Master's Degree Programme in Human Neuroscience

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Do you have the brain and mind for human neuroscience?

The Master's Degree Programme in Human Neuroscience educates future experts to understand and measure human brain function and performance.

Students of the Master’s Degree Programme in Human Neuroscience will get a deep understanding of human brain function. They will learn non-invasive imaging methods to investigate brain activation and structure as well as behavioural methods to measure human cognition and performance. The Programme gives a strong foundation to work as a human neuroscience expert in various industries requiring knowledge and skills to tackle the complex brain-behaviour issues. Graduates are expected to find jobs, for example, in drug development, in companies developing novel health and game products, and in customised marketing research. The Programme also gives a strong basis to continue studies towards a PhD.

Programme Structure

The extent of the Master’s Degree Programme is 120 ECTS to be completed in two years. The studies consist of brain imaging methods (20 ECTS), clinical neuroscience (25 ECTS), behavioural methods to measure human cognition, perception, consciousness and performance (15 ECTS), other studies (20 ECTS) and a Master’s thesis (40 ECTS). All programme parts contain lectures, group work, independent studies and practical exercises. The Programme requires a basic understanding of key neuroscience concepts. Depending on previous study history, this may require completion of introductory neuroscience courses during the first semester.

Academic Excellence & Experience

The University of Turku (est. 1640) is among the top one per cent of all universities in the world. Turku is well known particularly for its PET Centre which provides several state-of-art PET and MRI scanners for human studies. With a long research tradition in neuroscience, strong research groups and excellent facilities, Turku is a great place to study neuroscience. Turku has a unique, compact campus area with two universities, a university hospital and a strong cluster of medical and technology companies nearby, which creates an inspiring environment to study and work.

The Programme is run by the Turku Brain and Mind Center (TBMC) in collaboration with experts from three faculties (Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences). TBMC provides a multidisciplinary context for comprehensive theoretical and practical education in human neurosciences. The University of Turku has excellent research facilities for non-invasive brain imaging including PET, MRI, fMRI, EEG, TMS, and optical imaging. Researchers of TMBC have a wide network of connections within the Turku area, in Finland and internationally. This provides the students with sample opportunities to work and learn in practical research projects.

Master's Thesis & Topics

Master’s thesis (40 ECTS) is an important part of the Programme’s curriculum. Students will write a research plan, participate in a research seminar, conduct practical research work and write a theoretical report of their results. The thesis will be based on analyses of behavioural and/or brain-imaging data conducted in collaboration with research groups or companies in the Turku area or elsewhere.

Competence Description

In the Master’s Degree Programme you will

• Learn to understand and measure complex brain functions at a systems level¨.
• Learn to measure human cognition, perception and behaviour.
• Learn to integrate brain-level and behavioural measurements to investigate human performance in different contexts.
• Gain knowledge and skills suitable for pursuing a scientific career.
• Design and manage your research project.
• Analyse behavioural and imaging data.
• Work in international and interdisciplinary research groups.

Job Options

The interdisciplinary Master’s Degree Programme in Human Neuroscience provides you with broad knowledge to use behavioural methods, non-invasive brain imaging and structural brain measures as indices of the complex brain-behaviour relationship in different settings.

The Programme gives a strong basis to pursue a career as a human neuroscience expert. For example, graduates of the Programme can:

• Work in medical companies and drug development.
• Work in health and game industries.
• Continue studies and research towards a PhD.

Career in Research

Master of Science degree provides you with eligibility for PhD studies. Graduates from the Programme are eligible to apply for a position in the University of Turku Graduate School, UTUGS. The Graduate School consists of doctoral programmes, which cover all disciplines and doctoral candidates of the University.

Entry Requirements

General Admission Requirements

General Requirement

You are an eligible applicant for Master’s-level studies if:

• you have a nationally recognized first cycle degree – normally a Bachelor’s degree – from an accredited institution of higher education,
• your degree corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (European credits) or to three years of full-time study,
• your degree is in a relevant field for the Master’s degree programme that you’re applying to. Please check the programme page for detailed degree requirements.

Language Requirements

Applicants must have excellent English language skills and a certificate that proves those skills. You can indicate your language skills by taking one of the internationally recognized English language tests.

Applicants must reach the minimum required test results to be considered eligible to the University of Turku. No exceptions will be made. Read more about the language requirements here.

Programme-specific Admission Requirements

The letter of motivation is a very important document in the application process. Please prepare it carefully and describe the following:

• Your plans and goals; why human neuroscience?
• The relevancy of your study history including previous studies in neuroscience
• Knowledge and studies in statistics and/or mathematics
• Skills in programming and experience in using data analysis tools
• English skills; scientific writing

The motivation letter should be less 2000 characters (including spaces) long. Please note that the motivation letter may be checked for plagiarism.

Applications meeting the general requirements will be ranked based on the following components:

• Previous studies and their relevancy for the programme
• Previous academic success
• Motivation letter

Highest-ranking applicants will be invited for an interview (Skype).

The interview performance will be separately scored.

Here you will find more information on how and when to apply to the University of Turku and about our scholarships options.