuals may find practically endless employment possibilities. Some key industries where neuroscience experts may find fulfilling and rewarding work include: 

• Research / Academia
• Healthcare
• Pharmaceuticals
• Biotechnology
• State and Federal Agencies

However, there are many other career paths that individuals with a neuroscience background can follow, and some of them might seem surprising. For example, neuroscience graduates find work as writers, editors, teachers, consultants, public policy specialists, and grant reviewers. Some neuroscience students have also gone to work for nonprofits and private foundations, and many end up starting their own companies. 

“It's really very broad. And it's getting broader.” 

Dr. Schweizer has encountered recruiters from entertainment studios seeking to hire neuroscience doctoral graduates. 

“Some of the bigger streaming services are sitting on a treasure trove of data. The challenge is asking an intelligent question of that data. Proposing a hypothesis that's not obvious, that's really what you learn to do as a PhD student." 

Indeed, a student's chosen neuroscience degree level, and the skills and knowledge they develop while completing it, will dramatically affect their potential career options. 

• Neuroscience BS: Graduates with a bachelor's typically qualify for entry-level positions in research, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. They may work as lab technicians, research assistants, or clinical trial coordinators, or pursue further education in medicine or advanced neuroscience studies.
• Neuroscience MS: Graduates with a master’s can access mid-level research positions, work in specialized healthcare roles, or take on leadership roles in biotech or pharmaceutical companies. Some may also pursue careers in science communication or clinical trial management.
• Neuroscience PhD: A PhD qualifies individuals for the most advanced positions in the field, such as leading research projects in academia or industry, becoming a university professor, working as a clinical neuroscientist, or holding leadership roles in biotech or pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Schweizer feels confident that aspiring neuroscience students can find fulfillment in any  degree level or career path they choose. 

“To be involved in figuring out some of the basic principles of how the brain works—to be a part of expanding how much we understand about being humans—is, to me, one of the most fascinating things you can do.”