Biopsychology Courses, Graduate School Curriculum Articles

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Curriculum Overview: Biopsychology

Studying In the Field
It's not something most of us ever do, but step back for a moment and consider all the ways in which your brain and body interact: When you read, your eyes scan a page and your brain deciphers all those many symbols, ultimately and instantly creating meaning from them. When you take a bite of a piece of pie, your tongue, through various physiological processes, sends signals to your brain, which in turn "makes sense" of the flavors and tells you that it is pleasant. The ways in which our bodies and brains interact are far too numerous to count, and attempting to understand them all is a fool's errand. However, biopsychologists endeavor to understand "brain structures involved with specific behaviors, chemical factors involved in behavior, and hormonal control of behaviorƒ[as well as determining] the effects of drugs and how they act; the biological basis of learning, studies of behavioral problems associated with specific brain damage, anatomical and chemical problems associated with specific mental disorders, and detailed behavioral studies associated with specific brain damage in animals" ( www.gmu.edu ). In other words, the realm of the biopsychologist is one in which the brain and the body form a system whose mysteries can be unraveled in order to understand and help people who suffer from a variety of biological or psychological maladies.

Because of the nature of work in this field, and the many directions students may choose to go, the coursework covers a wide range of topics, and is designed to afford students the widest range of experience possible. From classes on immunology, vertebrate and invertebrate evolution, and neurobiology to those that focus on behavior, statistics, and laboratory methods, the intellectual demands placed on biopsychology students are great. However, the result of successful matriculation is a broad understanding of the field itself, and an ability to work in virtually all aspects of the field.

Aside from the basic courses that most, if not all, students in biopsychology programs must take, there is a great deal of latitude when it comes to the specific areas of focus that individual students may pursue. Therefore, it is possible to choose your professional direction to a high level of specificity. Such choices may include a focus on adolescent biopsychology or biopsychological disorders, among many others. A graduate degree also may be used as a basis for "advanced study in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychobiology, neuroendocrinology, and stress research. The major is also an option for students preparing for medical school (which would require additional work) or doctoral work in psychology or biology" ( www.sage.edu ).

Job Opportunities In the Field
This is a growing field, and as the scientific understanding of human behavior continues to increase and improve, biopsychology professionals will remain in high demand. There are a number of career choices that biopsychology graduates make, and all of them will set the graduate up for a lifetime of interesting and rewarding work. From laboratory research, clinical psychology, and work with pharmaceutical companies, the options are many and varied. It is, of course, also possible that the graduate will choose to pursue a doctorate and remain in the academic world, training future biopsychologists in the field. In whatever direction they ultimately decide to go, graduates in biopsychology are sure to find their professional careers rewarding, challenging, and demanding in all the right ways.

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