Neuroscience BSc
London, Bloomsbury
Neuroscience BSc (2025)
Become a part of one of the largest neuroscience research communities in the world, with over 450 Principal Investigators engaged in neuroscience research. You'll be taught by a unique mix of current world leaders in different aspects of neuroscience.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
Programme starts
September 2024Application deadline
31 Jan 2024UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- AAA
- Subjects
- Chemistry required plus one from Biology, Life and Health Sciences, Mathematics or Physics.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.
Contextual offer information
- Grades
- AAB more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- AA must be in Chemistry and other science (Biology, Life and Health Sciences, Mathematics or Physics).
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.
- Points
- 38
- Subjects
- A total of 18 points in three higher level subjects including Chemistry and one subject from Biology, Mathematics or Physics, with no higher level score below 5. For Mathematics, the programme will accept either 'Analysis and Approaches' or 'Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 36 more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects including Chemistry and one subject from Biology, Mathematics or Physics (both at grade 6), with no score below 5. For Mathematics, the programme will accept either 'Analysis and Approaches' or 'Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
D3,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. Chemistry required plus one from Biology, Physics or Mathematics
A,A,A at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and A,A,A at Higher). Chemistry required at Advanced Higher plus one from Biology, Physics or Mathematics.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades AAA. Chemistry required plus one from Biology, Mathematics or Physics.
International applications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
Access and widening participation
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
English language requirements
The English language level for this programme is: Level 4
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Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Course overview
The first year consists of introductory compulsory modules including two neuroscience modules restricted to the BSc and MSci Neuroscience degree students. This combination of modules will provide a secure foundation for future work and study.
Further core and optional modules in your second year will prepare you for the third year, in which you will select specialised options to suit your interests. We provide twenty five neuroscience-specific advanced modules on offer for year three and four neuroscience students, all taught by top neuroscientists.
They cover all areas, including computational, molecular/cellular, systems, behavioural/cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Examples include Neural Basis of Motivation and Learning, Pain, Neurobiology of Brain Injury and Disease and Cellular Basis of Brain Function, but there are many more modules to choose from.
You will have the opportunity to transfer to the MSci programme at the end of year two, this is conditional to your marks in year one and two. Transferring into the MSci programme will extend your degree programme to four years.
In the third year of the programme you will be able to join an existing research team in a UCL department or institute to conduct original research, guided by a supervisor. You can choose to do either a lab-based or a literature-based research project and will be able to select your topic and supervisor from the large pool of 450 Principal Investigators doing neuroscience research at UCL.
What this course will give you
Unlike similar programmes, UCL students begin their study of neuroscience and scientific practice in the first week of the first year.
As world leading practitioners of research based teaching we bring the best research minds from UCL, the Crick, the Sainsbury's Wellcome Centre and the Gatsby to teach our BSc and MSci students.
We are very proud that the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology has been home to 5 Nobel Prize winners over the years and many more major research based breakthroughs in the exciting field of neuroscience.
Our third and fourth year students are able to choose their own research topics and to lead that research in a working lab.
Become part of the close knit UCL Neuroscience community thanks to our matrix style student support network and active student society.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience.
Modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
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The first year consists of introductory core modules in relevant subject areas such as neurobiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology and genetics that will provide a secure foundation for future work.
Taking modules alongside other students in the UCL Faculties of Life Sciences will give you insight into related disciplines. Further core and optional modules in your second year will explore the relevant subject areas at a more advanced level and prepare you for the third year.
In year three you will choose to carry out either an extended experimental project or an advanced library project and, depending of your chosen type of project, select specialised optional modules to suit your interests. Examples of specialist module options may include topics such as neural basis of motivation and learning; pain; neurobiology of brain injury and disease and cellular basis of brain function, to name a few.
You will have the opportunity to transfer to the four-year MSci Neuroscience programme at the end of year two, subject to meeting the relevant requirements.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Your learning
Your teaching and learning will include lectures, tutorials, workshops and practical classes. Most neuroscience-specific modules throughout your degree are taught in relatively small groups, while some are shared with students on other programmes in larger groups. Practical classes play an important role throughout your studies and prepare you for your research project in the final year.
Your contact hours and levels of self-directed study will depend on which modules you choose and which year you are in. Modules typically have one or two hour lectures per week, these can be accompanied by workshops, journal clubs or practical sessions. For each module, students typically undertake 2-4 hours of self-directed study per lecture.
Assessment
You will normally take a written examination at the end of the academic year in each of your modules; coursework counts for up to 30% of your marks. Coursework prepares you for the final exam and trains you in a variety of writing tasks e.g. essays, lab reports and scientific publications. Some modules are examined by invigilated online tests throughout the year. Your final-year project will involve a written dissertation and an oral presentation.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.
The foundation of your career
Whilst we have many students who pursue a career in neuroscience research, many choose to use the skills that they have learnt at UCL in other sectors. Our alumni can be found in journalism, the diplomatic services, the civil service, pharmaceutical companies, start ups, finance and more.
UCL BSc alumni can also be found in science policy, public policy, publishing, law, law enforcement (e.g. forensics) and other high-profile careers outside the classroom or laboratory.
Employability
This programme will develop your literacy, data literacy and analysis, and critical thinking skills, as well as the opportunity to hone your skills in written and verbal communication. These transferable skills allow you to pursue any career of your choice.
Our students have successfully secured positions in a variety of highly sought-after fields and professions.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2024/25) | £9,250 |
| Tuition fees (2024/25) | £34,400 |
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
Additional costs
Students will need to purchase a lab coat. This will cost approximately £10-£20.
A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding your studies
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Scholarships
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Next steps
Your application
A genuine interest and curiosity in the subject should be evident in your application.
How to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Selection
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
If we have made you an offer, you will be invited to attend an offer-holder event. This may include talks from staff about the programme and the department. It could also include a research presentation, tours of UCL and the department, and a visit to a laboratory facility. If you apply by the main UCAS deadline and meet or are predicted to meet all of our academic and individual requirements (including being able to demonstrate a good understanding of what this specialised subject entails), you will receive an offer of a place (either conditional or unconditional).
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