Neuroscience (Placement Year)

Our neuroscience degree will provide you with a deep understanding of the nervous system.

Discover the mysteries of the brain

Our brains and nervous systems work together to enable us to make sense of the world around us. They coordinate our body, create emotions and sensations and ultimately determine our behaviour.

Our research-led Neuroscience BSc (Placement Year) will give you the biological and psychological grounding to explore the brain, nervous system and how the body works.

You will explore how this insight, and recent scientific advances in these areas, provide a gateway to life-changing treatments and interventions for common conditions such as schizophrenia, autism, mood disorders and dementia.

Together with a year in industry, your degree in neuroscience will be an ideal basis for a host of exciting careers across the academic, pharmaceutical, health and biotechnology sectors, offering you the scientific knowledge, practical lab skills and career-ready mindset to succeed. During your placement year, you will also pay just 20% of the standard tuition fees.

And, because you will build your skills and competence in experimental design, data recording, analysis and presentation, effective project management, teamwork and communication, you will have highly-transferable skills valued by employers both within the sciences and in broader fields such as marketing, finance and management.

Your journey through neuroscience

You will begin, in Year 1, by studying the core principles of neuroscience, pharmacology, genetics and psychology. This will provide you with a firm foundation for the future years of your degree.

In Years 2 and 4, you will develop a deeper insight into the subject by studying themes such as fundamental neuroscience, translational neuroscience and cognitive psychology. You will explore molecules and cells in more depth, get to grips with circuits and systems and build an understanding of drug development.

In Year 4, you will also put your learning into practice with an independent research project, working alongside our research-active academics to tackle global healthcare challenges through neuroscience. This means that you will graduate equipped with a professional profile ready to embark on a successful career or further study.

In between, you will spend Year 3 on a work placement, building your professional toolkit and gaining valuable insights into a career in neuroscience. You will return to Lancaster to complete your fourth year with renewed confidence and drive to achieve your goals.

You will also join the broader UK neuroscience community by becoming a member of the British Neuroscience Association (BNA), offering additional career development opportunities.

A hands-on degree

You will benefit from the outstanding practical facilities across both biomedical and life sciences and psychology, with access to our state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.

In taught practical sessions and workshops, you will hone your skills in working as a team, planning and running experiments.

You will also undertake an independent research project on a subject that fascinates you, with the support of our academics.

In addition to laboratory practical classes and workshops, you will learn through lectures, workshops, tutorials, laboratory reports, essays and case studies, presentations, tests and exams. You will also benefit from digital resources through our online learning environment which will support your independent learning.

Stand out from the crowd with a placement year

With our placement year option, you will spend your third year on an industrial placement, which may be science or non-science-based. The University will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement. Your placement will offer you valuable experience working at a graduate level to gain a wide range of professional skills.