Neuroscience (Study Abroad)

BSc Hons

  • UCAS code B143
  • Entry year 2026
  • A level requirements AAB
  • Duration Full time 4 years
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We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Enhance and extend your knowledge and research skills with master’s level study in your fourth year

  • Learn from experts in two highly-respected Lancaster University departments – Psychology, and Biomedical and Life Sciences

  • Apply your learning to real-world challenges through your own research project

Our neuroscience degree will provide you with a deep understanding of the nervous system.

You will study its role in human behaviour and brain disorders including schizophrenia, autism, mood disorders and dementia.

Discover the mysteries of the brain

Our brains and nervous systems work together to enable us to make sense of the world around us. They coordinate our body, create emotions and sensations and ultimately determine how we behave.

Our research-led Neuroscience BSc (Study Abroad) will give you the biological and psychological grounding to explore the brain, nervous system and how the body works.

You will explore how this insight, and recent scientific advances in these areas, provide a gateway to life-changing treatments and interventions for common conditions such as schizophrenia, autism, mood disorders and dementia.

Together with your year abroad, your degree is an ideal basis for a host of exciting careers across the academic, pharmaceutical, health and biotechnology sectors, offering you the scientific knowledge, practical lab skills and career-ready mindset to succeed.

By spending your third year abroad, you will have an opportunity to explore new and different perspectives on your course, while gaining experience of what it is like to live and study in a different country. During your year abroad you are only required to pay 15 per cent of the standard tuition fees.

And, because you will build your skills and competence in experimental design, data recording, analysis and presentation, effective project management, teamwork and communication, you will have highly-transferable skills valued by employers both within the sciences and in broader fields such as marketing, finance and management.

Your journey through neuroscience

  • You will begin, in Year 1, by studying the core principles of neuroscience, pharmacology, genetics and psychology. This will provide you with a firm foundation for the future years of your degree.
  • In Years 2 and 4 you will develop a deeper insight into the subject by studying themes such as fundamental neuroscience, translational neuroscience and cognitive psychology. You will explore molecules and cells in more depth, get to grips with circuits and systems and build an understanding of drug development.
  • In Year 4, you will also put your learning into practice with an independent research project, working alongside our research-active academics to tackle global healthcare challenges through neuroscience. This means that you will graduate equipped with a professional profile ready to embark on a successful career or further study.
  • In between, you will spend Year 3 with one of our overseas partner universities, immersing yourself in a different culture, meeting new people with diverse perspectives and developing a confident and well-rounded outlook for your final year back in Lancaster. By studying abroad, you will be able to experience living in another country and exploring different and diverse sides of your degree subject.

You will also join the broader UK neuroscience community by becoming a member of the British Neuroscience Association (BNA), offering additional career development opportunities.

A hands-on degree

As a neuroscience student at Lancaster, you will get a practical education - putting your learning into practice and becoming skilled in using equipment and techniques to understand the brain from a biological and psychological perspective.

You will benefit from the outstanding practical facilities across both biomedical and life sciences and psychology, with access to our state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.

You will gain hands-on experience (depending upon your specialisation) of using equipment and facilities such as:

  • Fluorescent imaging
  • Confocal microscopes
  • Flow cytometers
  • Spectrophotometric technologies
  • Plate readers
  • Thermocyclers
  • Microscopes
  • Babylab
  • Eyetracking technology
  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Neuronavigation (TMS)
  • Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)

In taught practical sessions and workshops, you will hone your skills in working as a team, planning and running experiments. Lab work is also a great way to make lasting friendships with your course-mates.
You will also undertake an independent research project on a subject that fascinates you, with the support of our academics.

In addition to laboratory practical classes and workshops, you will learn through lectures, workshops, tutorials, laboratory reports, essays and case studies, presentations, tests and exams. You will also benefit from digital resources through our online learning environment which will support your independent learning.

Altogether, your classroom learning and practical experience means you will graduate well-prepared for a successful career in neurosciences or other scientific and non-scientific fields.

Expand your horizons with a year abroad

Our four-year study abroad degree is an amazing opportunity to broaden your academic horizons, whilst experiencing a different culture and society.

You’ll spend your third year studying at one of our trusted international partner universities.

Living in another country and studying your subjects from a different perspective offers considerable benefit both in terms of your understanding of the subject and your preparation for life after university.

If you apply for a study abroad programme, we will also consider you for the standard degree programme.

If, during your first or second year, you decide you no longer wish to study abroad, you can simply switch to the standard degree programme. Destinations are given as a guide only as the availability of places at overseas partners may vary from year to year.

Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credits to your Lancaster degree. Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if suitable modules are unavailable. If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster.

Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad.

Find out more about spending a year abroad
A study abroad student stands amongst the Canadian mountains and wilderness.

Careers

Neuroscience is an exciting, dynamic and evolving field, with new developments leading to a range of possible career options.

Below are just a sample of the fields that a neuroscience graduate might go on to:

• Research in the academic, pharmaceutical, health and biotechnology sectors
• Neurophysiology
• Science communications and publishing
• Science policy

Throughout your course you will also develop a host of transferable skills in data gathering, analysis and interpretation which are highly valued by employers and will open doors to careers in other fields such as finance, marketing or technology.

Studying abroad will also help you to stand out in a competitive employment world by evidencing your independence and global outlook.

Employability at Lancaster: preparing you for the world of work
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring that you gain a highly reputable degree. We are also committed to ensuring that you graduate with relevant life and work-based skills.

Because professional skills are embedded throughout our curriculum, you will develop wider expertise valued by employers including communication, teamworking and negotiation skills, project management and problem-solving skills, ethical and environmental awareness.

We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award, which offers you the opportunity to complete activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development.

Visit our employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

Fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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