MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience (Research)
Nijmegen, Netherlands
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Apr 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,695 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Application deadline with scholarship: 31.01.2026| Final deadline for EU students: 01.07.2026| Deadline for EU students who want to get assistance with housing: 01.05.2026
** Institutional tuition fee EU/EEA: €14,709.00* | For non-EU/EEA students: €19,714.00* (*The institutional tuition fees are still subject to change)
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
What happens in your brain when you act? How is this fascinating, complex ‘micro cosmos’ no bigger than half a football inside your skull organised? If these questions spark your interest, this Master's programme is for you!
Why study Cognitive Neuroscience at Radboud University?
- 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.
We offer several scholarships for Master’s students. Each scholarship comes with its own unique eligibility criteria, and deadline(s) so make sure to check out the page of the scholarship that suits you best for requirements and all the specific details. Please note, that most of these scholarships are not fully funded and only available to non-EU/EEA citizens.
Courses
The Research Master’s programme in Cognitive Neuroscience has a total load of 120 EC (two years).
About this study curriculum
All tracks in the Master's programme have a common basis, but you can personalise the programme to best match your interest by choosing a track and elective courses. The structure of your programme is as follows:
- Compulsory courses (18 EC)
- Advanced Research Methods (6 EC)
- Personal and Professional Development (5 EC)
- Skill training (12 EC)
- Track courses (18 EC)
- Programme electives (6 EC)
- Free electives (10 EC)
- Practial training & Thesis (45 EC)
You can find the tracks and track courses below the schematic overview.
Provisional overview for prospective students
This overview provides an indication of the study programme of the academic year 2026-2027 and is aimed at prospective students. It is subject to change and no rights may be derived from it.
Compulsory courses
- Neuroimaging I
- Trends in CNS
- Neurophilosophy
Advanced Research Methods - Choose 6 EC
- Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience
- Neural Stemcells to Model Neurological Disorders
- Neuroimaging II: Haemodynamic Methods
- Neuroimaging II: Electrophysiology Methods
Personal and Professional Development - Choose 5 EC
- Individual Coaching
- Lab Rotations
- What's Next?
- Workshops, summerschools or individual courses (Examination board approved)
Skill training - Choose 12 EC
- Neuroanatomy
- Basic Math for CNS
- Mathematical Programming Using Matlab
- Adv. Stats in R
- Teaching Skills
- Laboratory Animal Skills
- Math for Neuroimaging
- Academic Writing
Elective courses
Suggested elective courses to choose from - Choose 10 EC
- The Auditory System
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
- Communication in Cognitive Neuroscience
- Capita Selecta Cognitive Neuroscience
- Advanced Machine Learning
- Advanced Computational Neuroscience
For your elective space you may choose any Master's level course. You may thus choose electives from outside your track, or choose to do extra skill training courses, or choose to do courses from other Master's programmes (e.g., Behavioural Science or Artificial Intelligence programmes). If the course is offered by a different university, then it needs to be approved by the examination board.
Thesis & research
- Practical training & Thesis 45 EC