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Psychology and Neuroscience

Entry requirements


A level

A*,A,A-A,A,B

Standard offer: A*AA including two core science/maths subjects. Contextual offer: AAB including AB in two core science/maths subjects. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Access to HE Diploma in Science, Biomedical/ Medical/ Health Science or Psychology (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include: at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above; and at least 12 credits at Distinction from one of the following, and 12 credits (including 9 at distinction) in another: Biology or Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Psychology. Mature students can contact [email protected] to check the suitability of their Access course.

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/M2 is B, and M3 is C.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants must also meet these GCSE profile requirements: higher numeracy requirement (6 or B in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent). For more information: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/gcse/

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

34-38

Standard offer: 38 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, including 6, 6 at Higher Level in two core science/maths subjects. Contextual offer: 34 points overall with 17 at Higher Level, including 6, 5 at Higher Level in two core science/maths subjects. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*DD

D*DD in Applied Science BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A

Advanced Higher: AA in two core science/maths subjects.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,B

Standard higher: AAAAB.

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

UCAS Tariff

112-159

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Neuroscience

Psychology

This course will equip you to combine the critical, theoretical and practical skills central to psychology with a cellular, synaptic and systems-level understanding of brain function from neuroscience. The course emphasises the experimental study of the mind and nervous system and we want our students to share a sense of fun and adventure in exploring and combining these different perspectives.

MSci Psychology and Neuroscience is taught by experts who are enthusiastic about teaching students the latest developments in the field based on the research that they are conducting. It is specifically designed to meet the requirements for accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and gives you eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). It provides you with a pathway to becoming a psychologist along with knowledge and skills from both disciplines, which you can apply in a wide range of careers.

In the first year you will be introduced to what psychology can reveal about how the mind works, and the neuroanatomical pathways and cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying brain function.

In the second year you will continue to develop your understanding of biological, cognitive, social and developmental aspects of psychology alongside the different techniques used to study nervous systems.

The third year will combine training in psychological experimental design and statistical analysis with the opportunity to focus on specific research areas, such as neurological and psychiatric disorders or interdisciplinary areas, such as behavioural and cognitive neuroscience.

In your fourth year you will apply what you have learned to investigate a specific psychological research question. You will also develop valuable skills in communicating science and developing ideas, as well as deepening your understanding of specialist and interdisciplinary areas of psychology and neuroscience.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£29,000
per year
International
£29,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Bristol

Department:

Experimental Psychology

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

67%
Neuroscience
70%
Psychology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
74%
Staff are good at explaining things
67%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
61%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

64%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
61%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Psychology (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

81%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
69%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

66%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
61%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

85%
UK students
15%
International students
19%
Male students
81%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
low
Average annual salary
96%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

10%
Teaching and educational professionals
10%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Psychology (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
high
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
57%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
9%
Teaching and educational professionals

20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£30k

£30k

£39k

£39k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Psychology (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£27k

£27k

£35k

£35k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Lower entry requirements
University of York | York
Psychology integrated Masters
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UCAS Points: 56-144
Higher entry requirements
Royal Holloway, University of London | Egham
Psychology
MSci 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 136-168
Same University
University of Bristol | Bristol
Neuroscience
MSci 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-159

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here