Why High School Students Should Consider a Career in Neuroscience

Summary
Neuroscientists focus on a wide range of topics related to the brain and nervous system. This field offers a variety of intriguing career options that students can start exploring while in high school.

Key Points

• Neuroscientists explore human cognition, emotions, and behavior, delving into questions about learning, memory, consciousness, and the neural basis of psychological disorders. 
• Neuroscience and psychology are related but distinct fields.
• The field of neuroscience spans three subsets: basic, clinical, and applied neuroscience.
• Several relevant pre-college online courses in neuroscience, psychology, and medicine are available to high school students. 

Neuroscientists focus on a wide range of topics related to the brain and nervous system. They explore human cognition, emotions, and behavior, delving into questions about learning, memory, consciousness, and the neural basis of psychological disorders. One relatively recent discovery is the phenomenon of mirror neurons, which suggests that our brains have built-in mechanisms for imitation, emotion, and understanding the intentions and actions of others. 

If you’re interested in how the brain functions and how humans act and think the way we do, neuroscience might be for you. 

In this article, we will explore the distinction between psychology and neuroscience, review the various areas of neuroscience study, discuss careers within the field, and highlight relevant pre-college online courses available to high school students. 

First, let’s distinguish the difference between psychology and neuroscience. 

Psychology vs. Neuroscience

You might ask yourself: are psychology and neuroscience the same thing? No. Neuroscience and psychology are related but distinct fields. While both study the mind, neuroscience focuses on the biology of mental processes, particularly the brain and nervous system, while psychology focuses on behavior related to these processes.

Next, let’s delve into the subsets of neuroscience and the various careers within the field. 

The 3 Subsets of Neuroscience 

The field of neuroscience spans three subsets: basic, clinical, and applied neuroscience. 

• Basic research investigates the fundamental principles underlying the nervous system's function, encompassing areas such as neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and molecular neuroscience. 
• Those working in this area typically conduct research at academic institutions or in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Clinical neuroscience focuses on understanding and treating neurological and psychiatric disorders, which requires professionals such as neurologists and neuropsychologists.
• Clinical career paths include neurologists, psychiatrists, or neurosurgeons.
• Applied neuroscience research encompasses diverse areas, including cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neuroengineering, which explore brain-computer interfaces and neural prosthetics. 
• Those working in applied roles include cognitive psychologists, neuroimaging specialists, and neuroengineers.
• There is also neuropharmacology, which studies the effects of drugs on the nervous system. 
• Additionally, fields such as neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience utilize mathematical models and data analysis to comprehend complex neural processes.

Beyond these more straightforward subsets of neuroscience, there are unique careers where the act of decision-making has a profound impact on the industry. Here are just a few.

Unique Careers in Neurosciences

Beyond the clinical fields mentioned above, the intersection of neuroscience and other career paths is intriguing. These include:

• Neurolaw: An emerging field of research and applied practice concerning the application of neuroscience in the law, as well as the legal regulation of neuroscience. Neuroscientific evidence has been used in legal cases in issues concerning the insanity defense, eyewitness memory, social security disability coverage, brain injury litigation, criminal mental states, criminal sentencing of youth and young adults, brain-based lie detection, and much more.
• Neurocriminology: Explores how the neural mechanisms underpinning criminal behavior might contribute to a better understanding of criminality and improve policy responses.
• Neurosociology: Grounded in sociological methods and frameworks, this field combines sociology and neuroscience to better understand the influence neural processes have on social interactions, institutions, and structures.
• Neuromarketing: Leverages tools and theories from neuroscience, consumer behavior, cognitive psychology, and data analysis to understand the neurological basis of consumer decision-making processes and behaviors.
• Neurocinema: This multidisciplinary field aims to uncover the neurological complexities that underlie the cinematic experience. Understanding how auditory and visual stimuli affect the brain has a profound impact on the art of filmmaking, influencing career paths and even giving rise to new fields and opportunities.

Do these potential neuroscience career paths interest you? How about starting your learning journey while in high school?

Experience Neuroscience in High School

Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, partners with several renowned universities to offer pre-college, online courses focusing on neuroscience, psychology, and even medicine and anatomy. They’re a unique way to start your collegiate journey while still in high school. Here are just a few.

In the Case Western Reserve Pre-College Program course Neuroscience and Medicine: Inside The Brain and Nervous System, you’ll delve specifically into the field of neuroscience. Explore the anatomical structures that comprise the nervous system. Learn how the brain sends messages to the spinal cord. If you are interested in neuroscience, medicine, psychology, or other STEM-related subjects, this course is for you.

Rice University offers a precollege online course titled Medicine: Diagnostics, Treatment, and Patient Care. In this course, you’ll explore the patient-care procedures, from initial exam and evaluation of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment. You will study disorders of the heart, lungs, spinal cord, and endocrine system. You’ll learn about the basic science of each disorder, how it is diagnosed, and recent breakthroughs that are improving treatment options.

Dartmouth University offers Psychology: Explore the Mind & Mental Wellness. In it, you’ll discover the fascinating world of psychology and unlock the "what, why, how, where, and when" of mental health care. Discover the fundamental aspects of clinical psychology and learn how psychologists employ therapeutic techniques to address a diverse range of mental health concerns. Hear from experts in the field; gain a deeper understanding of mental health, diagnosis, and treatment; and develop the skills to conceptualize cases and design effective treatment plans.

The Northwestern Pre-College Online Program offers Psychology: Inside Diagnosis and Treatment. Take a deep dive into many aspects of mental health care. Review the fundamentals of clinical psychology and learn how psychologists use therapeutic techniques to analyze and treat a wide range of mental health issues. Experts in the field offer a wealth of insights on subjects such as mental health, diagnosis, and treatment, enabling you to develop the skills to conceptualize cases and design effective treatment plans.

Esteemed university professors and faculty teach all of the Prelum partners’ pre-college online courses. Each interactive course is offered in a flexible format, allowing you to study at your own pace, anytime, anywhere. You’ll receive guidance from a mentor and, upon successful completion of the course, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion that will look great on your college resume. 

Why wait? Start your professional journey with these college programs for high school students today.

This was last reviewed by Ashley Simmons on 05/14/2025.