School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas offers degrees in Child Learning and Development; Cognitive Science; Neuroscience; Psychology; and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. The Child Learning and Development program provides students a research-based approach to understanding child development as a preparation for careers as teachers, researchers, service providers, and policy makers. The Cognitive Science program provides a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the mind and behavior that incorporates methodology from the fields of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. The Neuroscience program provides students the opportunity to study the nervous system from a multidisciplinary approach that combines the study of brain structure, biochemistry, and physiology, and their links to behavior. The Psychology program provides basic training in the study of mind and behavior as preparation for graduate training in psychology, counseling and related fields, as well as providing courses that may be relevant to employment in human resources or research support positions. The Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program offers study in the processes and disorders of speech, language, and hearing. The program provides the foundation for graduate work leading to careers as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Students meeting BS degree and clinical practicum requirements are eligible for Texas state licensure as a speech-language pathology assistant.
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) offers a number of services and programs for students. Academic Advising by a staff of professional advisors is available for all students, and students are encouraged to meet with their advisors on a regular basis. BBS sponsors events and workshops designed to inform students of research opportunities, career paths, and how to prepare for application to graduate and professional schools. BBS works closely with the UT Dallas Career Center to assist students with exploring careers, opportunities for co-op experiences, resume-writing workshops, and practice in interview skills. BBS also offers PSY 3100 Careers in Psychology, a course that explores career and graduate school paths for students in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. This course is offered in the spring and fall semesters and has limited enrollment. It is recommended that students take this course during the sophomore year or early in the junior year.
The school's Internship Program is open to all students who have achieved junior or senior standing (more than 53 semester credit hours) and a minimum 2.500 GPA (grade point average). Students earn course credit for working 8 hours per week at an approved community agency or business of their choice. The Career Center can assist students with finding suitable internship sites. Students keep daily job diaries, attend one class meeting per month, and write brief papers relevant to their experiences.
The Honors Program of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) provides enriching research and writing experiences designed to promote greater success in admission to top-ranked research-focused graduate and professional programs. The primary requirement of the honors program is the completion of an honors research project and written thesis with mentorship of a faculty member. Students are eligible for admission to the program if they are junior level, have completed at least 12 graded semester credit hours at UT Dallas including 2 core courses in the student's major, and have achieved an overall GPA of at least 3.5. Emails are sent during the fall semester notifying students when/how to apply for the Honors Program. Students interested in the honors program should become involved in the laboratory research of a BBS faculty member by the beginning of the junior year in order to complete the honors research project and thesis.
To earn BBS School Honors, students must meet the following criteria: (1) at least 30 graded semester credit hours at UT Dallas, (2) at least 12 semester credit hours in BBS major core courses, (3) an overall UT Dallas GPA of at least 3.500, (4) successful completion of the Honors Seminar (offered in the spring semester) or approved alternate activities, and (5) completion of an Honors research project with faculty mentorship and a written Thesis earning a grade of at least B+.
Minors
To minor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, students must take a minimum of 18 semester credit hours for the minor, 12 of which must be upper-division semester credit hours. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor, and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). The minors in the School of Behavioral and Brain Science are listed below:
See All BBS Minors
Faculty
Professors: Hervé Abdi, Peter F. Assmann, Sandra B. Chapman, W. Jay Dowling, Gregory Dussor, Julia Evans, Francesca Filbey, Richard M. Golden, John Hart Jr., William F. Katz, Michael P. Kilgard, Daniel Krawczyk, Candice M. Mills, Alice J. O'Toole, Margaret Tresch Owen, Denise C. Park, Amy Pinkham, Theodore Price, Robert L. Rennaker II, Pamela R. Rollins, Michael D. Rugg, Bart Rypma, Noah J. Sasson, Steven Small, Ana Solodkin, Melanie J. Spence, Robert D. Stillman, Linda M. Thibodeau
Associate Professors: Robert Ackerman, Chandramallika Basak, Roozbeh Behroozmand, Shayla C. Holub, Heidi Kane, Kristen Kennedy, Benedict Kolber, Sven Kroener, Mandy J. Maguire, Christa McIntyre Rodriguez, Jackie Nelson, Karen Rodrigue, Lucien (Tres) Thompson, Andrea Warner-Czyz, Gagan Wig
Assistant Professors: Michael Burton, Crystal Engineer, Kelly Jahn, Yune Lee, Bo Kyung Park, Jiyoung Park, Kendra Seaman, Adrianna Shembel, Lei (Pumpki) Su, Meghan Swanson, Catherine Thorn
Professor of Practice: Diane Garst Walsh
Clinical Professors: Jackie Clark, Carol Cokely, John Stilwell
Professor and Dean Emeritus: J. Michael Coleman
Professors Emeriti: Thomas Campbell, Christine Dollaghan, Susan W. Jerger, Ross J. Roeser, John W. Santrock, Hanna K. Ulatowska, Anne van Kleeck
UT Dallas Affiliated Faculty: Robert Ackerman, Shayla C. Holub, Heidi Kane, Candice M. Mills, Jackie Nelson, Amy Pinkham, Karen J. Prager, Pamela R. Rollins, John W. Santrock, Noah J. Sasson, Melanie J. Spence, Linda M. Thibodeau, Hanna K. Ulatowska, Andrea Warner-Czyz
Professors of Instruction: Michelle Aldridge, Salena Brody, Karen Huxtable-Jester, Nancy Juhn, Van Miller, Emily Touchstone, Regina Ybarra
Associate Professors of Instruction: Meridith Grant, Faisal Jahangiri, Steven McWilliams, Gayle Schwark, Rukhsana Sultana
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Siham Raboune, Millie Rincon-Cortes, Anna Taylor