Bachelor of Science - Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Placement Year) (C809)

Psychologists conduct experiments to study human perceptions, decisions, prejudices, motivations, friendships and memory. Psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists aim to map how brain and behaviour are related. This contemporary area of psychology investigates areas ranging from vision, hearing and touch to the mechanisms underlying language, action, attention, emotion and social processes. Essex's Centre for Brain Science allows students to discover the neurophysiological processes that take place in our bodies and brains. Essex gives students the freedom and facilities to study and experiment, explore and research the human mind. Students cover core areas in psychology and cognitive neuroscience including: brain and behaviour, methods in cognitive neuroscience, applied psychology, language, memory, and perception, and developmental psychology.

Essex provides one of the most immersive and exciting experience of studying the human mind in the UK. Students learn from the researchers, and can work together in the same space via their Research Experience Scheme (RES) which gives students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant.

Students can also undertake a placement year in which they gain relevant work experience within an external business, giving them a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing them with key contacts within the industry. Students will be responsible for finding their placement, but with support and guidance provided by both the department and the Employability and Careers Centre.

Psychology now influences an increasing range of fields, from working with clinical disorders, to managing education and training. Today, it is widely used in industry, sport and employment to improve performance, as well as affecting legal and health matters.

Essex's students go on to follow diverse career paths. This degree helps many to pursue careers as clinical, forensic, educational, or occupational psychologists. Others work in related fields such as special educational needs, social work, or mental health care. However, many graduates pursue successful careers further afield, working in areas like management, human resources, financial services, the media, information technology, and market research.