BSc Neuroscience

Our BSc Neuroscience course examines how the brain and nervous system work to generate behaviour, perception, movement, sleep, memory and other key functions.

The course also covers new technological advances that have been at the forefront of recent breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience, including biomedical imaging, genetic manipulation and functional recording at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels.

There have also been major advances in our understanding of the biology of higher brain function and the pathogenesis of a variety of neurological disorders, such as mental health disorders and neurodegenerative disease eg Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

You will study a range of topics during the course, including pharmacology, physiology, motor systems, sensory systems and more, with the opportunity to choose optional units in particular areas of interest.

You will spend your first year studying fundamental principles before going on to specialise in your second and final years.

A range of study options

You can extend your degree by a year to undertake an integrated master's, gain industrial/professional experience, study with entrepreneurship or learn a modern language.

It is possible to broaden your degree by taking units from the University College, Business and Management for all Programmes or the University Centre for Academic English in exchange for a few units from your degree.

Foundation Year available

You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our foundation course first.

Flexibility to transfer between courses

You can transfer between most of our bioscience courses at the end of your first year or, in some cases, later.

You will benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning methods that suit the content and aims of each course unit.

These range from lectures and tutorials to practical and research projects, including the  final year project .

Find out more about how you will learn and see a typical Year 1 timetable on our  teaching and learning  page.

Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each level of study.

• Lecture units are usually assessed by written exam (multiple choice, short-answer or essay-based), which are held at the end of an academic semester in either January or May/June.
• Practical units are usually assessed by experimental report and/or short written assignment and/or written exam.
• The proportion of independent study assignments increases during each year of study.

Year 1

Lecture units are usually assessed by e-learning activities during the unit and multiple choice exams at the end of the semester. Year 1 contributes 10% to your overall degree mark.

Year 2

Lecture units are usually assessed by a combination of coursework and essay-based exams at the end of the semester. Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.

Final year

Lecture units are usually assessed by a combination of e-learning activities, coursework and essay-based exam. Students also take two honours papers: degree programme-specific examinations comprising essays and data-handling problems.

A significant part of the year (accounting for one-quarter of the overall degree mark) is the project, which is assessed through a presentation and a written report.

The final year contributes 60% to your overall degree mark.

Find out more about what it's like to study at Manchester on the  Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog .

Learning facilities

Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological and biomedical techniques. The following are just a few of the techniques you could undertake during your degree:

• electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG)
• electroretinography (ERG) and electromyography (EMG)
• dissection and histology
• immunofluorescence microscopy
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• DNA sequencing
• spectrophotometry

Our computing facilities include access to over 200 PCs in dedicated clusters and e-learning tools including online lecture notes, discussion boards, lecture podcasts and quizzes.

You will also have access to the University's other facilities for undergraduate students .

Research facilities

As a final year student, you have the opportunity to undertake a research project in the labs of our world-class bioscience researchers. To support our research, we have extensive research facilities equipped with high-quality technology.