Neuroscience with Psychology

Neuroscience with psychology is a degree that combines the biological science of the brain and nervous system with the experimental and cognitive science of mind and behaviour, reflecting the increasingly close relationship between these two fields. Neuroscience asks how the brain is built, how its cells and circuits function, how it develops across the lifespan, and how dysfunction in neural systems gives rise to conditions from depression and anxiety to Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Psychology examines the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dimensions of human experience, and the combination of both perspectives gives you tools to understand mental life at multiple levels simultaneously, from the molecular to the behavioural.

At the University of Sussex, this three-year full-time degree with a foundation year, sandwich year, and option of a year abroad places you in the laboratory from year one, developing hands-on experimental skills alongside theoretical knowledge. You will carry out interactive neuroscience experiments, develop computing and programming skills, learn to analyse neural and behavioural data, and engage with both the fundamental biology of the nervous system and the cognitive and clinical dimensions of psychology. Sussex has strong research connections in neuroscience, including cognitive neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, and the biological foundations of mental health conditions, and the degree benefits from this active research environment.

The placement year provides direct professional experience in a research, clinical, or applied context.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in research, healthcare, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and the growing fields of neurotechnology and clinical neuroscience. Many graduates continue to postgraduate research in neuroscience, cognitive science, clinical psychology, or pharmacology, building the specialist expertise needed for research and clinical careers. Others enter careers in mental health services, science communication, healthcare, data science, and the technology sector, drawing on the combination of biological knowledge and analytical skills the degree provides.

The BPS accreditation component of the psychology strand provides the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership needed for postgraduate professional training in psychology.