MSc Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience examines the biological processes that help us to understand complex mental functions such as memory, language, emotion, perception, attention and consciousness.

While psychology focuses on understanding the structure of the mind through behavioural experiments, neuroscience concentrates mainly on cellular and molecular mechanisms of the brain.

Our course gives you unique access to the York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC) where you'll have opportunities for hands-on experience of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). You'll learn how to design, analyse and evaluate neuroimaging experiments, and see how they contribute to our understanding of brain mechanisms.

Course content

By placing neuroimaging in the wider context of cognitive neuroscientific research, our modules introduce you to the principles and design of neuroimaging, and the specialist methods required for the analysis of data gathered from experiments.

Your research project will enable you to participate in the design and implementation of a piece of pure or applied research in cognitive neuroscience. You'll receive hands-on training in advanced brain imaging methods - some of which are being developed at York.

Careers and skills

This MSc will enhance your transferable skills as well as the skills required for careers in a range of industries. A high proportion of our graduates go on to complete PhDs in neuroimaging, psychology or neuropsychology. Others gain further research experience before undertaking a PhD or training in Clinical Psychology; or find work as Assistant Psychologists and Research Assistants.

The Department's Employability Coordinator works closely with the University careers service, which offers our students an additional range of career and recruitment events, skills sessions and one-to-one advice.