{"id":1091,"date":"2021-03-18T09:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T09:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/?p=1091"},"modified":"2021-04-07T09:50:29","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T09:50:29","slug":"bsc-neuroscience-and-psychology-notes-from-a-first-year-student-about-a-first-year-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/2021\/03\/18\/bsc-neuroscience-and-psychology-notes-from-a-first-year-student-about-a-first-year-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"BSc Neuroscience and Psychology: Notes from a first-year student about a first-year programme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I love the programme that I study and have no qualms sharing what it is with anyone who asks, but I know from the slight raise of the eyebrows and tilt of the head after I say \u201cNeuroscience and Psychology\u201d that it raises questions, to say the least, in people\u2019s minds \u2014 it\u2019s an interesting mix, perhaps, but why not just study Psychology? Or Neuroscience? It sounds like a somewhat niche area\u2026 but it also seems like there\u2019s way too much information to cover, isn\u2019t there? Indeed, these are all valid questions for a novel course like this one, the first of its kind in a Russell Group university, which accepted its first batch of students just last year. With the proud confidence of someone who has been studying the course from its first day of existence, I am happy to shed some light on the exciting BSc Neuroscience and Psychology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How is it different from BSc Psychology?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the BSc\nPsychology<\/a> programme provides a foundation in neuroscience in a first-year\nmodule, with options for further study through second- and third-year modules,\na significantly heavier emphasis is placed on it throughout the BSc\nNeuroscience and Psychology programme. This allows us to delve deeper into the\nfascinating study of the brain, from its broad evolutionary basis right down to\nits molecular and cellular processes. It seems to me that anything less would\nnot be doing justice to the brain\u2019s amazing complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more of the course devoted to neuroscience, surely there are trade-offs involved as we would be learning less of something else? Not exactly, as modules regarding core concepts in psychology are shared between the two BSc programmes, with both being accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)<\/strong>. Certain modules relating to more general principles of psychology and research are not part of the joint programme, but these principles are communicated to us through our other modules, ensuring that we do not miss out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it is worth noting that our Research Methods module, Research Methods and Statistics with R, is also newly developed. Rather than using an existing software for statistical analyses, we are taught to code in the programming language R<\/strong>, working towards the eventual goal of using it for data analysis and visualisation. This is an incredible opportunity for us to build up a sought-after skill, one that is sure to serve us well throughout our research journey and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How is it different from BSc Neuroscience? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here, there is a little less ambiguity \u2014 the BSc Neuroscience<\/a> is managed by a different faculty, the School of Bioscience Education, and shares a \u2018Common Year One\u2019 with other Bioscience courses that covers the foundations of biomedical science. While both BSc Neuroscience and BSc Neuroscience & Psychology allow for study of neuroscience, the former perhaps emphasises its relationship to other biological disciplines, while the latter focuses on its connections with psychology and the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s there to gain uniquely from this programme?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a degree that has an \u2018and\u2019 in\nits name, one can of course look forward to greater flexibility compared to one\nthat doesn\u2019t! When choosing the next step after this course, be it a job or\nfurther study, options span both neuroscience and psychology, along with any\nother field that the myriad of skills taught might have prepared you for.\nDuring the degree itself, you are also provided with ample resources to delve\ninto whichever aspect of each field that interests you, and you might take this\neven further via your final-year research project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my view, the fact that this\ncourse is still in its \u2018infancy\u2019 is also an advantage in itself \u2014 the teachers\nyou will come to know are the ones who built this course up from scratch and\nare just as, if not more, passionate about it as each student who joins. If\ntheir sincere dedication to providing a high-quality education, and to helping\nyou make the most out of it, is not enough, they are also leading academics in\ntheir fields, at the acclaimed Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and\nNeuroscience (IoPPN). You would be chatting with and learning from them\ndirectly \u2014 what more could you ask for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I hope this has helped to clear some doubts you may have had about the BSc Neuroscience and Psychology programme. Of course, being in the programme itself is not all sunshine and roses as its challenging content requires discipline and perseverance to work through. It would also help to have some foundation in the sciences since the degree is ultimately a scientific one, although a strong willingness to learn would work well too. All in all, this course allows one to study at the intersection of biological and social sciences, and would be well worth the effort of anyone interested in the brain, the mind, or them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image attributions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n