A postgraduate qualification in neuroscience will help you build a deep understanding of how the brain enables us to perceive, think, feel, remember, decide, and behave.
You might examine the nature of attention and perception, explore the workings of emotion and awareness, and dig into the biology of behaviour. You might also study the effects of drugs, the interaction between genes and environment, and the causes of brain disorders.
Available qualifications
A career in research
Set yourself up for a research career in a range of areas including psychology, neuroscience and health and biomedical sciences. You’ll get the knowledge and skills you need through a set of courses, research laboratory rotations and a research thesis.
Use cutting-edge research tools and technology in the School of Psychology’s state-of-the-art neuroscience laboratories. The results of your work might lead to new insights about how the brain and mind work, or to new treatments for mental health disorders.
While studying in the School of Psychology, you’ll join a community with a track record of strong collaborations between students and staff. More than two thirds of publications produced by the School’s academics have one or more students as co-authors.
Master of Science
The MSc in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience is a 2-year programme with two parts. Year 1 is coursework, including a compulsory research preparation course and two compulsory research rotations. Year 2 is research thesis. Year 1 gives you a chance to explore and decide what topic you would like to focus on for your thesis and to broaden your research skills.
A Master’s in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience will give you a strong foundation for further study at the PhD level. Students completing the MSc thesis may also have the option to upgrade to a PhD thesis.
If you enrol in the Master’s but don’t complete the thesis component, you may be awarded the Bachelor of Science with Honours.
PhD study
If you do well in your Master’s research, you can apply to do a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, or in Psychology. You can also upgrade your MSc thesis to a PhD, which you can discuss with your supervisor and the programme director. If you have an Honours degree or equivalent, and want to do a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, you should contact the programme director.
Research topics
View possible topics in the areas of cognitive psychology and brain and behaviour research.
Careers
Prepare yourself for a research career in academia or industry. You might work in a university or research centre, hospital or mental health clinic, or pharmaceutical company.
You might also get a job in fast-growing areas like data science, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, or human performance testing.
Scholarships
You can apply for the Wellington Master’s Scholarship if you’re doing a full-time Master’s.
If you’re doing a PhD you can apply for the Wellington Doctoral Scholarship.
You can also look for scholarships based on your level of study, subject area and background.Search scholarships
Neuroscience
Our main research projects are:
- Development of anti-addiction pharmacotherapies
- Drugs of abuse
- Development of better, safer pain medications
Neurodenegerative Diseases
- Multiple Sclerosis in collaboration with the Cell and Immunobiology research group
Prospective Students
Accepting high-quality students for Masters and PhD projects, please email academic transcripts and CV to Dr Bronwyn Kivell below.
Contact
Dr Bronwyn Kivell
Associate Professor
School of Biological Sciences
- [email protected]
- 04 463 9707
- TTR 317, Te Toki A Rata, Gate 7, Kelburn Parade
The following staff also lead research groups involving neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases:
Dr Melanie McConnell
Group Manager Cell and Molecular Biology
School of Biological Sciences
- [email protected]
- 04 463 8136
- AM 309, Alan Macdiarmid Building, Gate 7, Kelburn Parade
Dr Andrew Munkacsi
Senior Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences
- [email protected]
- 04 463 5171
- AM 322, Alan Macdiarmid Building, Gate 7, Kelburn Parade