Masters Degrees in Behavioural Biology, Netherlands

Overview

Learning how to make new discoveries that will contribute to a better understanding of normal and dysfunctional human behaviour and how to influence that behaviour.

Have you always wanted to discover what it is that makes people tick? Do you have questions about human behaviour that have not yet been tackled? Whether you are driven by scientific curiosity or are intrigued by the potential for more accurate diagnoses and for effective interventions in health or education, the Research Master’s in Behavioural Science is for you.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/bs

Multidisciplinary approach

At Radboud University, we believe that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to gain the best understanding of human behaviour. We combine knowledge and research methods from the fields of psychology, educational sciences and communication science. These disciplines are not taught separately but instead are brought together in most of our courses, making our approach unique.

Half of the programme consists of research experience. There are many issues you could tackle and a large research faculty you could work with. For example, there are over fifty staff members at the Behavioural Science Institute. The institute has internationally renowned researchers with expertise in a very wide range of topics. And that's not counting the other top scientists we invite to give workshops.

Why study Behavioural Science at Radboud University?

- Students get substantial hands-on research with a minor and major research project on different topics.
- We teach our students research methods and statistics, which we bring to life by revealing their applications to current hot issues in the field.
- Students are free to choose courses and research topics to create their own unique programme.
- Students can do the internship for their major research project abroad. Financial support for international research internships is available within Radboud University and the Behavioural Science Institute.
- You will participate in group-oriented education and be part of a small, select group of highly motivated national and international students.
- Master’s students are free to use any of the state-of-the-art equipment and labs found on campus, including the Virtual Reality Lab, Observational Lab and eye-tracking equipment.
- We have three Faculty Assistant positions for ambitious students to work alongside their course.
- A majority of our graduates gain PhD and other research positions and many students publish their Master’s thesis in peer-reviewed journals.

Discovering more

Due to our interdisciplinary approach, we accept Bachelor’s students from a wide variety of related fields, like psychology, pedagogy, educational science, biology, artificial intelligence and communication science. Simply put, this programme is for social scientists who want to discover the how and why behind human behaviour.

Quality label

The Master's in Behavioural Science was recently awarded the quality label ‘Top Programme' in the Keuzegids Masters 2015 (Guide to Master's programmes), which indicates the programme belongs to the very best programmes in Dutch Master's education, across the entire range of disciplines.

Our approach to this field

The staff of the Behavioural Science Institute at Radboud University originate from the fields of psychology, educational sciences and communication science. Together they tackle issues regarding human behaviour. We believe that in order to fully understand human behaviour you need to use knowledge from all these fields together instead of separately. For example, looking at a psychological issue from a communication perspective could offer new and valuable insights that will lead to better diagnosis or interventions.

At Radboud University we will not just teach you existing research methods in the different fields. You will also learn to look beyond conventions and combine or adjust methods from other disciplines to enable you to do research that will answer your questions. You will not only become a highly skilled researcher but also an innovative one.

Our research in this field

More than half of the Master’s programme in Behavioural Science consists of research. In the first year you’ll do a minor project in which you choose from a list research themes that are provided by staff members or PhD students.

In the second year, you’ll do a major project in the form of a nine month internship which provides you with the experience - and data - needed to write your Master’s thesis. Most internships are carried out within the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), working closely with colleagues, many of whom are internationally renowned researchers. However, there is also the option to arrange an internship abroad.

To broaden your scope, we expect you to choose different research themes for the minor and major projects, preferably in different groups within the BSI.

Examples of Major Projects in the field of Behavioural Science
- Differential behaviours of teachers toward boys and girls in science classes
- The role of maternal pregnancy stress and other general children’s health issues
- The recovery potential of within-workday break activities
- The effectiveness of an intervention promoting water consumption via children’s social networks
- The effectiveness of video games to reduce anxiety in children using a randomised controlled trail
- The role of experience on clinical diagnostic decision-making
- Exploring the underlying cognitive mechanisms to learn more about the ability to learn to categorise new face groups

Career prospects

The career prospects of a graduate of Behavioural Science are good; almost 100% of our alumni have a job.

- Skills and knowledge
Besides the necessary theoretical knowledge about behavioural science and training in advanced quantitative data analysis, this programme also offers courses (7 EC in total) that will teach you additional skills that every researcher needs: to understand the ethics of research, to understand the process of academic publishing and grant proposals, and to comment on papers and proposals of others. We also encourage students to participate in workshops, colloquia, symposia and conferences to gain experience in the international academic field of behavioural science.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/bs

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Will the otter be able to recover? How do plants settle in new areas? Why do geese always travel south at exactly the same time? How do species of plants and animals live together in a habitat?

During this two-year Master's programme Ecology and Evolution, you will gain insight into the living organism in relation to its environment.

Ecology is an internationally oriented field and the degree programme has a strong focus on research. You will therefore conduct one or two independent research projects in various fields. But as you can design most of the programme yourself, you can specialize in the area of your interest. This programme also offers a Top Programme in Evolutionary Biology.

The Master's degree programme Ecology and Evolution is offered by t he Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), which conducts research in four relevant areas:
* Evolutionary Ecology & Genetics
* Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology
* Conservation Biology
* Community Ecology

Why in Groningen?

- Design most of your programme yourself !
- Offers Top programme Evolutionary Biology!
- Research projects possible in various fields!

Job perspectives

As a graduate of this programe you can for example become a researcher at a university or at an institution for applied research. You also have the options of becoming a project officer, consultant or policy officer.

Job examples

- PhD research position
- Project officer
- Consultant

Research Projects in Various Fields

The Master's degree programme is coordinated by the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences. GELIFES is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and embraces fourteen research groups, which perform research in the fields of:

-Evolutionary Ecology & Genetics
On the importance of genetic variation: how do genetic variation and natural selection result in reproductive systems, adaptation of organisms to their environment and the emergence of new species? We try to answer this question by means of an experimental, molecular approach (genomics) and via model-based studies.

-Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology
Both the morphology and physiology of an organism and its behaviour are formed by selection. Behaviour – for example the timing of reproduction, partner choice and time and route of bird migration – and physiology – for example the degree of plasticity to regulate energy use and temperature – are products of evolution. Theoretical models are paired with experimental ones to study these issues, both in the field and in the laboratory.

-Conservation Biology
Small populations are threatened with extinction because their habitat is fragmented. Their chance of survival depends on their genetic structure, demography, dynamics of distribution, etc. This type of research is important, for example, for the restoration of nature reserves or the development of sustainable fishery. Examples of a research projects include the effects of genetic erosion in fruit flies and the seed dispersal of plants in the Wadden Sea.

-Community Ecology
Species and individuals living in the same area interact with each other and with their environment. Processes of physiological adaptations and restrictions, competition, grazing, predation and succession can change a group of individuals into a community. Combining field observations, laboratory experiments and theoretical models can give us a better understanding of the mechanisms that are active in nature.

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Master's specialisation in Perception, Action and Control

Targeted action: there is more to it than you think
How do you pick out your own glass of beer out of all the other glasses on the bar? How do you find your way in a building? How do you walk from one room to the other - and how do you do that with your eyes closed?
How do you perceive colour under constantly changing lighting conditions? How does a tennis player prepare himself to return a ball which yet has to be played? And what role do eye and head movements play in this? How are we able to write?
Catching a ball, grabbing a cup, writing down a sentence: these are all targeted actions that you often perform without thinking about them. Performing perceptuomotor tasks as a team such as in sports, understanding the actions of others, joint action in collaborative and competitive contexts: these are examples of hot topics in social neurocognition in which Nijmegen scientists are highly interested.
To patients who suffered a brain haemorrhage automatic actions come not so naturally any more. They find it extremely difficult to perform them. Why is that? Which neurocognitive processes play a role in these actions? That is what researchers who study perception and action want to discover.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/cns/perception

General requirements:

- Bachelor's degree
The graduation date of the last attained BA/BSc degree relevant for this programme must be within five years of applying to the programme.

- English skills
The Cognitive Neuroscience Master's programme (MSc CNS) is an English programme: all courses and examinations are taught in English. For the general language requirements of the Radboud University click here. Foreign students please note that the MSc CNS programme requires the following minimum scores: TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test), 100 (internet-based test); IELTS 7.0 or higher.

- Mathematics & Physics
Students who did not follow physics in their high school curriculum and/or who have not been trained in mathematics at level B (including concepts such as matrix algebra, differentiation, integration, complex numbers), are advised before the start of the programme to work on the assignment in Chapters 1, 2, 7, 8 and 11 (three chapters on physics and two on mathematics) of R.K. Hobbie: "Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology", Springer Verlag, New York, 1997; third edition, ISBN 1-56396-458-9).

Career prospects

If you have successfully completed the specialisation Perception, Action and Control you will have ample experience in current research and analysis techniques in perception, three-dimensional motor research, psychophysiological studies, neuroimaging and electromyographical studies. You will also be able to apply formal theories on and models of perceptive functions, sensomotor functions, and complex actions in your research.
With this educational background you may find a position with one of the industrial or non-industrial research institutes in the Netherlands or abroad (e.g. traffic research, man-machine interaction, etc.). Also in health care there is an increasing demand for cognitive neuroscientists, for example, in rehabilitation centres.

Our approach to this field

Perception, Action & Control is a central research area within different faculties of Radboud University. It is aimed at the three basic components of current Cognitive Neuroscience: modelling (e.g. in physics), designing and conducting behavioural studies (e.g. in psychology) and measuring the neurobiological foundations of behaviour. The various research groups of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour that study these processes use a wide range of modern research facilities which enables them to provide natural stimuli and measure complex everyday behaviour. The close cooperation between the various disciplines also characterises the content of the courses in this specialisation.

Our research in this field

Researchers working on Perception Action and Control study sensorimotor mechanisms, their cognitive and social components, their clinical implications, and their relevance for robotics.

The PAC theme is closely integrated with the RadboudUMC themes Disorders of movementand Stress-related disorderslead by Bas Bloem and Aart Schene respectively. An overview of RadboudUMC themes can be found here https://www.radboudumc.nl/Research/Themes/Pages/default.aspx .

Research methods include theoretical analysis, psychophysical and behavioural studies, neurophysiological techniques, neuroimaging, clinical and pharmacological interventions, developmental and genetic approaches.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/cns/perception

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