Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system – specifically the function of a class of cells called ‘neurons’ that exist in all animals and which allow organisms to sense their environments, evaluate new information, learn and remember relationships between stimuli, and respond to events. York's neuroscience research spans a vast range – from atomic and molecular levels to cognitive processing in whole living brains and to the philosophy of consciousness and theory of mind. This Natural Sciences option draws together the resources of four key disciplines – psychology, chemistry, biology, and philosophy – and two internationally renowned centres of excellence whose researchers are leading the world in developing new ways of understanding the brain and the nervous system. The multi-million pound Centre for Hyperpolarization of Magnetic Resonance, for instance, is pioneering a new technology that could transform how MRI scanners view molecular events in diseases like Alzheimer’s by increasing the sensitivity of hospital scanners by 200,000 times. The York Neuroimaging Centre, which works closely with clinicians in the NHS, is the hub of a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding structural, chemical, functional and theoretical aspects of neuronal mechanisms in our brains. Both centres have some of the world’s most advanced imaging technology and its research teams are constantly pushing back the boundaries of the possible.

Many of both our BSc and MSci graduates will want to develop their intellectual passion with a career in research and academia – however, this degree will also give them the skills and profile to work with Pharmaceutical and biotech companies, venture capital firms, scientific consulting firms, medical and scientific journals, legal firms dealing in intellectual property, NGOs, science-focused not-for-profit organisations and foundations, government agencies.