Overview
Data capture and analysis techniques to understand brain-behaviour relationships are continually emerging, creating a need for in-depth knowledge of neuroscience methods and their applications to understand brain function when healthy through cognitive neuroscience, and when disease strikes through clinical neuroscience.
The development of new strategies combined with the availability of large cognitve, neuroimaging and genetic data sets from healthy and clinical populations from different parts of the world have created a need for trained individuals to use these resources for scientific advancement and to improve human health. The Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience MSc has been designed to address this need.
On this course, you will develop a detailed understanding of the historical and contemporary concepts and theories underpinning our current understanding of human brain-behaviour, innovative neuroscience methods and their application to understand brain function, and the core cognitive and affective processes and associated neurology. You will also be equipped with specialised analytical skills that will allow you to assess and interpret neuropsychological function in healthy and clinical populations, and will be able to report research evidence as a result.
Whilst studying either one year full-time or two years part-time, you will be taught by a multidisciplinary team of experts including psychologists, psychophysiologists, neuroimaging researchers and clinical scientists. The academics teaching the course are making advances in cognitive and clinical neuroscience, and will lead with their research so you will receive the most up-to-date knowledge in this field.
You will learn innovative neuroscience methods and gain hands-on experience with our fMRI and MRI scanners to study brain function in health and disease. You will also have opportunities to interact with renowned local, national and international experts in the field through Brunel's research centre, the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN).
Dean’s International Scholarship: This course is eligible for a £2,000 fee waiver, per academic year, subject to availability. This Scholarship is for full-time international students only. Find out more.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
The Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience MSc consists of a variety of optional modules alongside a compulsory dissertation. This course has been designed to give the most up-to-date knowledge in neuroscience methods and their applications in the understanding of brain function in health and disease.
Compulsory
- Introduction to Psychological ScienceThis module introduces students to the principles and scientific foundations of psychology. Students will learn a conceptual overview of how psychology has developed as an academic discipline and will understand the the principle research methodologies used in psychological research.
- Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience: Core TopicsThis module aims to provide an in-depth knowledge of the core cognitive and affective processes and the neural networks implicated in these processes, to provide a sound understanding of specific cognitive and brain dysfunctions in neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism or schizophrenia, and to provide an insight into the role of genetics and individual differences in cognitive and brain functions and the continuum theories of psychopathology.
- Cognitive Psychopharmacology and Addiction
- Cognitive Rehabilitation and Plasticity
- Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology
- Neuroscience Methods: Theory and Practice
- Dissertation in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience
This course can be studied 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, starting in September.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
Completing this exciting programme will equip you with skills and knowledge that prepare you for a range of PhD opportunities in cognitive and clinical areas of psychology, neuropsychology and neuroscience. It is also good preparation for some other forms of postgraduate training, and students seeking careers in data analysis and certain allied health care professions.
Moreover, the programme equips students with a range of transferable critical thinking, communication and analytic skills relevant to a wide range of employment contexts.
If you have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (e.g. by having completed a BPS accredited undergraduate degree) then this MSc programme could help strengthen an application for further study on BPS accredited practitioner psychologist training programmes.
However, please note that completion of this MSc does not confer GBC. If you are interested in obtaining GBC please consider our accredited MSc Psychological Science (Conversion) programme.
During the MSc you will have access to Brunel's Personal Development Centre where personalised careers advice and practical guidance, e.g. interview skills, can be obtained.
UK entry requirements
A UK (2:2) Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in the field of Psychology, Neuroscience or related subjects (Biological sciences, Computer Science) as single honours or major components of joint honours degree.
An undergraduate degree in Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, professions allied to Medicine or Biomedical Science (upper second class honours or above) is also considered.
Applicants with other degrees, and/or with relevant work experience, will be considered on an individual basis.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£12,650 full-time
£6,325 part-time
International
£23,615 full-time
£11,805 part-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Teaching will be on campus to help you build a sense of belonging to a thriving psychology community.
A full programme of teaching for all modules / study blocks will be delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and practical sessions taking place on campus. Lectures will be recorded, with recordings made available after the session has taken place. Seminars, workshops and practical sessions may not be recorded. This will be at the discretion of the session leader, depending on the nature of the content and activities. For example, it is not feasible to record some interactive activities and group work and in other cases recording might inhibit student discussions. However, in the event a session is not recorded, we will make the teaching materials, used in the session, available to students online.
To supplement our full timetable of on-campus teaching, learning will be supported with a range of resources on our new Brightspace Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) including, for example, videos, interactive activities and quizzes. Module / block leaders may offer additional briefing, revision, and/or Q&A sessions on online platforms where appropriate.
Feedback & consultation hours, personal tutoring hours, and project supervision discussions will be offered both in-person on-campus and via online platforms. This will allow you to easily receive feedback, advice and guidance without having to travel to campus on a day that you might otherwise not be attending.
Please note that while recordings and online resources will help if you are unable to attend a particular teaching session, learning from the online materials only will not be an adequate substitute for certain aspects of the in-person learning experience. For example, online learning will not be able to replace the experience of being an active participant in a lively in-person seminar discussion on campus. Keep in mind that this is a campus-based degree programme, not an online programme – and attendance on campus will be essential for some events (e.g. for examinations).
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
The Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience MSc is taught by a team of interdisciplinary academics including psychologists, psychophysiologists, neuroimaging researchers and clinical scientists, all of whom are heavily involved in research. This research feeds into their teaching, and they will be on hand to offer pastoral support during your studies.
Teaching is carried out through a series of lectures, seminars, group discussions, practical workshops and lab classes, as well as guided independent study. Research skills will be developed through one-to-one supervised work on a dissertation project.
Additional practical skills in the use of neuroscience modalities and research will be developed through lab classes, web-based materials, and self-directed learning.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
You will be assessed through coursework essays, written examinations including essays and multiple choice questions, laboratory practical reports, oral and poster presentations, and a research dissertation.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.