The BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience is a four-year course run by both the School of Psychology and Neuroscience and the School of Biology. Your first two years of study provide an introduction to a variety of subjects which make up contemporary neuroscience, psychology and biology, including the relations between brain and behaviour, gene transcription, predator/prey interactions, and cell systems. Alongside biology and psychology, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional subject. In the second year, you will carry on with biology and psychology and take a dedicated neuroscience module. Find out more about how academic years are organised.
The skills you gain in statistical analysis, research and presentation will prepare you for your final two years, during which you will have the opportunity to specialise in a wide range of advanced subjects. Potential subjects include (but are not limited to):
- neuropharmacology
- neurological disorders
- motoneurons
- clinical psychology.
During your final year, you will also have the opportunity to carry out a research project on a topic chosen in consultation with staff from the School.
The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.
The BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience explores the interface between psychology and neurobiology and how the brain and the rest of the nervous system work in both health and disease. In your studies, you will be introduced to:
- molecular, cellular and physiological processes
- cellular and applied neurobiology
- pharmacology and neurochemistry
- cognitive and behavioural neuroscience
- clinical psychology.
During your degree, you will receive first-hand research experience in state-of-the-art neuroscience teaching facilities. You will be encouraged to explore a number of different research topics from neurological disorders to motor control to learning processes.
In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in neuroscience, psychology and biology alongside modules in at least one other subject.
Typically, you will take two to three neuroscience, psychology and biology modules per semester during your first two years, and four to five per semester during your third and fourth year (known as Honours).
- First year
- Second year
- Honours
Students will take the following compulsory first-year modules:
- Biology 1: provides an introduction to molecular and cellular biology. It covers cell diversity and the origins of life, cellular structures and fundamental processes.
- Biology 2: provides an introduction to the diversity of life on Earth and addresses key elements of organismal and ecological aspects of life.
- Fundamentals of Psychology 1: introduces the theoretical foundations, historical perspectives and modern developments of psychology, and provides a thorough grounding in the empirical basis of psychology.
- Fundamentals of Psychology 2: expands upon the topics discussed during Fundamentals of Psychology 1 and continues to introduce the variety of subjects which make up contemporary psychology.
Students will take the following compulsory second-year modules:
- Neuroscience: introduces the fundamental concepts and skills of neuroscience using both vertebrate and invertebrate models.
- Cell Biology: introduces the concept of 'a cell', moving on to discuss different types of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
- Cell Systems: explores how cells interact with one another to form complex tissues and organisms.
- Advanced Principles of Psychology 1: covers the relations between, for example, brain and behaviour, cognition, perception, comparative aspects of behaviour, social and clinical psychology. It also contains a methodology component covering laboratory and field techniques.
- Advanced Principles of Psychology 2: provides a more advanced treatment of a number of areas in psychology and extends the range of teaching from previous modules.
You will also choose two additional biology modules from the following selection:
- Biochemistry: a number of central metabolic pathways and their control are studied in detail, alongside examples of their importance in disease and recent metabolomic studies.
- Comparative Physiology: covers the principles of physiological adaptation in a range of animals, including examples from all major taxa and from all habitats.
- Ecology: introduces essential concepts in population and community ecology and how they relate to biodiversity.
- Evolutionary Biology: gives an overview of the history and major principles of modern evolutionary biology.
- Invertebrate Zoology: surveys the major invertebrate groups, emphasising the diversity of body plans while demonstrating how the common functional requirements such as feeding, reproduction, respiration and excretion are achieved.
- Molecular Biology: provides an introduction to modern molecular biology, covering fundamental biological processes such as transcription, translation, and DNA replication and repair.
- Research Methods in Biology: develops essential academic and transferable skills, with major emphasis on problem solving. This is achieved through a combination of interactive lectures, independent data-handling workshops and group work on a mini research project.
- Vertebrate Zoology: explores the diversity of vertebrate animals, beginning with the closest relatives of vertebrates and the evolutionary origins of the group.
If you decide to take Neuroscience in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced options.
In third year, you will take three compulsory modules in neuroscience, neuropharmacology and data handling. Over the course of your Honours studies, you will have the option of studying a wide range of modules ranging from clinical and developmental psychology to molecular and cellular neuroscience, with further options in the School of Biology.
Here is a sample of Senior Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:
- Animal Models in Psychology and Neuroscience
- Behavioural Neuroscience
- Clinical Neuropsychology
- Mechanisms of Behaviour: Integrating Psychological and Neuroscience Perspectives
- Memory Mechanisms and Alzheimer's Disease
- Neuroethology
- Neuromodulation
- Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience
- Synaptic Transmission in Health and Disease.
In fourth year, students can conduct a research project which will involve extensive laboratory or field research to investigate a problem broadly within neuroscience or psychology. The project will culminate in the production of a high-quality report that demonstrates a deep understanding of the chosen area of research.
The compulsory modules listed here must be taken in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules appropriate to the programme for the current academic year can be found in the programme requirements.
Teaching
- Teaching format
- Assessment
- Support
Neuroscience is taught using a wide variety of methods including traditional lectures, seminars, practicals, tutorials and individual supervision. At sub-honours level, class sizes range from 80 to 350 students in lectures and 20 to 80 students for practical labs, down to only 8 to 10 students for small-group tutorials.
At Honours level, much of the teaching is in smaller groups and there is a considerable amount of one-on-one contact with staff. Class sizes typically range from about 10 to 150 students for lectures (with a maximum of 24 students in a laboratory group), down to individual supervision.
When not attending lectures, tutorials and labs, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:
- working on individual and group projects
- undertaking research in the library
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations.
Neuroscience, psychology and biology sub-honours modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and examinations.
At Honours level, modules are either entirely assessed by coursework, by examination, or by a mixture of the two.
Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.
The Schools aim to provide feedback on every assessment within four weeks to help you improve on future assessments.
Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. Please note that some Schools offer qualified entry to Honours, and this will be clearly specified in the programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of neuroscience. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of laboratory classes and seminars under the supervision of the module leader.
You can find contact information for all neuroscience staff on the School of Psychology and Neuroscience website.
The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.
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