Over the last two decades there has been an explosion of interest in brain science across academia, industry and the media. The integration of cognitive brain imaging with neuroscience will play a central part in discovering how the brain functions in health and disease in the 21st century, as illustrated by the Human Brain Project in Europe and The Brain Initiative in the USA. The taught Brain Sciences degree will help you gain interdisciplinary knowledge “from molecules to mind” and enable you to develop research skills in cognitive brain imaging, fundamental neuroscience and brain disorders.
The programme will consist of compulsory taught courses, selected optional courses and a research project spread over 11-12 months.
Taught courses are delivered by lectures, tutorials, problem-based learning and computer-based sessions supplemented by a wide range of electronic resources for independent or group study. You will use the primary scientific literature as an information resource and through project work will develop skills in team-working, experimental design and data interpretation. Through assessment of coursework you will gain skills in oral and written communication.
The University of Glasgow MSc in Brain Sciences provides you with many career opportunities.
Research: MSc students can enter a research career, mainly by undertaking further postgraduate research studies towards a PhD, or by working in research laboratories in academic settings.
Industry: Other options include going on to work in a wide range of commercial sectors including the pharmaceutical or biotechnological industries and scientific publishing.
Over the last two decades there has been an explosion of interest in brain science across academia, industry and the media. The integration of cognitive brain imaging with neuroscience will play a central part in discovering how the brain functions in health and disease in the 21st century, as illustrated by the Human Brain Project in Europe and The Brain Initiative in the USA. The taught Brain Sciences degree will help you gain interdisciplinary knowledge “from molecules to mind” and enable you to develop research skills in cognitive brain imaging, fundamental neuroscience and brain disorders.
The programme will consist of compulsory taught courses, selected optional courses and a research project spread over 11-12 months.
Taught courses are delivered by lectures, tutorials, problem-based learning and computer-based sessions supplemented by a wide range of electronic resources for independent or group study. You will use the primary scientific literature as an information resource and through project work will develop skills in team-working, experimental design and data interpretation. Through assessment of coursework you will gain skills in oral and written communication.
The University of Glasgow MSc in Brain Sciences provides you with many career opportunities.
Research: MSc students can enter a research career, mainly by undertaking further postgraduate research studies towards a PhD, or by working in research laboratories in academic settings.
Industry: Other options include going on to work in a wide range of commercial sectors including the pharmaceutical or biotechnological industries and scientific publishing.
This MRes is an innovative research-led programme which brings together expertise from across the Faculty of Brain Sciences and offers you the opportunity to work and train with leading researchers at one of the most highly regarded centres of excellence in brain science in the world.
Students will gain an understanding of the human brain and its disorders from the molecular to systems level that will reflect the interdisciplinary breadth of cutting-edge research in brain sciences conducted at UCL. Students will gain theoretical and practical knowledge of core personal and professional skills that underpin excellence in research.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of three core modules (45 credits), one optional module (15 credits) and an extensive empirical research project (120 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Students choose one of the following 15-credit optional modules:
Dissertation/research project
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation in the form of a journal article and an oral examination.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, independent study, journal clubs, independent and collaborative problem-based tasks, practical demonstrations and classes, computational work, and a supervised empirical research project. Assessment is through online tasks, unseen written examinations, essays, oral presentations, research-based tasks and a primary research article.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Brain Sciences MRes
This programme will prepare students for research careers in academia, industry or business, nationally or internationally. The first cohort of students on the Brain Sciences MRes will graduate after 2014, therefore no information on graduate destinations is currently available.
Employability
The programme provides a broad understanding of brain sciences. The aim is to give students the best chance of obtaining a place on a relevant PhD programme. In addition the programme includes taught elements that will enhance employability. Transferable skills include statistical training, communication skills, training in research ethics, research governance and in enterprise.
This comprehensive programme will provide core knowledge and skills, and ensure that prospective PhD candidates are thoroughly acquainted with the background as well as with the expanding scope of the field.
The unique curriculum will develop knowledge and insight into the broad and interdisciplinary scope of brain science through practical experience and exposure to contemporary topics in brain sciences research delivered through a series of innovative masterclasses led by internationally renowned researchers at UCL.
With an empirical research project encompassing two-thirds of the programme, quantitative and qualitative tools for research will be developed including core skills in the implementation, management and dissemination of research.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Brain Sciences
80% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
This programme involves studying the interaction between and within groups of neurons in the brain, and how they affect our interactions with the outside world.
The brain is no longer considered a passive response device but rather as a network in which we consider ongoing activity before, during, and after a stimulus. The specialisation Brain Networks and Neuronal Communication deals with brain networks; ranging from the smallest scale, the communication between individual neurons, to the largest scale, communication between different brain areas. Using advanced mathematical tools, this specialisation prepares students for cutting-edge neuroscience research.
Students interested in this specialisation are expected to already have a high level of mathematical skills and/or training in physics, engineering or computer science in their Bachelor’s studies.
A large majority of our graduates gain a PhD position, while other graduates find jobs in the commercial sector or at research institutes. Graduates of this specialisation may more readily find a position within a government institution or specialised companies (e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry).
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/cns/brain
- Researchers in Nijmegen combine new techniques for electrophysiological and anatomical measurements of connectivity and activation with data analysis and the experimental application of these techniques. This is done in studies of cognition in not just humans but also non-human primates and rodents.
- Exceptional students who choose this specialisation have the opportunity to do a double degree programme with either Neuroscience or Artificial Intelligence. This will take three instead of two years.
- This competitive programme provides a sound balance of theory and practice. Our selective approach guarantees excellence, especially during the research training period.
If you have successfully completed the Master’s programme in Brain networks and neuronal communication, you will be able to conduct independent neuroimaging and neurobiological research. You will have ample knowledge of the anatomical and neurophysiological aspects of networks in the human brain and the techniques for the computational analysis and modeling of brain networks. This will enable you to conduct independent research into the neurofunctional architecture of key cognitive functions, such as perception, attention, memory, language, planning and targeted actions and develop technologies to measure, characterise and model networks at the whole brain and/or the local cortical circuit level. With this educational background you should be able to find a position with one of the research institutes in the Netherlands or abroad, government institutions or specialised companies (e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry).
Research in the field of cognitive neuroscience is one of the spearheads in the research policy of Radboud University. Here, in Nijmegen, hundreds of scientists from various faculties and top institutes have joined forces to unravel the workings of the human brain, step by step . They work together closely, exchange expertise and share state-of-the-art research equipment.
Nijmegen is one of the foremost centres of cognitive neuroscience in the world. We have a high admission threshold to ensure that all of our students are highly motivated and have the ability to work at an advanced level. Top scientists screen all applications to make sure the new students meet our stringent entry criteria and can maintain the current standards of excellence. Once admitted to the programme, you can expect to be trained as a multidisciplinary scientist in the following two years. The research you will undertake addresses crossdisciplinary challenges. The teachers and supervisors you will meet are all experts in their own disciplines. We hope that with this programme, you will outperform your teachers by being able to combine knowledge from different domains. Alongside language processing and perceptuomotor systems, you may also help improve brain/computer interfaces, a hot topic with applications in medicine and information technology. Apart from being very exciting, it is also logical that various disciplines are merging. After all, everything that happens in the brain is interconnected. In Nijmegen we develop sophisticated cognitive models which we test by means of state-of-the-art imaging techniques, thanks to which you can participate in cutting-edge research that will hopefully lead to new insights into the way the human brain and mind work. Finally, we offer our best CNS students excellent career opportunities in challenging PhD projects.
- Unique multi-disciplinary Master’s programme
Are you also interested in the human brain? Would you like to conduct research into the workings of the brain and join an enthusiastic, international group of top researchers? The Radboud University offers a multi-faculty Master’s programme in Cognitive Neuroscience. The programme takes two years and is of a scientific orientation. There is a strong emphasis on experimental research. This Master’s programme is unique in Europe.
The Master’s programme in Cognitive Neuroscience is primarily focused on training you as a researcher because research institutes and businesses around the world desperately need highly qualified and motivated young researchers. Moreover, since cognitive neuroscience is a rather young discipline, much in this field has not yet been explored. There are many challenging questions that need to be answered. So there is plenty of room for new discoveries!
This competitive programme provides a sound balance of theory and practice. We enroll about 50 students per year. Our selective approach guarantees excellence, especially during the research training period.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/cns/brain
The program is offered in English and leads to the Master degree in Cognitive Science. Students choose between two tracks:
Each track offers a selection of specialized courses, to allow students to tailor their training to their academic interests. The curriculum includes courses focusing on neurophysiological aspects of cognitive processes, the study of human behavior, and human-computer interaction.
Two characteristic features of this program are a close relationship between teaching and research practices & a constant interplay between biology-based and technology-based explorations of the human mind and brain.
The programme provides research-focused training with a varied, international group of faculty and researchers. All students are actively involved in developing research projects and have access to the laboratories during the Master’s course, thus gaining invaluable hands-on experience with cutting-edge research technologies. This includes functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetic encephalography (MEG), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), electroencephalography (EEG), eye tracking, cinematic motion tracking, psychophysics, computational modeling, & comparative cognition (animal models) for the CN track; and for the LMI track, machine learning technologies, like deep learning and multitask learning, will be applied to language understanding in interaction with other modalities.
The knowledge and skills gained during the Master’s course will most of all provide a foundation for advanced scientific research, but also prepare for professional applications in more applied settings.
The Master’s degree course in Cognitive Science is aimed at the acquisition of advanced theoretical and methodological knowledge in cognitive science through an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the mind-brain system and of human language through computational models. The perspective adopted is that of the interdisciplinary approach, which integrates the biological, technological and cognitive approaches in order to allow a better understanding of human action, focusing the educational intervention and other educational activities mainly on cognitive neuropsychology and on computational linguistics.
The curriculum is characterized by training experiences and significant research activities at highly qualified laboratories, both in the field of brain-imaging (fMRI, EEG, TMS, etc.) and in the field of natural language processing, also in order to achieve the implementation of the skills acquired. We also offer students the opportunity to attend training courses abroad as part of international exchange programmes and of numerous collaborations with foreign universities. The assessment of the competences acquired will take into consideration both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills acquired by students, also in the context of integrated courses across multiple disciplines.
Graduates will be able to apply advanced skills in cognitive science using computational, observational and experimental methodologies in the study of the mind-brain system and computational linguistics. The course of study will also allow students to conduct research activities as part of the analysis and development of systems related to human cognitive performance, conducting empirical research and the development of neural and computational models of cognition. They can perform these tasks as independent professionals or also as consultants at public and private entities.
The Master's degree in Cognitive Science provides access to doctoral courses in the disciplines of cognitive science, both in Italy and in Europe and the United States. The CIMeC offers a PhD program in Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
A flexible and interdisciplinary programme, which challenges you to use your specific knowledge to unravel the workings of the human brain.
Our brain contains many ingenious networks of millions of interconnected neurons. Together, they have a storage capacity and flexibility that far exceed modern supercomputers, or any artificial intelligent system. The Master’s specialisation in Neuroscience aims at unravelling the neuro-biological and neuro-computational mechanisms of this fascinating, complex system. We study the full spectrum from molecule to man, and from experiment to advanced theory and models.
The brain, as part of the human body, may at a first glance seem the exclusive domain of Biology. However, as the communication between neurons involves neurotransmitters and electrical ionic currents, understanding these mechanisms calls for knowledge of Chemistry and Physics. Moreover, studying mechanisms of coding and encoding of neural signals, requires advanced concepts from Mathematics and Informatics. By working together, our students learn to view complex issues from all these different sides.
Neuroscience at the Science Faculty ranges from biology to physics and mathematics, and will thus appeal to students from different Master’s programmes. The programme can be readily adapted to your individual academic background – whether that is in the field of Biology, Mathematics, Physics or Computing Science. Apart from fundamental knowledge of the brain, the Neuroscience specialisation also provides you with a general background in the principles of complex systems, and of intelligent behaviour of living and artificial systems.
- Radboud University is the only university in the Netherlands that covers the complete research field of Neuroscience, from cognition to behaviour, and from sub-cellular processes, to single cell analysis and big data.
- The specialisation is closely connected to the world-renowned Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (DI). You will get the chance to work with DI researchers during your internship, and build up a high profile network for your future career.
- The courses have a strong focus on research: they will cover the latest developments in brain research and technology, and train you the essential academic skills.
- You will work with students and researchers from different backgrounds in the natural sciences and become acquainted with a wide variety of research methods and scientific approaches.
The brain, as part of the human body, may at a first glance seem the exclusive domain of Biology. However, as the communication between neurons involves neurotransmitters and electrical ionic currents, understanding these mechanisms calls for knowledge of Chemistry and Physics. Moreover, studying mechanisms of coding and encoding of neural signals, requires advanced concepts from Mathematics and Informatics. By working together, our students learn to view complex issues from all these different sides.
Master’s specialisation in Neuroscience
The Master’s specialisation in Neuroscience gives you the chance to work at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, and build up your own network of international renowned scientists who are working on the human brain: an excellent preparation for a future career in science. Neuroscience will also provide you with general skills that are required for any other job you aspire:
- the ability to structure complex problems
- excellent social skills for working in a multidisciplinary team
- extensive experience in presentations
- academic writing skills
At Radboud University, all branches of Neuroscience are accounted for, and strongly intertwined through the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (DI). This unique combination of expertises is a real advantage for Neuroscience students: it gives you absolute freedom to develop your knowledge in your field of interest and a high profile network for your future career.
- Science faculty
In this specialisation at the Science faculty, you will use your background in the natural sciences to unravel neurobiological processes. When completed, you will receive a Master’s degree in Medical Biology, Molecular Life Sciences, Physics & Astronomy or Science. For highly talented students it is possible to obtain a second Master’s degree at the selective Research Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience of the DI, which has a more cognitive approach. This extra Master’s degree takes one additional year (60 EC) to complete.
- Themes
The Master’s specialisation in Neuroscience focuses on three of the four research themes of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour:
- Perception, Action and Control
Focus: Studying sensorimotor mechanisms, their cognitive and social components, their clinical implications, and their relevance for robotics.
Research: Researchers use theoretical analysis, psychophysical and behavioural studies, neurophysiological techniques, neuroimaging, clinical and pharmacological interventions, developmental and genetic approaches.
- Plasticity and Memory
Focus: The development and decay of the healthy and the maladaptive brain.
Research: Researchers in this field study the mechanistic underpinnings and behavioural consequences of long-term changes in neural structure and function. Genetic, molecular and cellular methods, animal models, as well as human neuroimaging and cognitive neuropsychology are used.
- Brain Networks and Neuronal Communication
Focus: Complex neural networks, ranging from the very smallest – communication between individual neurons – to the largest: communication between different brain areas and the outside world.
Research: The research groups combine the development of new techniques for measurements of connectivity and activation, with the experimental application of these techniques in studies of cognition in humans, non-human primates and rodents. Computational modelling is an important component.
- Custom approach
The specialisation programme depends on the Master’s programme that you will follow. In this way, it will perfectly fit to your current knowledge and practical skills. However, as all neuroscience research topics are interdisciplinary, you will become acquainted with other disciplines as well. This will help you to develop a common ground that is necessary to communicate in a multi-faceted (research) team.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/medicalbiology/neuro
Learn how to create artificial information systems that mimic biological systems as well as how to use theoretical insights from AI to better understand cognitive processing in humans.
The human brain is a hugely complex machine that is able to perform tasks that are vastly beyond current capabilities of artificial systems. Understanding the brain has always been a source of inspiration for developing artificially intelligent agents and has led to some of the defining moments in the history of AI. At the same time, theoretical insights from artificial intelligence provide new ways to understand and probe neural information processing in biological systems.
On the one hand, the Master’s in Computation in Neural and Artificial Systems addresses how models based on neural information processing can be used to develop artificial systems, probing of human information processing in closed-loop online settings, as well as the development of new machine learning techniques to better understand human brain function.
On the other hand it addresses various ways of modelling and understanding cognitive processing in humans. These range from abstract mathematical models of learning that are derived from Bayesian statistics, complexity theory and optimal control theory to neural information processing systems such as neural networks that simulate particular cognitive functions in a biologically inspired manner. We also look at new groundbreaking areas in the field of AI, like brain computer interfacing and deep learning.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/ai/computation
Why study Computation in Neural and Artificial Systems at Radboud University?
- Our cognitive focus leads to a highly interdisciplinary AI programme where students gain skills and knowledge from a number of different areas such as mathematics, computer science, psychology and neuroscience combined with a core foundation of artificial intelligence.
- Together with the world-renowned Donders Institute, the Behavioural Science Institute and various other leading research centres in Nijmegen, we train our students to become excellent researchers in AI.
- Master’s students are free to use the state-of-the-art facilities available on campus, like equipment for brain imaging as EEG, fMRI and MEG.
- Exceptional students who choose this specialisation have the opportunity to study for a double degree in Artificial Intelligence together with the specialisation in Brain Network and Neuronal Communication. This will take three instead of two years.
- This specialisation offers plenty of room to create a programme that meets your own academic and professional interests.
- To help you decide on a research topic there is a semi-annual Thesis Fair where academics and companies present possible project ideas. Often there are more project proposals than students to accept them, giving you ample choice. We are also open to any of you own ideas for research.
- Our AI students are a close-knit group; they have their own room in which they often get together to interact, debate and develop their ideas. Every student also receives personal guidance and supervision from a member of our expert staff.
The programme is closely related to the research carried out in the internationally renowned Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. This institute has several unique facilities for brain imaging using EEG, fMRI and MEG. You will be able to use these facilities for developing new experimental research techniques, as well as for developing new machine learning algorithms to analyse the brain data and integrate them with brain-computer interfacing systems.
Some examples of possible thesis subjects:
- Deep learning
Recent breakthroughs in AI have led to the development of artificial neural networks that achieve human level performance in object recognition. This has led companies like Google and Facebook to invest a lot of research in this technology. Within the AI department you can do research on this topic. This can range from developing deep neural networks to map and decode thoughts from human brain activity to the development of speech recognition systems or neural networks that can play arcade games.
- Brain Computer Interfacing
Brain computer interfaces are systems which decode a users mental state online in real-time for the purpose of communication or control. An effective BCI requires both neuro-scientific insight (which mental states should we decode?) and technical expertise (which measurement systems and decoding algorithms should be used?). A project could be to develop new mental tasks that induce stronger/easier to decode signals, such as using broadband stimuli. Another project could be to develop new decoding methods better able to tease a weak signal from the background noise, such as adaptive-beam forming. Results for both would assessed by performing empirical studies with target users in one of the EEG/MEG/fMRI labs available in the institute.
Our Artificial Intelligence graduates have excellent job prospects and are often offered a job before they have actually graduated. Many of our graduates go on to do a PhD either at a major research institute or university with an AI department. Other graduates work for companies interested in cognitive design and research. Examples of companies looking for AI experts with this specialisation: Google, Facebook, IBM, Philips and the Brain Foundation. Some students have even gone on to start their own companies.
Examples of jobs that a graduate of the specialisation in Computation in Neural and Artificial Systems could get:
- PhD researcher on bio-inspired computing
- PhD researcher on neural decoding
- PhD researcher on neural information processing
- Machine learning expert in a software company
- Company founder for brain-based computer games
- Hospital-based designer of assistive technology for patients
- Policy advisor on new developments in neurotechnology
- Software developer for analysis and online visual displays of brain activity
Half of your second year consists of an internship, giving you plenty of hands-on experience. We encourage students to do this internship abroad, although this is not mandatory. We do have connections with companies abroad, for example in China, Sweden and the United States.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/ai/computation
