Advanced Behavioural Neuroscience (BNS4100 & BNS4200)

The latest announcements in Advanced behavioural Neurosciences

Advanced Behavioural Neuroscience is a new fourth year program first introduced in 2002. BBNSc. students will have an opportunity to develop highly specialised research skills in an area of behavioural neuroscience that will ultimately increase their employment prospects and/or provide them with the opportunity of further research. The current BSc.(Hons.) program in psychology, PSY4100 offered by the Department of Psychology is tailored to suit the requirements of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), and consequently involves a large component of course work (APS accredited). Advanced Behavioural Neuroscience is a not accredited by the APS and has a stronger focus on research skills and a more sophisticated research project.

The Advanced Behavioural Neuroscience program will be offered and administered by the Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and students will conduct their research projects under the supervision or co-supervision of academic staff within the department.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the undergraduate BBNSc degree, and a 70% average or better in 24 credit points of core third year behavioural neuroscience subjects.

Assessment: Research Projects 72.5%, Literature Review 15%, Research Design and Analysis Assessment 12.5%.

Course Elements

The BNS4100 unit consists of the research project and associated literature review, and the BNS4200 unit the research design and analysis component. BNS4100 differs from the PSY4100 honours program unit in that it does NOT require a theoretical essay or the additional coursework components. Instead, BNS4100 students will be required to undertake two research projects (36.5% each). Students will, however, be required to take a compulsory Research, Design and Analysis unit (12.5%) in BNS4200. In most instances students will conduct two experiments as part of a general topic of investigation. This is to be negotiated with your supervisor, and will need to be approved by the BBNSc Honours coordinator. The experiments should be written up either as separate research papers (5-7,000 words each) or collectively as one larger research paper (8-10,000 words). The literature review (4-5,000 words) is due mid-year and should either encompass the background for BOTH projects (if submitting a single research paper at the end of the year) or ONE of the projects if intending to submit as two separate research papers. The major components of the Advanced Behavioural Neuroscience program are as follows:

BNS4100 - Two research projects and a literature review (please follow PSY4100 research project guidelines for submission dates, structure, etc, conducted under approved supervision, including the preparation of an ethics application submitted for approval to the relevant university Ethics Committee (human or animal); make up the bulk of the assessment. Note that should the 2 research projects be written up together as one paper the word limit is 8-10,000 words.

BNS4100 Handbook Entry

BNS4200 - The statistics and research design unit. This component is identical to the statistics component of PSY4210. For this unit, BNS4200 students should adhere to the PSY4210 timetable:

BNS4200 Handbook Entry

In a recent review of the future of Psychology in Australia, the Academy of Science highlighted Behavioural Neuroscience as an area for primary development. The Department of Psychology at Monash University has made Behavioural Neuroscience its principal research focus, with at least 13 postdoctoral personnel offering Honours and doctorate research projects in Behavioural Neuroscience.

Potential Supervisors