Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience MPhil/PhD

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Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

£6,035

£3,015

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

£34,400

£17,200

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2024

Applications accepted

All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – Closing date to be confirmed

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree or a taught UK Master's degree in a relevant subject from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

果冻影院 Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at 果冻影院. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when 果冻影院 representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Researchers at the ICN examine how the human brain accomplishes perception, memory, cognition, language, consciousness and action. A leading principle is the tight integration of behavioural methods with various cutting-edge approaches to record and manipulate ongoing brain activity. Our research has strong translational implications for the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as education, across the lifespan.

Who this course is for

If you are fascinated by cognitive neuroscience and want to pursue a career in research, you may wish to consider doing a PhD after your undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

Before applying for a PhD, you need to decide on a topic. This might be something you have already developed an interest in one during your undergraduate or Master's degree. Alternatively, you may want to get some ideas by taking a look at the research conducted by our academic staff.

Read about what it takes to become a 果冻影院 graduate research student

What this course will give you

The key benefit of studying cognitive neuroscience at 果冻影院 is the outstanding research environment to which students have access. This includes the many 果冻影院 academics who are world experts in their respective fields; the taught courses offered by these members of staff; a large number of visiting speakers and also numerous workshops, summer schools and locally organised conferences.

An additional reason to study cognitive neuroscience at the ICN is the high quality of fellow students that come from a range of different backgrounds. This creates a stimulating research environment.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Many锘� graduating PhD students have gone on to postdoctoral positions in leading universities such as 果冻影院, Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, and 果冻影院A and the University of California, Berkeley in the USA. Others have gone on to work in industry and professional roles.

Employability

Completing a PhD demonstrates a high level of analytic, communication, and technical skills. These skills are valuable both within and outside academia.

Networking

PhD students at the ICN participate in peer-led forums with the opportunity to network with other students across 果冻影院 departments and present their work in a supportive environment. The ICN also hosts a weekly seminar series with prominent international speakers presenting cutting-edge research. PhD students are encouraged to attend the seminars and meet for informal discussion with the speakers.

Teaching and learning

PhD research involves a wide variety of teaching and learning methods, but ultimately your self-directed research activities will be key. You can expect to be supported in developing research skills by your supervisory team, as well as a Thesis Committee who will guide you through the PhD.

There are two key assessments during a PhD programme. The first is the MPhil-to-PhD upgrade which takes place mid-way through the programme. This involves presenting your initial research to a panel and discussing it with them. If the upgrade is successful, your status changes from being a MPhil to a PhD student. The second key assessment is the final PhD examination, which involves a viva examination where you discuss your research with relevant experts.

A PhD consists mostly of self-directed research, however you can expect to meet regularly with your supervisory team and participate in the equivalent of at least 10 days of training activities per year.

Research areas and structure

Cognitive neurology
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive neuropsychiatry

Areas of human cognition studied include:

Research environment

We are ranked first for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), with more than two thirds of our research in these areas rated as world-leading (4*).

The MPhil/PhD programme commences in late September/early October. As a research student in the Division you will find yourself using 'state-of-the-art' techniques in a very active research environment. You will be part of a lively and friendly group of graduates. There is a wide range of technical assistance available when needed, as well as library and computing facilities.

果冻影院 regulations require that initial registration as a research student is for an MPhil degree. If satisfactory progress is demonstrated a student's registration is 'upgraded' to PhD. As part of the programme students take a range of courses designed to equip them for research. In particular, they take a selection of research methods courses appropriate for different backgrounds, designed to help them develop key research skills, such as the ability to evaluate critically the literature in an area or to perform advanced statistical analyses.

The full-time PhD typically lasts for 3 years, including the time registered as an MPhil student, and if the thesis is not submitted within this time then students may register as Completing Research Students (CRS) for 1 additional year.

The part-time PhD typically lasts for 5 years, including the time registered as an MPhil student, and if the thesis is not submitted within this time then students may register as Completing Research Students (CRS) for 1 additional year.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of 果冻影院 buildings can be obtained from . Further information can also be obtained from the 果冻影院 Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£6,035	£3,015
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£34,400	£17,200

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the 果冻影院 Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Funding may be available from UK Research Councils, teaching assistant studentships (demonstratorships), and 果冻影院 graduate research scholarships.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at 果冻影院, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Research degrees may start at any time of the year, but typically start in September. The deadline to be considered for fellowship funding will be early January for all students. Further applications can be considered after this point, but will not be eligible to be proposed for the funding opportunities we can offer such as 果冻影院 graduate research scholarships. Students who wish to be considered for funding are advised to contact a potential supervisor well in advance of this deadline.

You should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. Please see the research groups and email the group leader whose areas of research most closely match your own interests.

For more information see our PhD Programmes听辫补驳别.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Apply for this course

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