Studying Neuroscience at UCL

Neuroscience is a very broad and exciting field that is studied at many different levels, from genetics and single cells, to human cognition, behaviour and social interactions. Knowledge at all levels is required to understand healthy brain function and to develop treatments for neurological and mental health disorders. In order that we can enable students to learn about the whole field of neuroscience, UCL offers two different undergraduate programmes in neuroscience. A Neuroscience BSc in the Faculty of Life Sciences and a Human Neuroscience BSc in the Faculty of Brain Sciences. The programmes are very different. They are focused on different fields of neuroscience with different entry requirements that reflect the knowledge required to study neuroscience in the two distinct fields.

With training in neuroscience, you could work on research projects looking at how memories are formed, how brain cell activity shapes behaviour, how your senses perceive the world, or how the brain controls movement, speech and language. Or you could choose to research the causes and novel treatments for conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, stroke or epilepsy. You will become familiar with cutting-edge techniques such as optogenetics, two-photon microscopy, fMRI and many more.

Studying neuroscience will open up a wide range of career options. It will also give you invaluable transferable skills. For example, you will be trained in solving complex problems and gain an in-depth understanding of data collection and analysis, hypothesis testing, visualisation, critical reading and reasoning.

At UCL, our students benefit from pioneering research, best-in-class academics and clinicians, cutting-edge facilities, world-renowned partner hospitals and institutions, and our location in the world’s most global city. This unique combination makes UCL one of the best places in the world to study and help you advance in neuroscience, health, industry or academia. Our research transforms lives as we work to overcome some of the world’s biggest problems in brain health.

• Top-ranked university – we are top in the UK for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, with more than 90% of our research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent (UK Research Excellence Framework 2021). UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2024). UCL is named University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

• Research-led teaching – by studying with us, you will have the opportunity to join one of the largest and most highly rated neuroscience research communities in the world.

• World-class facilities – you will gain hands-on experience, putting your education into practice, through our partnerships with the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, the Francis Crick Insitute, the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) and Google Deep Mind. You will also gain valuable patient knowledge and experience through our strong clinical partnerships with UCLH and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgey, the UK's largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital. 

• Home to innovators and disruptors – we’re looking for students who like to challenge and push boundaries. Join us in our pursuit of scientific discovery and learn to solve real-world problems in brain health.

• Student life – the UCL Neuroscience Society is one of the largest student-led scientific societies in the UK. It hosts a mix of debates, talks and lectures as well as social activities.

• Location – our central London location gives access to one of the world’s most vibrant, cosmopolitan, and influential cities, ranked as the best city in the world for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2023).

• Psychology BSc/MSci
• Psychology and Language Scences BSc/MSci
• Psychology with Education BSc