BSc Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience

If you want to understand the brain processes that allow us to better understand our place in the world, then psychology with cognitive neuroscience at Essex is for you. We provide one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying human thoughts and behaviours in the UK. Our teaching and research focus on innovative solutions to societal challenges, so that you develop the skills and knowledge to make a difference in our world.

Psychologists conduct experiments to study cognitive abilities, such as how we perceive others, how we make decisions, how we remember, and how we speak. Cognitive Neuroscientists link these questions directly to underlying brain processes; they make use of brain imaging techniques to answer which brain areas support these abilities. They also use time-sensitive imaging methodologies to explore the exact timing of these processes. Together, researchers from both disciplines aim to map the relationship between brain and behaviour.

You'll be introduced to contemporary research questions from different fields, including vision, hearing, memory, and language. You'll develop a thorough understanding of how these questions can be answered, what the current state-of-the-art knowledge is, which methodologies are best suited to study which questions, and how different subfields work together to further our understanding of what may seem like simple questions but are in reality complex endeavours. You'll be immersed in a supportive, interactive, and methodical hands-on environment.

Satisfy your curiosity by learning from world-renowned researchers at the cutting edge of psychological science. At Essex, we take a multi-method approach, working beyond traditional boundaries to combine different expertise and share fascinating techniques and intriguing theories.

You cover core areas in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, including:

• brain and behaviour
• methods in cognitive neuroscience
• applied psychology
• language, memory and perception
• developmental psychology

At Essex, you learn psychology from the start. In your first year, your modules address major challenges that society faces today. We embed key skills such as research methods and statistics into topics you are interested in. You are taught topics one-by-one to help you consolidate your knowledge.

You continue to develop these skills during your second year, taking a deeper dive into topics such as brain and behaviour and health psychology. In your final year, you specialise in areas that really interest you. You also have the opportunity to take one or more applied modules across your three years with us, in the areas of health, global challenges, self-improvement, sustainability, the criminal mind and more, developing your knowledge of real-world psychology.

Additional opportunities

• You learn from our researchers and can work alongside them via our Research Experience Scheme (RES) which gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant.
• The SHOUT scheme allows you to use your skills and creativity to make our department a better place and promote what we do beyond Essex, through social media, activities and events.
• Our Department of Psychology had a unique partnership with the Essex Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub, providing you with short-term, on-campus internships working alongside health and wellbeing practitioners.

Professional accreditation

Accredited against the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external organisation. This is usually focussed around your course, and enables you to learn about a particular sector, company or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

Our expert staff

Our psychology lecturers include award-winning teachers and prize-winning researchers who are international experts in their own research areas.

Our staff carry out research into diverse areas of psychology. Our departmental mission is to 'Understand our place in the world', meaning that all of our research aims to make meaningful contributions to society. At Essex, our research explores how we think about, interact with, and experience the world, offering fresh insights into the human mind and behaviour from every angle.

This dynamic, multi-perspective approach lets you learn to investigate the full spectrum of psychological experience in meaningful, real-world ways. Our holistic approach also helps tie your knowledge together, as the lenses we employ directly feed into our modules, where you can study how we remember things, what captures our attention, how relationships work, what our emotions do with us, or the impact of culture on ourselves and others.

Specialist facilities

We are committed to giving you access to state-of-the-art facilities in higher education, housed entirely within our purpose-built psychology building on our Colchester Campus:

• our multimillion-pound Centre for Brain Science (CBS), which allows cognitive neuroscientists to investigate brain activity
• electrophysiology (EEG) suites, which allow researchers to record brain waves to understand the neural mechanisms underlying psychological processes (e.g. learning, sleep, cognitive control, attentional bias) and identify brain patterns associated with mental health conditions (e.g. anxiety, depression, ADHD, schizophrenia)
• transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive means of stimulating the brain to help explore how specific brain areas contribute to different psychological processes (e.g. perception, memory, executive function)
• near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS), for measuring changes in blood oxygen levels to help us understand where psychological processes (e.g. emotion, language processing) take place in the developing brain
• a range of facilities to measure eye movements and physiological responses (e.g. heart rate, skin conductance)
• a virtual reality suite and an observation suite
• specialist areas to study visual and auditory perception, developmental psychology, and social psychology
• our Babylab, the leading infant lab in the East of England that explores perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes in infants
• a first-of-its-kind dedicated Minecraft Lab, which uses the popular game to study human behaviour in situations that might be impractical or unethical to recreate in the real world

Your future

A psychology with a cognitive neuroscience degree - especially one accredited by the British Psychology Society - provides you with the foundations needed for specialising in diverse areas, including educational psychology, consumer, or health psychology.

Many of our psychology graduates choose careers outside traditional psychology fields. The skills you learn during your degree will open doors to careers in medical imaging, human resources, and people-focused careers such as a Senior Assistant Psychologist or special educational needs.

Our psychology graduates have progressed in diverse careers across the public, private and third sectors, including working for:

• Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust
• Prison and Probation Service
• MIND
• BBC
• University of Oxford

We also work with our University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

"I am currently a research assistant within development psychology working at the University of Cambridge whilst also preparing to return to Essex to begin my PhD in Psychology. Essex provided me with so many opportunities which made my search for a job much easier as I had varied experience. I completed a placement year within a SEN provision in a secondary school which was an amazing experience. I also took part in short volunteer opportunities such as a Research Experience Scheme in my first year and assisting a PhD student in my second year. This helped me to learn how to run a lab and taught me how to adapt to unforeseen circumstances as this was when Covid began! I really enjoyed my dissertation and being able to work in the Babylab was incredible and I don’t think I would be where I am today without this experience."

Laura Dodd, BSc Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience, 2023

UK entry requirements

• GCSE: Mathematics C/4.

Plus one of the level 3 qualifications below:
• A-levels: BBB - BBC or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A-levels.
• BTEC: DDM - DMM or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels. The acceptability of BTECs is dependent on subject studied and optional units taken - email ugquery@essex.ac.uk for advice.
• Combined qualifications on the UCAS tariff: 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A levels or equivalent. Tariff point offers may be made if you are taking a qualification, or mixture of qualifications, from the list on our undergraduate application information page.
• IB: 30 - 29 points or three Higher Level certificates with 555-554. Our Maths requirement can be met with either: 4 in Standard level Maths; 3 in Higher level Maths; or 4 in IB Middle Years Maths.
• IB Career-related Programme: We consider combinations of IB Diploma Programme courses with BTECs or other qualifications. Advice on acceptability can be provided, email Undergraduate Admissions.
• QAA-approved Access to HE Diploma: 6 level 3 credits at Distinction and 39 level 3 credits at Merit, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided, email Undergraduate Admissions.
• T-levels: We consider T-levels on a case-by-case basis, depending on subject studied. The offer for most courses is Distinction overall. Depending on the course applied for there may be additional requirements, which may include a specific grade in the Core.

Contextual Offers:

We are committed to ensuring that all students with the merit and potential to benefit from an Essex education are supported to do so. If you are a home fee paying student residing in the UK you may be eligible for a Contextual Offer of up to two A-level grades, or equivalent, below our standard conditional offer.
Factors we consider:

• Applicants from underrepresented groups
• Applicants progressing from University of Essex Schools Membership schools/colleges
• Applicants who attend a compulsory admissions interview
• Applicants who attend an Offer Holder Day at our Colchester or Southend campus

Our contextual offers policy outlines additional circumstances and eligibility criteria.

For further information about what a contextual offer may look like for your specific qualification profile, email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

If you haven't got the grades you hoped for, have a non-traditional academic background, are a mature student, or have any questions about eligibility for your course, more information can be found on our undergraduate application information page or get in touch with our Undergraduate Admissions Team.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk .

Requirements for second and final year entry

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

• Undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology typically attend a two-hour lecture per week per module. Some modules have short lectures with additional seminars and/or lab classes, and others use a flipped classroom approach for further discussion.
• We combine small- and large-group teaching with regular laboratory-based research exercises.

Assessment

• Degrees are awarded on the results of your written essays, practical lab reports, and examinations.