University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2022/23 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Life Sciences > School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience > Neuroscience and Psychology (BSc) > Specification
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Programme code | 7PHPH008U |
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Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Clea Warburton
Brian Stollery |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
School/department | School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience |
Second School/department | School of Psychological Science |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups |
Biomedical science (2023) (benchmark statement)
Psychology (2023) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 3 years (full time) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
This programme aims to develop the student’s interest in and knowledge and understanding of the mind, brain, behaviour and experience. Multiple perspectives from both psychology and neuroscience are presented enabling students to develop a critical evaluation of the complex interactions within and between these different subject areas, including interdisciplinary research. Students develop an advanced understanding of the role of empirical evidence in the formation of theory and how theory guides the collection and interpretation of data. Students also develop skills in the acquisition, interpretation and analysis of scientific data via practical work and a research project in a research-led environment. The knowledge and techniques developed lead to an ability to appreciate and evaluate theory, research findings, and their function in understanding theoretical ideas and the real-life applications of psychology and neuroscience. The wide range of transferable skills acquired is highly valued by employers and provides an excellent preparation for a number of careers and further postgraduate study in psychology and neuroscience.
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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Year 1 - lectures, individual and group seminars, group laboratory work, workshops, small group tutorials and individual presentations by students. Year 2 - lectures, individual and group seminars, group laboratory work, workshops, small group tutorials, individual presentations by students, problem-based learning, library- and practical-based self-directed learning. Year 3 - Lectures, individual and group seminars, and individual presentations by students. Tutorials, laboratory work in small groups/teams, library study and research project supervision. Independent learning is achieved through written coursework, directed self-education and experimental research projects. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Testing of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen and seen examinations (1-7, 9, 10), assessed coursework (1-10,), experiment write-ups (7, 9) oral presentation and discussion (1-7, 10) and an empirical project (2-4, 7-11). |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Year 1 - Lectures, seminars, and individual presentations by students. Tutorials, laboratory work in small groups/teams, workshops. Year 2 - Lectures, seminars, and individual presentations by students. Tutorials, laboratory work in small groups/teams, workshops, library-based self-directed learning and problem based learning. Year 3 – Lectures, seminars, self-directed literature research, tutorials, laboratory work in small groups/teams and research project supervision Individual research papers are discussed during Level H seminars, and each student will prepare and deliver at least two oral presentations. Practical work progresses from closely supervised practical classes in the first year to an extended experimental project in the final year. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Testing of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen and seen examinations, specimen identification tests and data interpretation questions (1-7, 11), assessed coursework including presentations (1-4, 6-8, 9, 11), experimental reports (5-10) and an empirical project (2-10). |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Lectures, group seminars, and individual presentations by students. Tutorials across years, laboratory work in small groups/teams in Years 1, 2 and 3, and a project in Year 3. Year 1 - Personal study skills, problem-solving and use of IT are taught explicitly in laboratory work, workshops, and tutorials. Coursework and individual presentations by students. Year 2 – Personal study skills, problem-solving and use of IT are taught explicitly in laboratory work, workshops and tutorials. Coursework, problem based learning and individual presentations by students. Year 3 – Tutorials, coursework, laboratory work, research project supervision. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Testing of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen and unseen examinations (1-5), coursework (1-6, 9, 10, 11, 13), experimental write-ups (4, 5) an empirical project (1-11, 13), assessment of individual portfolios (12, 14, 15), assessment of contribution to group work (7, 12), individual and group presentations (1, 5, 6, 13, 15). |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Students are expected to develop their understanding of the basic principles of psychology and neuroscience, including theories and perspectives in biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology. Students will demonstrate the ability to assemble information from a wide variety of sources (lectures, practical classes, tutorials and the library), and to assimilate it into essays and reports. Comprehensive references are provided for each unit at the outset, as are guidelines for the production of written work. Students will understand core aspects of research methods and skills in conducting psychological experiments and in identifying neural structures in brain specimens. An integral component of work at this level is basic statistical competence and the integration of this with the report of laboratory experiments, involving the manipulation and interpretation of simple scientific data. Students are expected to understand and demonstrate the scientific underpinnings of psychology, its historical origins, development and limitations and an awareness of the ethical context of psychological research. Students are also expected to demonstrate good communication skills by written, oral and visual means. Oral communication skills are developed primarily within tutorials and laboratory related work. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Students will continue the development of a more in-depth knowledge of psychology and neuroscience, and are expected to evaluate and take a more critical stance to the theories, findings and experimental approaches. There is a progression from initially supported and guided study to more active forms of self-learning, including undertakings some student-led practical work. Students are expected to be able to reason scientifically and demonstrate the relationship between theory and evidence and adopt multiple perspectives. Students are expected to demonstrate a shift from knowledge to conceptual understanding, competence in research skills and a broad range of statistical methods through practical laboratory activities, and be able to work effectively individually and in groups. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students are expected to be able to cope with uncertainty and evolving concepts that are at the forefront of their discipline, and be able to critically evaluate evidence from research papers that may be contradictory. Students are expected to have acquired detailed and extensive knowledge of research methods and measurement techniques (including statistical analysis) and be aware of their limitations. They are also expected to be able to analyse systematically the relationships between multiple perspectives in the light of theory and evidence, show incisive critical evaluation, an impressive grasp of theory and creative insight. These skills are expected to be demonstrated in well-presented and structured discussion of topics in all assessed work. They must also be able to statistically analyse and interpret scientific data and apply their understanding to interpret unfamiliar data. Students are expected to confidently and effectively communicate ideas via oral presentations and written reports. |
Level M/7 - Masters |
Students are expected to be able to direct their own work, coming to independent decisions based on their own judgement. They are expected to initiate, design, conduct, and report an empirically based project under appropriate supervision by an individual member of academic staff, including appropriate statistical analysis. They need to be able to critically appraise the quality of their own work and that of others. They need to be able to work collaboratively and creatively on long-term projects, setting their own goals and monitoring their own progress. |
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
UG Workload Statement
Success as an undergraduate student depends on you being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. Programmes are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with units in which timetabled teaching, such as lectures and practical classes, provides the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving on to individual research-based work. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning, guided by the feedback on your work that you will receive. At the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing and it is this skill of independent studies, above all others, that will serve you best when you leave the University.
Most programmes use credits and a 20 credit unit broadly equates to about 200 hours of student input. This includes all activities related to the teaching, learning and assessment of taught units.
A component of this is the time that you spend in class, in contact with the teaching staff, which includes activities such as lectures, laboratories, tutorials and fieldwork. Some of this activity may be online and could consist of activity that is synchronous (using real-time environments such as Blackboard Collaborate) or asynchronous (using tools such as tutor moderated discussion forums, blogs or wikis).
In some programmes there are field courses and/or placements that will take place in concentrated periods of time.
Outside scheduled activities you are expected to pursue your own independent learning to build your knowledge and understanding of the subjects you are studying. Such independent activities include, reviewing lecture material, reading textbooks, working on examples sheets, completing coursework, writing up laboratory notes, preparing for in-class progress tests and revising for examinations.
We recognise that many students undertake paid employment. To achieve a sensible balance between work and study, you are advised to undertake paid work for no more than 15 hours per week in term-time.
Professional Programmes
Many undergraduates in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be following the professional programmes of:
For these professional programmes, full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week and student workload is around 40 hours per week on average. Where possible, students in the early years are permitted Wednesday afternoons for sport and extra-curriculum activities. This may not be available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through the curricula there is an increasing exposure to clinical and professional activities. Students in clinic or on placements may need to stay later than core times of 08.00 – 18.00 or even overnight to observe out-of-hours activities. This increasing exposure to clinical activities means that students on these professional programmes often have longer term dates than the University standard. Individual years within programmes are likely to vary in length (for example because of the timings of placements) and further information on this will be found in individual programme regulations. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside of the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent meaning that students will more oftentimes be engaged in revision activities and self-directed learning.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty Assessment and Feedback Statement for Undergraduate Students. University of Bristol access only.
This programme is only available by transfer from the MSci in Psychology and Neuroscience. This programme is not accredited.
Dr Peter Brennan
School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Biomedical Sciences Building
University Walk
Bristol
BS8 1TD
p.brennan@bristol.ac.uk
This programme is only available by transfer from the MSci in Psychology and Neuroscience. This programme is not accredited.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Foundations of Psychology | PSYC10004 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Psychological Research Methods | PSYC10010 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Introduction to Neuroscience | PHPH10012 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Functional Neuroanatomy | PHPH10013 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Students must take all of the following units: | ||||
Brain and Cognition | PSYC20007 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Individual and Social Cognition | PSYC20008 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Neurophysiology | PHPH20009 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Techniques in Neuroscience | PHPH20007 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Students must take the following units: | ||||
Further Psychological Research Methods | PSYC30024 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Neuroscience Research Project | PHPH30026 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Cognitive Neuroscience | PSYC30026 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Choose 20 credit points from the following units: | ||||
Synaptic plasticity | PHPH30010 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Neuroscience of Pain | PHPH30017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Neurological and Psychiatric disorders | PHPH30013 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Neural Basis of Behaviour | PHPH30031 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Neuroscience and Psychology (BSc) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
The weighting for calculating the final programme mark and degree classification is as per the Faculty of Life Sciences for Bachelors awards: 0:25:75
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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