The University of Edinburgh – College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Integrative Neuroscience MScR

• 19th in the world for Life Sciences & Medicine (QS World University Rankings by subject 2025).
• Top 10 in the UK for the employability of our graduates (Times Higher Education, Global Employability University Rankings 2025).

• To gain an overview of neuroscience as a discipline.
• To gain experience and exposure to contemporary methods and techniques used in neuroscience research.
• To gain instruction in good laboratory practice.
• To gain training in a quantitative approach to the investigation of problems in neuroscience.
• To be trained and practice in analysis and oral presentation of scientific data and research papers.
• To be able to design, execute and report original research.

This MScR programme is a full-time, 12-month programme, beginning in September and ending in August the following year. Successful MScR candidates graduate in November/December of the following year.

You are required to be on campus from the Monday of Week 1 of Semester 1. We recommend that you also attend Welcome Week, which is the week prior to Week 1 of Semester 1.

Our MSc includes:

• A taught component from September to December, which includes lectures on many different areas of neuroscience, specialist option courses, and generic skills training.
• Two 12-week research projects between January and August, or one 24-week research project.

Semester 1, Taught (September – December)

This MScR has a taught component with a compulsory 'Review of Neuroscience' course (themed weeks) running in parallel with option courses. You will also develop core skills, including data analysis and statistics.

Review of Neuroscience course

This compulsory course, which runs across Semester 1, covers topics in many different areas of neuroscience, such as:

• neural development
• neurodegeneration and regeneration
• synaptic physiology
• C. elegans as a model in neuroscience
• neural circuits for cognition
• motor disorders
• neuroscience of pain and touch
• cognitive neurology
• neuroimaging
• neuroinformatics

Option courses

You will take one of four option courses, allowing you to specialise in a particular area of interest.

Option courses run on two half days a week. These courses provide a deeper insight into the concepts and methodology of a specific field of interest.

Option courses may include:

• neural dynamics
• neurobiology of behaviour
• neurodegeneration and regeneration
• neurodevelopment disorders

Option course availability will be subject to student numbers. While every attempt will be made to allocate you to your preferred course choice, we cannot guarantee this if demand is high.

We encourage you to check the course details for timetabling and location information, as courses are taught at a number of sites across the University.

Core skills training

You will develop core skills, including experimental design, data analysis and statistics. There will be additional sessions to help you understand the ethical and legal framework under which animal research is conducted in the UK.

Semester 2 and Summer, Research projects (January - August)

Between January and August, you will conduct either two 12-week or one 24-week neuroscience research project.

You may choose from the available projects or contact principal investigators from the Edinburgh Neuroscience community to arrange a project. The Edinburgh Neuroscience community comprises more than 150 world-leading neuroscience groups covering interests spanning different levels of analysis, from genes to cognition, across the life course, in health and disease.

There is no need to arrange projects in advance, as projects will be advertised after the start of the programme.

Research Project 1 (January – April)

By the end of Semester 1, you will have arranged your first 12-week project. This project may continue as Project 2, effectively making it a 24-week project. Alternatively, you can start a new project for Project 2.

There are two assessments related to Project 1:

• research proposal: in the research area of Project 1, and building on training in experimental design
• poster presentation: summarising the research conducted during Project 1

Research Project 2 (May to August)

During the Summer period, you will commence a second project or continue with Project 1.

There are two assessments related to Project 2:

• dissertation
• oral presentation summarising your research project

Neuroscience Conference

During the programme, you will have the opportunity to attend a neuroscience conference. This is usually the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Festival of Neuroscience or the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum, which are held in alternating years.

Field trip

In Semester 1, there will be a trip to foster team building. This will allow you to meet and interact with other students early in the programme. It will also provide an opportunity to focus on training in group work and presentations.

Assessment

Learning objectives and assessments are structured so that you are encouraged to produce everything a working scientist would be asked for in their research, including:

• group poster presentation
• short review of a topical research paper in neuroscience
• poster and oral presentations
• research proposal
• dissertation

This programme is designed to help you develop a career in research. Many graduates proceed to study PhDs in Edinburgh and elsewhere. Positive next destinations also include medical study, teaching and research assistant posts or science communication roles.

Graduates from the University of Edinburgh are highly sought after due to our reputation for academic excellence and our rigorous, research-oriented programmes. This recognition opens doors to international career opportunities and collaborations in the neuroscience field.