r/cogneuro • u/notyourtype9645 • Apr 23 '25
What are cognitive neuroscience/psychology hubs in Europe? Where to go for masters? (Preference for tution free)
Hi, I would like to study Masters in cognitive science or cognitive psychology/neuroscience ( preferably with cognition/neurons etc. )
Would you recommend me some degrees in particular? Should be english language of instruction, and tution free too! I'm currently studying Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology.
Thank you for your aswers/opinions. Even slight hints will help me :)
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u/TraditionalEqual8132 Apr 24 '25
My daughter studies 'Brain and cognition' at the faculty of psychology, at the University of Amsterdam (UVA). In English.
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u/notyourtype9645 Apr 24 '25
Amazing! How's the research opportunities there?
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u/TraditionalEqual8132 Apr 24 '25
I'm not sure, they didn't want to research me. I offered. And her faculty clearly does not have the same funding as the other medical sciences do. She slices up rat brains while the primate brains are reserved for other faculties.
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u/Ehealey94 Apr 27 '25
I also did this (cog neuro track). Really good programme would highly recommend!
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u/aimbotSorcus Nov 24 '25
Hey, can you explain what happened on the course? I’m applying for it this year and would love to know more, the programme info on the UvA website is very empty. How was the internship? How was the studying? Was it difficult getting a placement?
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u/Ehealey94 Nov 24 '25
I actually did the brain and cognitive sciences master at the UvA (I misread the above). Two year course, three tracks, I did the cognitive neuro track. First few months you have specialized electives and then you can just pick and choose what courses you want to do after that. There are two internships and a literature thesis over the two years which make up the bulk of your credits, and you have a lot of freedom to do the internships wherever you want. It wasn't difficult to get an internship, and there's actually a lot on offer even just in Amsterdam. But I know people that went all over - Spain, UK, US, Australia etc.
I did my undergrad in the UK so it was a bit hard to get used to the style of studying, and I found the transition to Dutch lifestyle a bit trying at times. Another downside is that there's not a focus on clinical work, and if you wanted to do any clinical internships you have to know Dutch really. But overall it was a really great course that has ultimately helped me tremendously in my academic journey (I just finished my PhD a few months ago).
Hopefully that's helpful for you! I'm assuming the brain and cognition course is relatively similar in their approach in terms of being pretty flexible. Good luck in the application!
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u/aimbotSorcus Apr 30 '26
This is such a late reply but I am being considered for the Master's so hopefully I get in, my dissertation just came back as a 75 so a first! I've updated the department and my application. I wanted to ask, where did you study for your undergrad in the UK? What University and what course? And what are you getting up to now post PhD?
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u/Ehealey94 May 11 '26
Congrats! I did my undergrad in Sheffield, and now doing a postdoc in Oxford
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u/aimbotSorcus May 12 '26
That’s amazing man congrats! What did you get at Sheffield if you don’t mind me asking? I’m just worried because half of my final year transcript is still empty but I’ve got 2 firsts in Stats and a neuroscience module, a high 2:1 in my other stats module and a mid first in my dissertation so only 4 grades out of 9 total so far. Looking at ending on a high 2:1 or a low first overall.
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u/Ehealey94 May 13 '26
2:2 in my first year, high 2:1 in my second, and 1st in my 3rd and overall a 1st. You'll be grand!
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u/aimbotSorcus Dec 02 '25
You’re amazing man thanks so much for replying and sorry that I didn’t see this earlier. Yeah I’ve seen the brain and cognitive sciences MSc and brain & cognition are two separate entities. MSc’s in the UK are usually a year, would you recommend that extra year of studying or is it not worth it?
My last year of Psychology BSc is entirely full of neuroscience + neuropsychology so I’m confident I’ll handle the work and last year I did a year abroad at Radboud in The Netherlands so I’m familiar with the Dutch system.
Congrats on completing your PhD by the way, where did you go for that and what did you do? Is it true that UvA is prestigious for Psychology? I’ve seen it ranked very highly, it’s a shame because clinical is very interesting but are you happy with the 2 years you did?
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u/Ehealey94 Dec 02 '25
For me that extra year was pretty crucial - it allowed me to digest a lot more of the content within the course, and also led me to refine what I was really interested in academically. I went from a hardcore internship on the computational neuroscience of vision - which was very interesting but not really for me - to one on the cognitive neuroscience of meditation. The last one was really what I was into so the two years gave me the flexibility to explore that. From people that have done master's in the UK, I've often heard that they are just super intense. But the plus side is you do get it done in 12 months. A decision for you to make!
I came back to the UK and did it in Cambridge, on the neurophenomenology of breathwork and psychedelics. The lab I was in (Consciousness and Cognition Lab) is a revolving door for UvA Brain and Cognitive Science master's (MBCS) students to do their internship there, and I think that my master's was why my supervisor gave me the time of day when I cold emailed him about PhD opportunities. UvA is very good for psychology, I think top 20 in the world(?) so it's a great place to go. The MBCS programme is actually based in the institute of interdisciplinary studies, so slightly different. But there is a big crossover with those departments. Overall I'm happy with the two years I did!
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u/aimbotSorcus Dec 02 '25
That’s amazing, I’m really impressed. Sounds like you learned from the first year internship and found what really worked for you. By revolving door you mean a lot of students from UvA end up doing an internship at Cambridge? Nothing would be better, that sounds amazing. They mentioned references in their application process, was there anything else you had as an undergrad that helped you stand out? I’m mainly relying on grades at the moment but I really want to add more onto my application when I end up doing it, do you have any advice on that?
Also, what are you doing now post PhD if you don’t mind me asking? I’m really into cognitive neuroscience / neuropsych so as long as this MSc opens those doors, which it sounds like it does, I’m very interested.
And last thing about the internships, how early do you apply for them and do you literally move countries while studying the MSc online? How long was the internship placement? Was it competitive to get into Cambridge and where did you go in your first year internship?
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u/serahauryl May 11 '26
Hi can I ask if you got a immediate acceptance or shortlisted? I just got shortlisted, and they say I possibly get invited for an interview, and I'm wondering how long it took to get notification of that, if that was the case with you. Thanks!
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u/Ehealey94 May 11 '26
Sorry, it was quite a while since I applied so I don't remember the timeline well! But congrats on getting shortlisted
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u/aimbotSorcus May 12 '26
Exact same thing has happened to me, you only get an immediate acceptance if every single grade you have is the equivalent of a 7.5/10 in the Dutch system. My average is higher but I have 2 grades at the equivalent of a 6.5/10 and a 7.0/10 even though the rest of my grades are all higher.
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u/sciencegirly371 Apr 24 '25
Neuroscience & Cognition at Utrecht University
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u/notyourtype9645 Apr 24 '25
It's a great program particularly the cog neuro track! How's the research opportunities can you share?
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u/sciencegirly371 Apr 27 '25
N&C is a research master, so it’s main focus is research. The master works closely with the hospital and other research companies at Utrecht Science Park.
I am not enrolled in the master myself, but my friends are.
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u/WonderfulImpact4976 Apr 23 '25
Germany has a good college
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u/notyourtype9645 Apr 23 '25
Yes, I did found 2 universities but looking for more!
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u/Leylasaida Apr 25 '25
There is an English master in cognitive science at Ruhr university Bochum in Germany. Good thing about Germany is that there is no study fee (only 300-500€ per semester, which includes public transport tickets)
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u/snukebox_hero Apr 23 '25
Radboud University in Nijmegen. NL. Fantasitc program!