Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies

Research Master's in
Brain and Cognitive Sciences

MASTER
2016-2017

WWW.UVA.NL/RMBCS

The Research Master'sin Brain and Cognitive Sciences

isan ambitious, two-year programme andunique in its
interdisciplinary perspective on cognition.The
programme examines cognition from the level of
molecules up to the behavioural level.
This Master's programme has close links with the
Amsterdam Brain and Cognition centre (ABC), a
partnership of several UvA research institutes. The
cognition research teams include psychologists,
neurobiologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, behavioural
economists, logicians and linguists.

FACTS & FIGURES

DegreeMScBrain and Cognitive
Sciences
Duration: 2 years, full-time
Starts in: September
Application deadlines
- Dutch and EU students: April 1
- Non-EU students: February 1
Tuition feesper year
- 1,951 (EEA)
- 12,000 (non-EEA)*

RESEARCH MASTER'S IN BRAIN AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES INTERDISCIPLINARY MASTER'S

VIBRANT STUDENT COMMUNITY PART OF THE INSTITUTE FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
STIMULATES STUDENTS TO DEAL WITH COMPLEX PROBLEMS THAT CROSS THE BOUNDARIES OF
ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES CLOSE CONNECTIONS WITH THE COGNITIVE FIELD AND THE AMSTERDAM
BRAIN AND COGNITION CENTRE

Prof.Henkjan Honing
Professor in Music Cognition

'From its beginnings, cognitive science has been an interdisciplinary endeavor - bringing
together fields like mathematics, linguistics, psychology and physiology - and its toolkit
has expanded to include neuroscience, computational science and biology. These
different fields together increase our understanding of cognition, reaching out to a rich
palette of domains, including language and music.During my years of teaching Music
Cognition in the Research Master's in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, I've had the pleasure
of working with highly motivated, academically diverse students. The students also play
an important, positive role in the labs. They actively contribute to ongoing work during
their research projects, and help shed light on cognition and its neural underpinnings. The
importance of this is underlined by the fact that Brain & Cognition, grouped under the
Amsterdam Brain & Cognition (ABC) centre, is one of the UvA's research priority areas. If
you enjoy being challenged and contributing to an important, interdisciplinary field, this
Research Master's programme is a wise choice.'

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Interdisciplinary approach
The Research Masters programme is interdisciplinary.
Interdisciplinarity is about creating something new,
crossing boundaries. You get the opportunity to
express your intellectual interests and academic
creativity and discover new ways of developing
knowledge. You will work together withpeers from
various backgrounds, attend lectures by a broad array
of scientists and develop yourself as a critical researcher
who understands other disciplines.

Curriculum
You will receive high-quality teaching at a
universitywith a solid research record, ensuring that
your studieswill be relevant,
up to date and challenging.
BECOME A
The programme investigates
CRITICAL
the full range of brain and
THINKER AND mind functioning at the
CROSS
highest possible level in a
BOUNDARIES stimulating academic setting.

The interdisciplinary approach is based on the premise

that top-level training in these interrelated disciplines
requires a basic understanding of developments in
other areas of cognitive science. For example, in order
to understand a cognitive function such as human
memory, neuroscientists need to be familiar with
behavioural aspects of memory and developments in
building artificial memory systems. Similarly, cognitive
psychologists need a basic understanding of how
information is coded in the brain.

You will participate in a core curriculum that includes

a kick-off week in which milestones, promises and
pitfalls are discussed. In addition, you will conduct
two research projects and a literature review and follow
specialised courses, resulting in a curriculum that is
tailor-made for your individual ambitions. A year-long
course develops skills that are especially important for
interdisciplinary research, such as collaboration and
critical thinking.

The Master'sis structured around three different, but intertwined

directions, all of which offer the opportunityto conduct research under the
supervision of scientists in internationally renowned research groups.
Together, the three directions - Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognitive
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science - span the entire spectrum from basic
neuroscience to higher-level cognitive functions. You can change your
direction within the programme, combining courses in a way that matches
your individual preferences.

ELINE KUPERS
Student

BehaviouralNeuroscience
The Behavioural Neuroscience path covers the molecular and
cellularaspects of brain processes in relationto behaviour. It includes
neuroanatomy,development of the brain,creation and functioning of
thesynapses and cognitive processes like memory, visual plasticity, stress
andfear.
CognitiveNeuroscience
The Cognitive Neuroscience path is firmly rooted in biology and
psychology and focuses on howthe brain processes information to
facilitate complex cognitive functions.Apart from the fundamental
neurosciencedisciplines, the areas of brainimaging, systems
neurophysiologyand computation are also strongly
represented.

'I like the fact that the Research Master's

in Brain and Cognitive Sciencesoffers an
international and interdisciplinary
programme, in which I am given much
freedom to arrange the programme

Cognitive Science
The Cognitive Science path cutsacross traditional disciplinary
boundaries to investigate humaninformation processing atthe behavioural
level but with respect to the neural correlates. You will learnabout the
fundamental processes inmemory, attention, perception andaction, and
explore their relation to the cognitive abilities underlyinglanguage,
reasoning and music.
Research
There are two research projects in the Master's programme, one in the first
year and one in the second year. The projects can be conducted at one of
the UvA's research groups, within the Netherlands and abroad.

according to my own preferences.

Whether you want to gain a lot of

I AM
SURROUNDED
BY THE
ROCKSTARS
OF SCIENCE

practical
skills or more
theoretical
knowledge,
its all
possible.
I started my

second research internship at New York

University: a nerve center of knowledge
and academics. Yes, besides craziness, NYC
offers serious science too. You can fill your
whole day by attending seminars and
lectures, and people are more than willing
to help in their own time if you have a
question or want to learn something new.
Rockstars of science live here, around the
corner of the suite where I am working on
my thesis. Joseph LeDoux, Anthony
Movshon, and Elizabeth Phelps are just a
few steps away. Or do you want to
practice your Dutch? Take the train to
Princeton and try to meet Robbert
Dijkgraaf.'

CONTACT
For more information on the
Master's Brain and Cognitive
Sciences, pleasevisit thewebsite:
www.uva.nl/rmbcs
For programme-specific
questions, contact the assistant
programme manager:
info-mcs@uva.nl
Institute for Interdisciplinairy
Studies (IIS)
Science Park 904
1098 XH Amsterdam
T: +31 (0)20 525 5190
www.iis.uva.nl

Career prospects
As a graduate of this programme, you can apply to a wide range of PhD
programmes in the field of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.The
interdisciplinary training provided in the Masters programme gives youa
competitive advantage when applying for these PhD programmes. Almost
70% of our graduates go on to pursue careers in academia.
For positions outside academia, youare well prepared to work in research
and development (R&D) departments of companies or to work in
government, consulting, teaching or management. In these settings, your
in-depth analytical training, methodological skills and willingness to
challenge established views and technologies are a strongasset when
applying for a position.

Application
Brain and Cognitive Sciences is a selective Research Masters programme
accepting 60 students per year (20 per track). The applicants must hold a
Bachelors degree(or equivalent) that is relevant tothe pathof their choice.
Admission is granted based on grade point average,motivation, content of
prior coursework, references,extracurricular activities and proficiency in
the English language. Interest in interdisciplinary education and research
are also taken into account.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

(CSCA - UvA)

CREDITS
UvA, October 2015
Design:Nancy Koot
Photography: Dirk Gillissen, Maarten
Scuth, Osira Verspyck,Marcel van
Gaalen,Flickr
2015 University of Amsterdam
No rights scan be derived from the
contents of this brochure.
* Tuition fees listed are for 2015-2016.
For updates, see: uva.nl/tuition