Master of Science in Neuroscience and Cognition
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €20,750: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Become a Multidisciplinary Neuroscientist or Cognition Researcher
Are you interested in doing research to better understand normal and pathological brain function? Do you want to become a specialist in the field of neurosciences? Neuroscience and Cognition offers you the opportunity to investigate numerous areas of brain functioning that make the neuroscience and cognition field uniquely intriguing and challenging.
An Individualised Approach
Neuroscience and cognition trains you to become a multidisciplinary neuro and/or cognition scientist fully equipped to face the challenges of modern research in the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience and cognition. With ample knowledge of the scope of the brain and cognitive functioning, you will be prepared to join an international research team investigating the most complex organ of our body. Sounds appealing? Neuroscience and Cognition might be a perfect fit!
Pick Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience or Cognitive Neuroscience as your track of choice and explore fundamental principles and techniques. You get to work in multidisciplinary teams together with students from various bachelor backgrounds such as Biomedical Sciences, Neuro- and Cognitive Psychology, Linguistics, or Artificial Intelligence. Ideal preparation for future research positions in public and private research institutes! After the 10-week introductory course Fundamentals of Neuroscience and Cognition, you will determine an individualized study path with the assistance of the track coordinator, consisting of quality internships, electives, and a writing assignment.
Program Outcome
Why you Should Study Neuroscience and Cognition at Utrecht University
- It offers a unique combination of clinical and preclinical neuroscience and cognition;
- Over 200 principal investigators participate and offer research projects and supervision;
- Keep up with the latest developments in human and rodent functional neuroimaging, deep-sequencing of human genetic material, and other state-of-the-art techniques;
- Two extensive research projects provide the possibility to learn and train several techniques and topics and offers the best route to become a successful Ph.D. student.
Curriculum
Tracks
Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience
In the Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience track, you will use state-of-the-art techniques to study the development, functioning, adaptation, and pathogenesis of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Research projects include the entire range of neuroscience topics from the level of the gene to the whole organism – from humans to animals and from ethology to behavioral disorders. The course content examines these topics on the molecular, cellular, network, and behavioral levels, focusing on patients with neurological and psychiatric conditions as well as the associated animal models.
The interdisciplinary setting at the Utrecht Science Park campus hosts a unique density of top genetic, molecular, and cellular neuroscience groups involved in fundamental, clinical, and pharmaceutical neuroscience research. Many research groups have a multinational composition, which offers students the opportunity to be trained within a highly internationalized environment. You also have the option of completing your second research project abroad to gain more exposure to and experience with international research teams.
Cognitive Neuroscience
The Cognitive Neuroscience track focuses on the relationship between the central nervous system and cognitive abilities. In your research projects, you may examine how the normal system functions and to try to understand perception and motor behavior in terms of the physical properties of the environment, or you might study the consequences of neuropathology on memory or attention. Taken together, this approach may lead to a better understanding of both normal and disordered functioning.
Research terms study the cognitive functions of the brain using behavioral experiments in combination with a variety of brain-related techniques (e.g. fMRI, EEG, and TMS). The research is embedded in internationally renowned institutes, such as the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics and the Helmholtz Institute Utrecht. Comparative research on cognitive mechanisms in animals takes place in the Behavioural Biology and the Animals in Science and Society groups. This track also offers you the opportunity to complete part of the program abroad.
Career Opportunities
Career Outlook
A Master’s degree in Neuroscience and Cognition offers you many career prospects. Graduates continue on to universities and research institutes, teaching hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry. They may hold policy and management positions in the science, industry, and healthcare sectors.
In general, graduates will find employment in/at:
- Teaching hospitals (disease-oriented research)
- Research institutes (fundamental research in the various areas of the neurosciences)
- Pharmaceutical industry (research and development)
- Science, industry, and healthcare sectors (policy and management positions, applied science and design)
- Clinical settings (neuropsychologist, clinical physicist)
Academic careers
Over the past years, 95% of all students in the Master's program Neuroscience and Cognition were already employed before graduating. Of these, 25% were approached for a Ph.D. project by one of the research institutes in Utrecht.
Graduates have many career opportunities, such as:
- Researcher (as a Ph.D. student) in one of the academic hospitals (disease-oriented research)
- Researcher (as a Ph.D. student) in a research institute, either national or international (fundamental research in the various areas of the neurosciences)
- The pharmaceutical industry provides ample opportunities (research and development)
- Policy and management functions in science, industry, and healthcare
- Clinical settings (neuropsychologist, clinical physicist)