GT Minor Requirement – Overview
As per Georgia Tech guidelines, in addition to adequate knowledge in their major field of intended research, the student must demonstrate mastery of another body of knowledge – the minor field, preferably outside the student’s school. The purpose of the minor is to encourage a more diverse interest on the part of the student and to provide a broader basis for the evaluation of their capabilities.
Required Coursework
The minor field of study will consist of at least 6 credit hours of work in related courses, agreed upon by both the student and their advisor. Once the student has satisfactorily completed the minor requirement as required by the Institute, the appropriate form (download from the Georgia Tech website) must be completed and sent to the Office of Graduate Studies for final approval and recording prior to graduation. Minor field of study courses must be completed on a letter grade basis and should include non-NEUR designated courses. The courses should be at the 6000 level or above, but use of certain 4000 level courses may be appropriate with special approval.
Courses to Consider:
Please note that this list is not a complete list. It is merely to give you an idea of courses you might consider.
| Course Name | Description |
| ECE 8873 – Sensory Substitution and Augmentation | This course introduces emerging concepts in wearable bioelectronics through a series of lab-based projects. Projects will focus on system-level design and assembly of wireless, battery-powered embedded systems. Firmware, software, and hardware will be developed to implement closed-loop systems for substituting and augmenting human sensory perception. Non-ECE students can request permits 8/11/25 – 8/21/25 (4pm) |
| ECE 6435. Neuromorphic Analog VLSI Circuits. | Large-scale analog computation for sensory and motor processing. Analog building blocks are presented, leading to VLSI systems inspired by neurobiological architectures and computational paradigms. |
| ECE 7721/ChBE 7721/ME 8801/ISyE 8811 – Future Faculty | How to run a successful research program, advise students, apply and get a job in academia, navigate promotion and tenure, and other aspects of academia |
| BIOS 8803 – Scientific Writing | In this class, students will explore the literature on effective strategies for writing effectively and productively. Students will apply these concepts by completing small-group workshop exercises and writing assignments. The assignments are mostly organized around a writing assignment that directly benefits the student. There are three possibilities for this writing assignment: (1) a manuscript in progress, (2) a grant/fellowship application (e.g. NSF GRFP), or (3) a paper we will write and publish as a class (the instructor has a publishable idea about trends in figure design in published biological manuscripts: by working as a class we can generate the data quite quickly & students can then use this as their writing project if they wish). We will additionally include training on giving effective scientific presentations, as well as on professional development topics related to scientific writing (e.g., how to review, how to choose a journal and submit your manuscript, and how to effectively present research). |
| BMED 6042. Systems Physiology. | Regulation of physiological functions in the cardio-respiratory-renal, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal systems, and their interactions with the neural, endocrine, and immune systems. |
| BMED 6210. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. | This course covers the basic physics and engineering principles, advanced techniques and major applications of magnetic resonance imaging. |
| BMED 6211. Biomed-AI and Health Informatics. | This course uses lectures, homework, programming practical, exam, and team-based problem-based learning to teach Biomedical AI concepts and methods with applications to health informatics. |
| BMED 6781. Clinical Neurology. | Clinical bioscience course that teaches the fundamentals of neuropathology, namely diagnostics, prognostics, therapeutics, and rehabilitative technology for neurological patient management and care. |
| BMED 6785. Optical Microscopy. | The course will cover the fundamental principles of optical imaging and detail the inner workings of key microscopy technologies. |
| BMED 6786. Medical Imaging Systems. | A study of the principles and design of medical imaging systems such as X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Crosslisted with ECE 6786Links to an external site.. |
| BMED 6787. Quantitative Electrophysiology. | A quantitative presentation of electrophysiological systems in biological organisms, emphasizing the electrical properties and modeling of neural and cardiac cells and systems. Crosslisted with PHYS and ECE 6787. |
| BMED 6791 – Translational Neuroengineering | Translational neuroengineering is the application of engineering and neuroscience research to develop new treatments for nervous system disorders. This engineering course teaches students how to formulate a problem statement and apply first principles, engineering, data science, or artificial intelligence to make proof-of-concept designs that translate into improved diagnostics, prognostics, therapeutics, or devices/neurotechnology. |
| BMED 7601. Advanced Seminar: Neuroengineering and Neuropathology. | Current issues in neuroengineering. Focus is placed on neuropathological complexity across cellular and organ level scales through literature reading, discussion, and independent study. |
| BMED 7610. Quantitative Neuroscience. | A quantitative presentation of neural signal processing and information coding, emphasizing the circuitry of sensory and motor pathways of the brain. |
| PHYS 4250. Neurophysics. | Hands-on lecture/lab undergraduate course connecting theory and experiment to understand principles of neuron, brain, and heart function. Draws upon nonlinear dynamics, basic electrostatics, and electrophysiology. |
| PHYS 6250. Biophysics. | Introduction to physical concepts connect to the workings of biological systems at a molecular level. Topics include polymer theory of proteins, diffusion, and bioelectricity. |
| PHYS 6750. Foundations of Quantitative Biosciences. | Introduction to quantitative methods and logic that enable key advances in understanding living systems, spanning molecules, cells, organisms, and biomes. |
| PSYC 8070. Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience. | Critical examination of current problems in selected areas of cognitive neuroscience. Areas to be discussed vary each time. |
| PSYC 6750. Human-Computer Interface. | Describes the characteristics of interaction between humans and computers and demonstrates techniques for the evaluation of user-centered systems. Crosslisted with CS 6750Links to an external site.. |
| PSYC 6745. Neuro AI Models of the Brain and Mind. 3 Credit Hours. | The course delves into perception, memory, and learning through physical principles. Students study cognition’s physical basis, modern neural recording, and data interpretation. |
| PSYC 6090. Cognitive Neuroscience. | Examines the foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience, including the biological mechanisms underlying cognition, the dominant theories, and the experimental techniques. |
| PSYC 6042. Neuroimaging: From Image to Inference. | This course details the potential and limits of fMRI and critically evaluates the inferences that can be drawn from fMRI studies. |
| PSYC 6014. Sensation and Perception. | This course examines how sensations and perceptions of the outside world are processed by humans, including physiological, psychophysical, ecological, and computational perspectives. |