Cognitive Neuroscience studies the cognitive and neural basis of mental processes such as perception, action, language, attention and memory. This relatively young discipline seeks to unravel the workings of the human brain.

The research Master’s programme in Cognitive Neuroscience (Research) offers four specialisations that coincide with the research themes of the Donders Institute.

Something for you?

• This Master’s programme is located within the world-renowned Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, with a research staff of over 900 scientists.
• Nijmegen is one of the foremost centres of cognitive neuroscience in the world.
• This competitive programme provides a sound balance of theory and practice.
• You can personalise the programme to best match your research interests by choosing one of the four tracks, skill training, track courses and elective courses.
• You will be able to use state-of-the-art equipment and research facilities that the Radboud University campus offers.
• The programme has its own, student-driven, scientific journal; based on the Stanford Exchange: Proceeding of the Master’s Programme Cognitive Neuroscience.

After your studies:

This Master's programme will give you the qualifications you need to attain a PhD position. About 80 percent of our graduates take on a PhD project in Nijmegen or in other parts of the world. Other graduates find jobs in the commercial sector or at research institutes. Each year there are, on average, about 12 PhD positions available at the graduate schools Donders Graduate School for Cognitive Neuroscience (DGCN) and the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS).

Possible occupations:

• PhD researcher
• Societal researcher

Possible specialisations:

• Language and Communication: How do people understand a simple sentence? How do they recognise seperate words in running speech? The specialisation in Language and Communication studies the acquisition, understanding and production of language, and their biological underpinning.
• Perception, Action and Decision- making: How do people pick out their own glass of beer out of all the other glasses on a bar? How do they find their way in a building? This specialisation studies basic sensorimotor aspects as well as the cognitive, contextual and social components of perception-action coupling.
• Development and Lifelong Plasticity: How does your brain enable you to remember certain events? How does your brain adapt to certain changes? This specialisation studies the mechanistic underpinnings and behavioural consequences of long-term changes in neural structure and function.
• Natural Computing and Neurotechnology: This specialisation studies the interaction between and within groups of neurons, and with the outside world.