A finite element model of an average adult human head was used to perform a modal analysis to characterize the intrinsic vibrational response of the human head. The first ten fundamental frequencies and associated mode shapes of the head were extracted by finite element analysis. Strain energy associated with the head’s vibrational modes was plotted instead of mode shapes which become less meaningful for a complex structure such as the human head in three dimensional space. The effects on the vibrational response of the head were determined by carrying out a parametric study on the thicknesses and element types of the skull, brain with and without membranes, and the material properties of the CSF layer.