BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Degree
Programme Handbook
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
School of Health Sciences, Division of Psychology and Mental Health
2024-25
Version 1, September 2024
This document contains important information, please read it carefully.
What is this handbook? It is produced by the Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology programme in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and provides general information essential to undergraduates reading Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology. This handbook should be read in conjunction with other documents produced by the Psychology programme, the Biosciences programme and the
University. You will find it useful to refer to this handbook throughout your degree. You are advised to re-familiarise yourself with this information at the start of every year of study, and to make use of it as a first point of reference if you have questions about policies and procedures at any point in your degree. You are free to download or print copies of this handbook. However, as with all University documents, certain details may become out-of-date (e.g., changes in staff roles and contact addresses or aspects of assessment may change). As such, we advise that you always refer to the electronic version stored in the BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology community space on Blackboard, which will always be current.
GENERAL INFORMATION
British Psychological Society: Accreditation
The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the regulatory body for professional psychologists in the UK and is responsible for the accreditation of undergraduate degrees in Psychology. Our BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology degree is accredited by the BPS, where students undertake their Final Year Project in Psychology. This means we award degrees which confer eligibility to apply for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). GBC is a prerequisite for further professional training in psychology which is accredited by the BPS. For example, GBC is an entry requirement for many BPS accredited Postgraduate training courses and is required for entry to all Doctoral programmes, as part of the route to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
Please note that you must satisfy certain academic standards in order for your degree to confer the British Psychological Society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) status.
As a student registered on our programme, you are eligible to apply for Student Membership of the BPS. Student members receive a range of benefits, including the monthly The Psychologist magazine, access to the Society’s Student Members Pages, and the opportunity to transfer to graduate membership free of charge following graduation. Please note that joining the Society is optional for students and, if you choose not to join, you will still be eligible to apply to join as a Graduate Member at the end of your degree.
School of Health Sciences Student Handbook
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The student handbook has been developed as a resource for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students completing degree programmes within the School of Health Sciences (SHS).
This resource should be used as the first point of reference for questions concerning your programme, support and advice, or academic policies and procedures.
The University of Manchester is a large and complex organisation, and we want to ensure that you know how to access the information, support, and guidance you need to succeed in your studies. It is therefore designed to guide you through many aspects of your time as a student and provides useful links to information available through the University’s website, as well as summarising the facilities and support services that are available across the University and how you can access them. It also outlines what you should expect of the School and what they can expect from you, and clarifies the policies and procedures relevant to your area of study.
CONTACTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Key Contacts
Head of School of Health Sciences: Professor Andrew Brass
Head of School Administration: Mr Chris Bamford
BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Programme Director: Dr Donna Lloyd
| Title | Name | E-mail Address |
| Programme Director 2023-4 | Dr Donna Lloyd | donna.lloyd@manchester.ac.uk |
| Deputy Programme Director | Dr George Farmer | george.farmer@manchester.ac.uk |
| 1st year Tutor | Dr Elizabeth McManus | psychyear1tutor@manchester.ac.uk |
| 2nd year Tutors | Dr Ruth Ingram and Dr Amber Ruigrok | psychyear2tutor@manchester.ac.uk |
| Final Year Tutor and Project Coordinator | Dr Lee Wickham Dr Rachel Ashworth |
lee.h.wickham@manchester.ac.uk Rachel.ashworth@manchester.ac.uk |
| Examinations Officers | Dr Rachel Ashworth | Rachel.ashworth@manchester.ac.uk |
| Student Experience Leads | Dr Leone Buckle Dr Rebecca White |
leone.buckle@manchester.ac.uk rebecca.white@manchester.ac.uk |
| Senior Academic Advisor | Dr Rebecca Champion | rebecca.champion@manchester.ac.uk |
| SEPS Team |
psycredits@manchester.ac.uk |
School of Health Sciences Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Staff :
In order for staff to respond as quickly as possible to your request, and to ensure that your request reaches the correct member of staff, we have set-up dedicated email addresses that serve a different function. If your query relates to any of the below, please email the relevant email address.
| Email Address |
Supports queries about: |
||
| shs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk
|
Examination queries
Assessment queries Assessment submissions Resit/reassessment queries |
||
| shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk | Attendance monitoring | ||
| shs.dc@manchester.ac.uk | Disability support | ||
| shs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk | Mitigating circumstances | ||
| shs.placements@manchester.ac.uk | All placement queries | ||
| shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk | Registration advice and guidance
Course unit selection and enrolment Timetable queries Programme content |
||
| shs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk | Wellbeing student support, appointments and signposting | ||
| shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk
|
Student Support Hub – general queries and advice not covered by the above teams |
As these inboxes are associated with staff supporting multiple programmes, please could you ensure that you always include the following details in your email, which will help us to ensure that your message is dealt with promptly:
Full Name
Student ID Number
Year of Study
Programme
Programme Director
Donna Lloyds’ role as Programme Director is to ensure the smooth running of the BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology degree programme, and to oversee the welfare, conduct and progress of the students on it. She is supported in this role by the Deputy Programme Director George Farmer.
Communicating with staff
The flowchart below outlines the channels through which you should direct questions, concerns or feedback regarding the BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology. Issues can be addressed more efficiently if you initially seek help from the first point of contact outlined below. However, if you feel that the issue has not been resolved, please forward the matter to the next appointed contact. Please note, additional sources of support for students are outlined later in the handbook.
Most staff will indicate how they prefer students to contact them during their first lecture (e.g. Online Discussion Board or e-mail). Where possible, staff will respond to queries within 3 working days. If you haven’t received a reply after this time please re-direct your query to the next point of contact indicated in the flow-chart below. Please note; there may occasionally be times when staff are not available, however, such absences will be indicated using auto-reply e-mails.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Aims of the Programme
We operate within the mission of the University in its aim to provide international excellence in learning and teaching. In particular, the BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology programme aims :
| To deliver a combined honours degree giving a comprehensive explanation of behaviour and mental experience plus the mechanics of the brain and the nervous system, informed by current research, which will equip students for careers within and outside science |
| To produce graduates who are equipped for research in the pharmaceutical industry, clinical psychology, communication industry (journalism) as well as ergonomics |
| To meet student requirements for diversity of provision and opportunity of transfer between disciplines within biological sciences by providing a structure of flexibility and choice within the undergraduate programmes |
| To provide students with subject-specific knowledge and practical skills linked to generic transferable skills which are integrated within the curriculum |
| To ensure students develop skills in independent learning |
| To employ a variety of teaching methods and assessment strategies to meet programme aims and needs of students with high entry qualifications |
| To provide students with effective induction information, and ongoing academic and pastoral support and advice in order to enhance their progress and academic development |
| To equip students with the skills necessary to become proficient in a number of laboratory techniques that are carried out routinely in modern laboratories |
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the undergraduate programme in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, it is expected that you will gain:
| Knowledge & Understanding |
| The primary functions of the nervous system, studied at molecular, cellular, and neuronal system levels, as exemplified by a selection of invertebrate and vertebrate (including man) species The principles of the main approaches to Psychology: social, developmental, biological, and cognitive |
| The relationship between function and structure within the nervous system |
| The behaviour of both animals and man in terms of biological and psychological mechanisms and evolutionary principles |
| The basis of information processing and disease processes within the nervous system |
| The need for an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach in order to gain a knowledge and understanding of the processes and mechanisms of life, from molecular to cellular level, and from organism to community |
| The terminology, nomenclature and classification systems used in psychology and neuroscience |
| Methods of acquiring, interpreting, and analysing biological and psychological information |
| Ways in which psychology and neuroscience have contributed to the development of knowledge about the diversity of life and its evolution Practical and presentational techniques and methodologies relevant to psychology and neuroscience, including the use of data analysis and the use of statistics |
| Intellectual Skills |
| Acquire, assess, interpret and present information from literature |
| Plan, conduct and produce a written report on an area of research |
| Solve data (numerical/statistical) and subject related problems |
| Perform critical reasoning |
| Obtain and integrate several lines of evidence to formulate and test a hypothesis |
| Recognise the moral and ethical issues of investigations and appreciate the need for ethical standards and professional codes of conduct Reason, organise, collate and apply data to solve problems logically Assimilate, understand and research subject related material from/for lectures |
|
Practical Skills |
| Plan, observe and execute safely a variety of experiments including standard physiological, pharmacological and molecular laboratory techniques |
| Design, plan, conduct and report on investigations using primary or secondary data obtained through individual or group projects |
| Obtain, record, collate and analyse data using recognised psychological and neuroscientific techniques, individually or in a group setting Apply scientific method through a range of classical and modern techniques |
| Use a range of laboratory techniques to investigates scientific questions related to psychology, neuroscience and biological science |
|
Transferable Skills and Personal Qualities |
| Communicate effectively in writing |
| Acquire, assess, interpret and present information |
| Manage time and work to deadlines |
| Use information technology |
| Produce written, verbal and IT presentations solve problems efficiently and innovatively |
| Develop the skills necessary for self- management and lifelong learning |
| Develop an adaptable, flexible and effective approach to study and work Recognise and respect the views and opinions of team members; negotiating skills |
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
The Credit Rating System
Every course unit contributing to a degree is assigned a number of credits. A normal workload in one year for a full-time honours student involves the completion of course units totalling 120 credits; 10 credits represent a student workload of approximately 100 hours. This workload may include teaching time, group work, directed reading, independent study, assignment or presentation preparation, revision and examinations. Not only does the credit weighting of a course unit tell you how much work you are expected to do in completing it, it also tells you the weighting of the course unit in the calculation of your year average and degree classification. Course units are weighted in exact proportion to their credit rating so that, for example, course units of 20 credits are weighted twice as heavily as course units of 10 credits (see Student Progression for more detail about credits).
To meet the requirements of the honours degree programme, all students must complete course units totalling 120 credits in each year, totalling 360 credits over the three years of the degree.
OPTIONAL UNITS
In Years 1 and 2 you can take ONE BIOL optional unit (see details below), which includes external units from the University College of Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL). All other Year 1 and 2 units are compulsory.
In Year 3 most of your units are optional so you can choose whatever you would like to study in psychology and neuroscience.
Level 3 BSc students can apply to take ONE of the following MSci course units as an optional unit (in the place of one BIOL optional unit, or UCIL/HSTM wildcard). You will be emailed instructions on how to apply when course unit selection opens in July. Please be aware that these units are capped and must be offered to MSci students in the first instance. You should enrol on an alternative course unit (above), which you can drop in September, if there is a space for you on the MSci unit:
- BIOL33011 MSci Bioinformatics Tools and Resources (10 credits)
- BIOL33021 Computational Approaches to Biology (10 credits)
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Modes of Study
Lecture delivery
For most course units on the programme, lectures are the starting point for learning about a subject. The type of content will vary according to the topic area; some will provide a broad introduction, while others will have a narrower focus and present a more detailed overview. Lectures are primarily focused on providing information rather than interaction. As such, lectures may be provided through recorded content (giving you the opportunity for self-directed work through the materials at your own pace and allowing you to refer back to content at any time through the unit). Where materials are provided as recorded content for self-directed study, you will also have the opportunity to attend live sessions with teaching staff focusing on review or support of material to ensure understanding.
A copy of lecture slides will usually be provided on Blackboard in advance of all lectures. The level of detail provided in lecture slides varies between course units and you will usually want to make additional notes (note that effective note-taking does not mean transcribing the lecture content – effective note-taking is a skill you are expected to develop as an independent learner). Please do not be afraid to ask questions and do ask for clarification if you have found something difficult to understand or if you would like a point to be repeated or expanded upon. You can do this during a teaching session, or you can post questions on the online discussion board associated with each unit.
After the lecture you are expected to build your knowledge and understanding of the lecture content with independent reading and study. Alternatively, some students find it useful to attend lectures already having done relevant reading on the topic and, in some course units preparatory reading is a specific requirement. Recommended texts are usually listed in the course unit outlines, but individual lecturers will often direct you to extra, and usually more specific, reading. It is most important that you keep up with this reading, rather than leaving too much to do around coursework deadlines, or for the examination period.
Lab Classes
Lab classes enable you to gain practical experience of, and develop expertise in, the techniques of empirical work and report writing. In these classes you will learn how to develop research hypotheses/questions, design studies which can address those hypotheses/questions, gain an understanding of the practicalities of data collection, analyse your own data and draw inferences from them. You will also be given guidance on how to write up the results of empirical work in the form of research reports. Over the course of the degree you will produce a number of assessed research reports and will receive written feedback on this work. Additionally, you will participate in studies as a ‘participant’ (see Student Experiment Participation Scheme).
Seminars/ live online support classes/ reading groups
Some course units in Years 1 and 2, and the majority in Final Year, have a seminar/ live support class programme to accompany the lectures. The aim of these is to provide an opportunity for you to actively engage with the content of the lectures in different ways (for example, taking part in a variety of activities in seminars, designed to give you the chance to discuss, evaluate, apply and consolidate your understanding of the learning material. In some final year course units, reading groups support you to understand and evaluate journal articles that are particularly relevant to the related course unit. You will be provided with the references for the articles in advance and are expected to have located and read these articles before the group meets. Because these reading groups focus on key journal articles associated with the course lectures, they act as supported revision and are particularly useful preparation for Final Year assessments.
Tutorials
Tutorials are designed to support you in the transition to Higher Education and to encourage you to think about planning for your future beyond the degree. These small group sessions, supported by a tutor, focus on academic skill development throughout your degree.
Practical Classes
Statistics practical classes complement the lectures on statistics in Years 1 and 2 and provide opportunities to practice your skills while having staff and demonstrators on hand to answer questions and clarify difficulties.
Student Experiment Participation Scheme (SEPS)
The Student Experiment Participation Scheme (SEPS) is well established in our programme and is similar to schemes adopted by Undergraduate Psychology courses in other universities. SEPS aims to provide an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience of participating in psychological research. It is envisaged that students will apply what they have learnt to their own research during lab classes in 1st and 2nd year, and ultimately to their final year project. In addition, SEPS ensures that Final Year students have access to a pool of research participants, something that all students will benefit from upon reaching their final year.
SEPS is an assessed element of the Study Skills in Cognitive Neuroscience and
Psychology unit in Year 1. Students are required to collect a specified number of SEPS credits to pass this assessment component (please refer to the relevant unit outline, which can be found on the unit Blackboard space).
Please note: SEPS credits are distinct from course credits.
SEPS credits are assigned to research studies run by Final Year students, research staff or postgraduate students. Each study is allocated SEPS credits based on the length of time required for participation, with 15 minutes of participation equating to 1 SEPS credit. All research studies have been scrutinised for adherence to the BPS ethical guidelines and will have an ‘ethics code’ showing that it has been deemed suitable. All studies will be advertised using the SONA system. You will receive guidance and a Participant Handbook, explaining how to use SONA. Please be aware that if you volunteer for a study without going through the SONA system, you will not receive SEPS credits for your participation.
If you are unable to attend a study which you have signed-up for, it is your responsibility to contact the researcher to cancel your participation (see the Participant Handbook for guidance). If you fail to attend or cancel a study which you have signed up for this will be classed as an unexcused no-show and you will receive a 4-credit penalty. This penalty can be applied even after you have collected the required number of credits from other studies. Following 4 unexcused no-shows you will be blocked from the SONA system, meaning that you will not be able to sign-up for further studies. Students who are blocked before collecting the required credits will fail this component of the associated course unit (see below for further details).
If you are unable to attend or cancel a pre-booked study for unavoidable reasons, or if you are experiencing circumstances that affect your ability to participate in SEPS, you should complete and submit a Mitigating Circumstances Form and email supporting evidence to shs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk. For further information, contact the SEPS academic lead (Ruth Ingram, ruth.ingram@manchester.ac.uk.)
An alternative coursework assignment will be available for students not wishing to participate in research studies. You must confirm your decision to opt-out and you will be told how to do this as part of the Study Skills in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology unit in Year 1. Please contact the unit lead Dr Ellen Poliakoff for further information.
Passing the SEPS scheme is a requirement of the relevant course units. If you fail to earn the required SEPS credits (or to pass the alternative assignment), you will fail the course unit. Students who fail the scheme, but who qualify for resit assessment, will be given an opportunity to complete a ‘resit’ assignment during the summer examination period, in order to obtain the required course credits for progression to the next year of study.
The guidelines for SEPS will be outlined in the Study Skills in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology unit for 1st year students and instructions will be available on Blackboard. If you have any questions about SEPS or SONA, please email the SEPS admin team at psycredits@manchester.ac.uk. This inbox is monitored part-time, and the team aim to respond to queries within 2 working days.
ASSESSMENT
Assessments
The University’s standard pass grade is 40. While grades are typically presented as percentages, the scale used is actually categorical (i.e. a pass grade of 40% does not indicate 40% correct).
Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examinations and Quizzes
Some examinations assess performance using multiple choice questions (MCQs). In the Psychology part of your degree (PSYC units) the raw score (percentage of points obtained) is converted to an exam grade using a standardised scale. This scaling provides a correction for guessing and is common practice in education. The standardised scale sets a 50% pass criterion for MCQ examinations, meaning that a raw score of 50% is converted to a grade of 40 (the University’s standard pass grade). The table below outlines the conversion of raw scores (percentage of points obtained) to exam grades. Please note the same scaling is applied to all Blackboard term time quizzes.
| Raw score (Percentage of points obtained) |
Grade awarded |
| 0 | 0 |
| 10% | 8 |
| 20% | 16 |
| 30% | 24 |
| 40% | 32 |
| 50% | 40 |
| 60% | 48 |
| 70% | 58 |
| 80% | 68 |
| 90% | 84 |
| 100% |
100 |
In the Biology part of your degree (BIOL units) MCQs are marked by a technique that includes a negative correction for wrong answers. The correction that is subtracted for each wrong answer is 1/(n-1), where n is the number of options. This is intended to ensure that you will gain no benefit from guessing at random. All questions will include an option which will allow you to decline to answer the question, thereby scoring zero, rather than randomly guessing and answer, risking a negative score. Despite this negative marking, unless the number of options is few (three or fewer), it is to your advantage to make informed guesses, i.e. if you know some of the options can be excluded, you should make a guess at the other options. On average you will gain more marks when you get these informed guesses right than you will lose when you get them wrong.
Short answer questions and essay-type questions are NOT negatively marked. You will not lose marks for incorrect material (but will not gain any either) so it is worth writing something, even if you are not sure it is correct.
Coursework
Different marking criteria exist for each type of coursework assessment you will be asked to complete on the degree (e.g., essays, lab reports, posters). Markers will refer to those criteria when deciding what grade your work should be awarded. The criteria outline the different elements that markers will be considering when assessing your work (e.g. structure, argument, style) and provide qualitative descriptors for the award of grades in each band. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these criteria before submitting assessed work. You can find the marking criteria via Blackboard on spaces linked to individual units. Please note: the marking schemes may be different for the Psychology and Biology units on your degree.
Coursework Submission
The main coursework deadlines are issued at the beginning of each semester and are published on Blackboard and reminders and instructions for submission are sent by e-mail. Unit leads will also make you aware of specific deadlines relating to the submission of smaller pieces of assessment (for example online quizzes). Please ensure that you make a note of these dates and times, as we have strict rules for the submission of all assessed coursework. The majority of coursework will be submitted electronically via the relevant course unit space on Blackboard.
Coursework must be submitted to Blackboard by 2pm on the day of the submission deadline for PSYC units (2pm for BIOL units). Instructions on how to submit your work on Blackboard will be available within each submission area. All work is submitted to Blackboard via Turnitin and once you have submitted your work, you should immediately receive a Turnitin electronic receipt. If you do not receive a receipt please follow the instructions within each submission area for downloading your Turnitin receipt manually. Please keep this receipt safe as it is the only valid form of proof of having successfully submitted your work, without this we will not be able to prove that you submitted your work. If you are certain that you have submitted your work, but you are unable to obtain a receipt, contact the Assessment and Progression team (shs.assessments@manchester.ac.uk) before the end of the submission deadline.
Electronically submitted coursework must be prepared using either Microsoft (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or Adobe software. Documents submitted using any other packages (including those created using Apple software) cannot be read once uploaded to Blackboard. Submitting work in any format other than Microsoft or Adobe will result in a mark of zero.
The title page or first page of your script must appear as follows (and should not contain any other info):
[top of page, flush right:]
Student ID
[Middle of page and centred:] Title
YOUR NAME MUST NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE on the coursework, as it will be marked anonymously. Your Student ID is the number that appears on the front of your library card. All pages should be numbered, starting from this title page.
For some units, you may be asked to submit hard copies of coursework assignments. In such instances, you will be notified of the procedures for this in advance via e-mail.
Please be aware that we do not read drafts of assessed work. However, you will have opportunities to ask for guidance via dedicated Discussion Boards and/or DropIn Sessions. You should also take the opportunity to raise any queries or concerns about specific assessments during class time, particularly seminars and lab classes.
Page Limits
All assessed coursework is subject to strict page limits, specified along with the individual assignment details.
A penalty of 20 marks will be applied for every page or part thereof that exceeds the page limit.
There are several reasons for this policy. (1) One of our objectives is to encourage you to acquire the skill of expressing ideas in clear and concise written prose. Writing within a page limit imposes a discipline on your work. (2) For any given type of work we can only apply fair and consistent marking standards when everyone is writing within the same constraints. If we were to allow over-length work then people who had kept to the page-limit would be disadvantaged. (3) Imposing page limits communicates clear expectations (4) page limits are commonly encountered in the world you enter following graduation, so this is preparation for real-world tasks.
To ensure page limits can be applied consistently and fairly, all assessed work MUST adhere to the following formatting rules:
Page layout is A4 portrait with margins of at least 2.54 cm on all four sides of the text
Arial text, 10 point in size
1.5 line spacing
All supporting materials (figures, tables, text boxes, etc.) must be included in the main body of the text and be sufficient in size to allow for ease of reading. Any such materials are included in the page limit. The only items excluded from the page limit are the title page, the reference list (which should start on a new page), the abstract (for final year reports) and any appendices (e.g. for raw data, rough notes, transcripts, or similar), which are necessitated by the nature of the assignment.
The marker will alert the moderator if they suspect that any of these formatting rules have been breached and this will be investigated before the release of marks. The appropriate penalty (20 marks for every page or part thereof that exceeds the page limit) will be applied to your work, at this time, if it is found that using the correct formatting rules results in your work exceeding the set page limit.
There are no penalties for ‘under-length work’ (much shorter than the specified page limit). However, it is reasonable to expect that such work would be unlikely to gain high marks for other reasons.
For the Psychology final year project, you are expected to write a report that is of an appropriate length for the investigation reported and which is concise and well focussed. The page-limit is 16 pages for both quantitative and qualitative reports. However, project reports may be significantly shorter than this, and writing a concise report is an important part of the marking criteria, so shorter reports can receive higher grades. You should discuss the appropriate length for your project report with your supervisor. For the Biology final year project, you can choose either a Biosciences Research Project or a Science Communication Project.
Marking and Return of Assessed Work
Responsibility for Marking
With the exception of MCQ examinations, which are marked automatically, all the work you submit for assessment will be marked by a member of staff. In Years 1 and 2, this may be a PhD student, employed as a Teaching Assistant. In Final Year, the marker will always be a Lecturer or Associate Lecturer. Given the large student numbers of students on some of your units, multiple markers will be involved in most pieces of assessment. In all cases, the member of staff responsible for setting the assessment (typically the Unit or Lab Lead) will coordinate and provide guidance to the markers, and has overall responsibility for marking. Staff new to the programme, including all Teaching Assistants, are also given general training on how to apply grades and provide high quality feedback.
Qualifying for Resits
If you fail a course unit and the mark is not compensatable (either because the unit is non-compensatable, or the grade achieved was less than 30%, or because you have exceeded the compensation limit), you may be given an opportunity to resit the unit. Crucially, and irrespective of mitigating circumstances, you must pass course units worth a total of at least 40 credits, at first attempt and excluding compensated units, in order to be offered the opportunity to resit (i.e. you can resit a maximum of 80 credits in any year of study). If you fail to obtain the required 40 credits at first attempt, you will be withdrawn from the programme.
PROGRESSION, THE AWARD OF DEGREES AND APPEALS PROCEDURES
British Psychological Society: Accreditation Requirements
In order to gain a degree that confers the British Psychological Society’s Graduate
Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) status, you must pass the Final Year Project (achieving a minimum of 40% for this unit) and obtain an overall degree classification of lower second class honours (2.2) or higher. In the case of the Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology degree, the BPS requirements stipulate that the Final Year Project is undertaken in Psychology. If students do not (and will not in the future) have any intention of applying for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), they need not take this constraint into consideration.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Support from the Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Programme
What if things are not going well with my advisor or I have questions or concerns about advising more generally?
Your Senior Academic Advisor is Dr Rebecca Champion
(rebecca.champion@manchester.ac.uk). If you have any issues with your Academic Advisor you should email Becky and she will meet with you to discuss it. It is our policy to help you to engage effectively with your advisor, but should you feel, for any reason, that you would like to be allocated to a different person, please email her.
Peer Mentoring
The Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology programme has a mentoring scheme in place which ensures that all Year 1 students are assigned a mentor. Mentors are 2nd and Final Year students who provide support and guidance to new students on personal and social issues, or issues related to study. Year 1 students will be assigned to a mentor during Welcome Week, and will have an opportunity to meet their mentor and raise any questions or concerns. Following that, there will be regular opportunities to meet which are organised by the mentoring team throughout the academic year. At the end of the 1st year of study, students will have the opportunity to train as a mentor, and use their experiences to support new students and further develop the scheme.
http://www.peersupport.manchester.ac.uk/
Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Society
Students on the Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology degree run their own Society, which arranges social events and is a great way to make links with your peers on the course. The Society will be in touch to tell you about their activities in the first few weeks of the year.
Content Warning
Psychology is a broad discipline covering many fascinating areas. It is possible that some of the areas you cover as part of your Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology degree might be emotional, potentially difficult and/or controversial – or perhaps they might feel a little ‘close to home’ for some people. It may also be the case that while the content being discussed may not itself be difficult, these topics could be closely related to topics that some students may struggle with.
This is the nature of our subject area. Psychology is about the study of the human mind and behaviour – about people like all of us! For some people, lived experience of some of the issues we might cover is how their interest in Psychology first began. Many people who are experts in this field have their own lived experience of challenging areas – and this can be an asset rather than any type of barrier. In common with lots of other subject areas, some of the historical work undertaken by psychologists seems far from acceptable to us nowadays. But covering this content is not intended for shock value, but in order to enhance understanding in the belief that knowledge of this history is helpful in creating a better future for our discipline.
Although you should be aware that by choosing to study Psychology it is possible that you may cover some material that is challenging, you certainly shouldn’t feel that being challenged by content is going to be a barrier to you studying on the Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology programme. We are committed to ensuring that our teaching and learning environments are safe spaces for exploring and discussing a range of content.
For this reason, where topics are more obviously going to involve content that is distressing, teaching staff will let you know in advance by flagging up the nature of the material they will be covering – this allows you as an independent learner to prepare yourself however you might need to. For example, if you think that some content is likely to cause you distress, you could decide to review the slides in advance of the session so you have a better sense of what to expect and what is likely to be covered. You may also decide to leave the teaching session at any point and get some fresh air, or in exceptional cases, opt-out of the teaching session entirely and work through any materials (including the podcast where this is provided) in a safe environment.
There might, though, be some content which isn’t highlighted in this way but that you find more difficult to deal with, perhaps for example because of something personal that you have experienced or something that is important to you. You should always do what works best for you in terms of managing your wellbeing. You are the best expert on what works for you so please use whatever strategy helps. You can always talk to your academic advisor or year leads about your studies. If you are struggling with particular difficulties and need more support, then the University offers lots of support for students – https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/ and we would strongly advise that you consider seeking out some of this support.
Importantly, while we can provide warnings in advance of sessions that might have the potential for distress and while we can sign-post you to support services within the University to help you to engage in the material, there are some topics and coursework that are compulsory and which we cannot allow students to opt-out of. This is because they are necessary for achieving the learning outcomes of the programme and the professional competencies required for careers in Psychology. However, we will always work with you to find the best way to support you in engaging with this material, so please reach out to us if you are struggling A safe learning space means allowing critical engagement with ideas, whilst ensuring that all students and staff are respected. If you are concerned about how particular topics are being discussed, or how other people are expressing their views, you can approach the lecturer in the first instance, confidentially, either at the time or afterwards. If you feel that you cannot approach the lecturer, or that the lecturer has not taken your concerns seriously, you can contact your year leads team or Programme Director.
Please also make sure as well that your own communication of your ideas and views to your peers and to teaching staff is done courteously and respectfully at all times. We try our best to build a respectful and supportive psychology community at Manchester that is inclusive of everyone.
PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION
What are Programme Specifications?
Programme specifications focus on single programmes of study (or courses), and outline the intended knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes of a student completing that course. A programme specification also gives details of teaching and assessment methods as well as linking the course to the framework for HE qualifications and any subsequent professional qualification and career path. The University of Manchester has programme specifications for the courses that it offers.
You can find the Programme Specifications on the BSc Cognitive Neuroscience’s community space on Blackboard.