Neuroscience, BSc (Hons), with industry placement

Neuroscientists study the development and function of the nervous system. This includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerve cells throughout the body. They investigate what happens when people have disorders by focusing on the brain and its impact on behaviour and cognitive functions.This interdisciplinary science liaises closely with other disciplines such as mathematics, linguistics, engineering, computer science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology and medicine.At Aston, our course follows a practical and hands-on approach, giving you access to the most up to date and high-tech equipment, enabling you to engage with the newest techniques in basic and applied research. It has been designed to provide you with the perfect first step towards a future career in one of the most exciting and rapidly developing areas of life and medical sciences.What is studying Neuroscience at Aston really like?Our course differs from many undergraduate neuroscience courses in the UK, with a key focus on acquiring practical skills - an advantage that will set you apart from the graduate crowd.You’ll work closely with active neuroscience researchers working on ground-breaking projects and study a range of modules designed to give you a comprehensive introduction to the fascinating world of brain function.During the course you will get the opportunity to:

• Learn pharmacology through tissue bath experiments.

• Perform EEG and EMG recordings and analyse the data with research-grade tools.

• Undertake complex brain-slice recordings to discover how drugs work and how our brains are organised and function.

• Explore how natural toxins and nerve agents are used in the research lab to discover how our brain cells talk to each other.

• Discover more about the major diseases and disorders of the nervous system.

• Hear from leading clinicians in our guest lectures.

• Understand how research conducted at Aston University into areas like Parkinson’s, autism, dyslexia, epilepsy and developmental cognitive neuroscience is impacting the wider field of study.

• Access to state-of-the-art neuroscience laboratory equipped with research-grade brain slice recording systems.

• Unlock your understanding of the brain and nervous system, from the microscope to the whole organism.

• Happy students - 100% of students felt staff made the subject of neuroscience interesting and 96% of students felt an overall satisfaction with the course (National Student Survey, 2021).

• Aston is ranked 2nd in the UK for Health Professions (Guardian University Guide, 2022).

• Complete an integrated placement year, designed to set your studies in a real-world context and boost your employability, meaning you’ll not only learn a wide range of skills and knowledge, but you’ll also gain first-hand experience before you’ve even graduated.