Future Students

Neuroscience

It includes study of the nature and functioning of the nervous system at all levels, from the molecules that make up individual nerve cells and the transfer of information from one nerve cell to another, to the complexities of how behaviour, thoughts and emotions are produced.

Disorders of nervous system function are a major cause of mortality and illness in today’s society; neuroscience is concerned not only with normal function, but also with understanding the mechanisms of nervous disease and damage, so that new treatments can be devised.

Neuroscientists are interested in many basic questions, including why people and other animals behave, think and feel the way they do, how addictive drugs produce their effects, how brain cells develop, why they die or sometimes malfunction, and how they repair themselves when damaged.

Neuroscientists are also interested in differences in the nervous systems across different species, including animals with senses and abilities different from those of humans, such as long-distance navigation in migratory species. Neuroscience makes use of a variety of methods and investigations from a wide range of disciplines.

To understand the nervous system and how it works requires knowledge of anatomy, molecular biology, pathology, physiology, pharmacology, psychology and zoology. In order to provide the comprehensive background training needed for neuroscience, staff in these disciplines and others combine their resources and expertise to offer the named program, Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience).

UWA is one of only a few universities in Australia to offer a Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience). The variety of disciplines important for neuroscience requires a broad collection of units.

Level 1
At Level 1 you will study units in biology, human biology or molecular biology, psychology, chemistry and mathematics or physics.

Level 2
At Level 2 you will study neurobiology, physiology and the psychology of cognition, perception and learning. Plus units from at least one of the following major sequences: anatomy and human biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, psychological studies or zoology. <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073741899 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->

Level 3
In Level 3 you will study neuroscience and advanced neuroscience, comparative neurobiology and completion of a second major, or electives from the disciplines studied at Level 2.

Note: Entry to Level 3 requires a weighted average of at least 65 per cent in the three core units at Level 2.

Educational Qualifications

Structure

Career Opportunities

Most students studying neuroscience plan to go on to advanced degrees in Neuroscience (honours and PhD), which can lead to teaching/research or research-only positions in universities, hospitals and medical research institutes, or in industrial research (biotechnology or pharmaceutical industries). The program provides useful background for entry to medicine, or to paramedical courses such as audiology (the science of hearing). Students who leave university with a BSc (Neuroscience) degree often go into laboratory research.