Overview

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 programme offers four tracks that coincide with the research themes of the Donders Institute.

Language and Communication
Perception, Action and Decision-making
Development and Lifelong Plasticity
Natural Computing and Neurotechnology

Each track has its own set of six core courses and a student has to complete 18 EC of these courses to complete their track. The entire programme is in English and the tracks share a common ground in the set of general core courses that are mandatory for all students.

Future career opportunities

This Master's programme will give you the qualifications you need to attain a PhD position. The majority 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).

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by the NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish accreditation organisation).

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Programme Structure

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.

Courses include:

Compulsory courses

Neuroimaging I
Trends in CNS
Neurophilosophy

Advanced Research Methods

Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience
Neural Stemcells to Model Neurological Disorders
Neuroimaging II: Haemodynamic Methods

Neuroimaging II: Electrophysiology Methods

Personal and Professional Development

Individual Coaching
Lab Rotations

Workshops, summerschools or individual courses

Skill training

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

The Auditory System
Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
Communication in Cognitive Neuroscience
Capita Selecta Cognitive Neuroscience
Advanced Machine Learning
Advanced Computational Neuroscience

Check out the full curriculum

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Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-01 00:00:00 , EEA/EU
- Apply before 2026-05-01 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-09-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-04-01 00:00:00 , International

More details

EU/EEA: 1st May (with housing support)
Non-EU/EEA: 1st April (with housing support)
31 January for non-EU/EEA students applying for a scholarship

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

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IELTS

7

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Credits

120 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Nijmegen, Netherlands

Disciplines

Neuroscience Cognitive Science View 25 other Masters in Cognitive Science in Netherlands

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

The Master's programme in Cognitive Neuroscience is a selective programme, which means that a selection and placement process applies. The outcome of the assessment of your previous education determines whether you can be admitted to the selection process. You are admissible to the selection process if you have completed a Bachelor's degree in:

Linguistics
Physics
Biology
Medicine
Mathematics
Behavioural Sciences (e.g. Psychology)
Artificial Intelligence

or a related discipline

Language requirements

You need to be fluent in both written and spoken English. Students without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:

Language tests and scores

TOEFL IBT

Minimum score: 100

Subscores: 22

Please note: the TOEFL Home Edition is not accepted.

IELTS Academic

Minimum score: 7.0

Subscores: 6.5

Cambridge C1 Advanced

Minimum score: 185

Subscores: 176

Cambridge C2 proficiency

Minimum score: 185

Subscores: 176

Make sure you meet all requirements

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Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

19714 EUR / year

≈ 19714 EUR / year
EU/EEA Applies to you

Applies to you

EU/EEA Nationals

2695 EUR / year

≈ 2695 EUR / year

Additional Details

Statutory tuition fee €2,695.00 per year
Institutional tuition fee EU/EEA €14,709.00 per year
Institutional tuition fee non-EU/EEA €19,714.00 per year

Living costs

Nijmegen

Netherlands

800 - 1000 EUR / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Radboud Scholarship Programme

The Radboud Scholarship Programme offers talented, highly motivated, non-EU/EEA students with outstanding study results the opportunity to be awarded a partial scholarship for an English-taught Master’s programme.

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is a partial scholarship for non-EU/EEA students who want to do their Master’s in the Netherlands.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

The Fulbright Commission, sponsored by Radboud University, is offering scholarships for talented American students to study at Radboud University.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Cognitive Neuroscience (Research).

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Future career opportunities

Accreditation

Get more details

Programme Structure

Check out the full curriculum

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

Explore more key information

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Make sure you meet all requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

EU/EEA Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Nijmegen

Funding

Radboud Scholarship Programme

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

Check for any work restrictions

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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