More professionals are turning to neuroscience to better understand how people learn, think, behave and make decisions. Yet many assume postgraduate study is only open to medical or science graduates.
According to Professor Chris Sharpley, who coordinates the University of New England’s (UNE) neuroscience programs, that’s one of the biggest misconceptions he encounters.
“The most common misconception we find is that students think they have to have a medical background or even a strong science background,” Professor Sharpley says.
“That’s simply not the case.”
UNE has specifically designed its Master of Neuroscience for professionals who want to apply brain science in their existing careers. Delivered fully online, these courses include specialist pathways in education, criminology, and business, making them unlike traditional neuroscience programs typically offered through medical schools.
Starting from scratch
Rather than expecting students to arrive with a detailed understanding of biology or neurophysiology, UNE starts with the fundamentals.
Every student completes A Walk Through the Brain, an introductory unit designed specifically for people with little or no science background. This unit builds the knowledge needed to confidently tackle the rest of the course.
“We’ve structured the degree so that the first unit everyone has to do takes a person from no knowledge of neurophysiology up to sufficient understanding to complete the rest of the degree,” Professor Sharpley says.
The unit is coordinated by Dr Lorenzo Odierna, a specialist in neurophysiology and gene research whose teaching focuses on making complex scientific concepts accessible to students from non-science backgrounds.
The approach has proven successful with students enrolling from backgrounds as varied as engineering, computer science and dance.
Professor Sharpley recently received an email from a student who admitted she began the introductory unit “almost paralysed with anxiety”. By the end of the trimester, she told him she was confidently discussing neuroscience at dinner parties.
Stories like this are common. Most students entering the program are established professionals rather than recent graduates, many without a science background.
Built for working professionals
UNE’s neuroscience qualifications are designed for learners who want to build on an existing career, not start a new one from scratch.
Most students are established in their careers and mature aged with cohorts including teachers, psychologists, counsellors, police officers, criminologists, business people and health practitioners studying both from Australia and overseas.
“What we’re saying to you is: if you have a profession already and you want to learn how to apply neuroscience to your profession, we will give you that information,” Professor Sharpley says.
The programs are delivered online using an asynchronous learning model that allows students to study when it suits them. Rather than releasing content week by week, students receive all learning materials, readings and assessment information at the beginning of the trimester.
Professor Sharpley says the approach was shaped by his own experience completing a postgraduate degree while working full-time.
“We’ve got to shrink wrap the content so that students can go to it whenever they want and not have to keep up with things each week. You might do four weeks’ work over a weekend and the structure of the course allows for this.”
Flexible study has long been part of UNE’s approach. The University has supported distance education since the 1950s and continues to design its online courses around the needs of working adults.
A distinctive approach to neuroscience
When UNE developed its neuroscience programs, the aim was not to replicate the traditional medical-school model.
Instead, academics reflected on how neuroscience could be applied by professionals working directly with people every day.
The result is a suite of postgraduate qualifications spanning graduate certificate, graduate diploma and master’s level, with specialist pathways linking neuroscience to education, criminology and business.
Professor Sharpley believes this makes UNE unlike any other Australian university.
“We’re the only university that has a postgraduate stream, in which students can move from graduate certificate to graduate diploma and Masters level degrees. These are all focused towards the application of neuroscience to a range of professions.”
That applied focus is reflected in the teaching team, which includes clinical psychologists, experienced neuroscientists and academics with professional backgrounds in law, education and psychology.
In practice, this means students are studying topics that map directly to their working lives.
Rather than focusing solely on laboratory science, students study topics with direct workplace relevance, including neuroanatomy, behavioural neuroscience, anxiety, depression, autism, ageing, brain imaging and cellular brain function.
Students can also tailor their studies through clinical, research or general pathways depending on their interests and career goals.
Graduates use neuroscience to strengthen practice in education, psychology, policing, leadership, organisational development, health and research rather than changing professions entirely.
One example is the new unit commencing in Trimester 3, Neuroscience, Deviance and Villainy, that explores the neuroscience behind criminal behaviour and decision-making, drawing on expertise from staff with backgrounds in neuroscience, psychology and criminal law.
Ready to get started?
For professionals considering a new direction or looking to strengthen their expertise, Professor Sharpley’s advice is straightforward.
“Go for it.”
He says many students arrive with questions about whether they’ll cope with the science or balance study alongside work and family commitments. That’s why personalised support remains an important part of the student experience.
“One of the things we do pride ourselves on is contact. We know what it’s like to study by distance.”
Admission to UNE’s postgraduate neuroscience programs requires a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, not necessarily science. Students can also start with the Graduate Certificate in Neuroscience before progressing to a Graduate Diploma or Master of Neuroscience.
