The Master program has two pillars:
- the neuroscience courses with compulsory in methodology, neurobiology and affective and cognitive neurosciences and various optional courses for 36 ECTS
- a long-term research project in a laboratory (at least 3 semesters) for 84 ECTS
Cellular and moleclular neurobiology
Cognitive and affective neuroscience
Neuropsychology
Techniques for investigating brain functions
Statistics, programming, data science, computational neuroscience
(among a choice of about 30 courses)
Study Duration : 4 semesters Start Date : Fall term Important : Students are doing in the same time both the research project and courses. Student are expected to be at full-time in their laboratory outside class hours, so 2 days a week in the semesters 1 and 2 and 4 days a week in the semesters 3 and 4.
Show the detailed study plan
(subject to changes)
Courses are jointly proposed by the faculty of Medicine, the faculty of Psychology and Educational sciences (FPSE), the faculty of Science, and the faculty of economics (GSEM).
SEMESTER 1 - TEACHING
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24N01 | Principles of neurobiology (mandatory) | Daniel Huber | Medicine (Neurocenter) | English | 6 | Fall, Tu and We 16:00-18:00 |
| 24N05 | Techniques for investigating brain functions (mandatory) | Alexi Hervais-Adelman | Medicine (Neurocenter) | English | 3 | Fall, Th 16:00-18:00 |
| 24N20 | Introduction to programing for neuroscientist (mandatory) | Guillaume Chanel | Faculty of Medicine (Neurocenter) | English | 3 | Fall, Th 8:15-10:00 |
| Total | 12 |
SEMESTER 1 - RESEARCH PROJECT
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lab Practical Work | 15 | 2 days a week | ||||
| 24N27 | Lab life and experimental design | English | 3 | |||
| Total | 18 |
SEMESTER 2 - TEACHING
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24N03 | Introduction to cognitive and affective neuroscience (mandatory) | Patrik Vuilleumier | Medicine (Neurocenter) | English | 3 | Spring, Fr 10:00-12:00 |
| 24N10 | Cognitive and clinical neuropsychology (mandatory) | Radek Ptak | Medicine (Neurocenter) | English | 3 | Spring, We 16:00-18:00 |
| 24N18 | Introduction to applied statistics for health data analysis (mandatory) | Delphine Courvoisier | Faculty of Medicine | English | 3 | Spring, Mo 14:15-17:00 |
| 24N13 | Trends in Computational Neuroscience | Alexandre Pouget | Faculty of Medicine | English | 3 | Spring, We 10:00-12:00 |
| Total | 12 |
SEMESTER 2 - RESEARCH PROJECT
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lab Practical work | ||||||
| Lab life and experimental design | English | |||||
| Total | 18 |
SEMESTER 3 - TEACHING
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optional courses (2 courses to be chosen among the list below) | ||||||
| Total | 6 |
SEMESTER 3 - RESEARCH PROJECT
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internship Host Laboratory | ||||||
| Total | 24 |
SEMESTER 4 - TEACHING
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optional courses (2 courses among to be chosen among the list below) | ||||||
| Total | 6 |
SEMESTER 4 - RESEARCH PROJECT
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internship Host Laboratory | ||||||
| Total | 24 |
LIST OF OPTIONAL COURSES
| Course number | Course name | Organizing lecturer | Institution/Faculty | Language | ECTS | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liste available on the UNIGE official course catalogue | ||||||
| Total |
Language
No French exam is required for the master in neuroscience admission. Official results to an English test (IELTS, Toefl, Toeic, Cambridge etc.) are required with a minimum B2 level in English as all of the compulsary courses and about one third of the optional courses are given in English.
Tuition fee
Tuitions fees are CHF 500.- per semester.
Admission conditions
The student can be accepted to the master if she/he fullfills three conditions:
- The student holds a bachelor of Sciences, Medical Sciences, Psychology or any other degree considered equivalent by the faculties and the Neurocenter committee. Information regarding the equivalence cannot be obtained before the documents submission to the Admission office.
Medical diploma obtained outside EU are not eligible. Paramedical trainings and diploma are not eligible. Swiss HES bachelors are eligible under the condition of validating a 40-ECTS customised study plan (one year) before entering the program.
2. The student is merit-based selected (scholastic results and motivation).
3. The student is accepted by a research lab for the master project according to the schedule below.
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You can request an initial assessment of the equivalence of your diploma (outside the official period of application) :
- Check with the Admissions Office to ensure that your diploma is recognized and meets the eligibility criteria for enrollment at UNIGE (https://admissions.unige.ch/)
- Request an academic equivalency review from the Neurocenter (neurocenter@unige.ch)
How to apply
General view of the admission process:
Students finishing their bachelor degree at the University of Geneva should:
Step one : administrative registration
From January 1st to February 28th
Students from the Faculty of Psychology : Inform the secretariat of your faculty by email that you are applying for the Master in Neuroscience and go directly to step 2.
Students from the Faculty of Sciences: Register to the master program directly at your current faculty by filling the required form. Please contact the secretariat of students of your faculty to do so.
Students from the Faculty of Medicine: Register to the master program directly at your current faculty by filling the required form. Please contact the secretariat of students of your faculty to do so.
Step two : application for selection
from January 15th to February 28th
The whole application has to be done via the UNIGE application portal. All the process has to be done online.
You must:
- connect to the UNIGE application portal with your UNIGE login and password
- fill the online form
- add the required documents
- submit
The required documents must be merged in two different files (preferably in PDF):
Required documents:
- Identity document or passeport
- Photography
- Diploma (and final grade transcripts) of upper secondary studies, in the original language
- University transcripts, in the original language
- Diploma (and final grade transcripts) of upper secondary studies, officially translated in French or English
- University transcripts, officially translated in French or English
- Official syllabus of your cursus in French or English
- Curriculum vitae/Resume
- Motivation letter
- Certificate of English language level B2 or above
- award and/or academic recognition (recommendation letter)
The Neurocenter will evaluate your application and directly send your application to the laboratories mentioned in the laboratory choice form between March and September 1st, depending on their availability for a master student project and on their interest in your profile. If you have not been directly contacted by a laboratory for an interview at the end of May, please contact the laboratories your are interested in by yourself (by sending CV and motivation letter). You must have found a laboratory before September 8 to be admitted to the next Fall term. You will be registered in the faculty of affiliation of your supervisor.
The affiliated research groups approved by the Neurocenter committee is listed here.
The available Master’s research projects 2025 are listed here.
General view of the admission process:
UNIGE application portal
From January 15th to February 28th for the following Fall semester
The whole application has to be done via the UNIGE application portal. All the process has to be done online.
You must:
- create an account via the UNIGE application portal
- fill the online form
- add the required documents
- submit
Required documents:
- Identity document or passeport
- Photography
- Diploma (and final grade transcripts) of upper secondary studies, in the original language
- University transcripts, in the original language
- Diploma (and final grade transcripts) of upper secondary studies, officially translated in French or English
- University transcripts, officially translated in French or English
- Official syllabus of your cursus in French or English
- Curriculum vitae/Resume
- Motivation letter
- Certificate of English language level B2 or above
- award and/or academic recognition (recommendation letter)
Administrative admission (immatriculation)
All admissions to a UNIGE study program are subject to the fulfillment of the general UNIGE enrollment requirements. Please note that both procedures (program admission and enrollment) run in parallel.
You are responsible for ensuring that your Bachelor’s degree meets UNIGE’s recognition criteria: https://www.unige.ch/immatriculations/en/informations/hei. If you are unsure, please contact the Admissions Office regarding the recognition of your diploma: https://admissions.unige.ch/
Pedagogical Admission
- Merit-based selection: Applications are evaluated based on five criteria.
- Interview: Preselected applications are made available to laboratories, which then contact students for interviews in April.
To be admitted, you must secure a host laboratory by April 30. If you are accepted into the program, you will receive an official admission offer via your UNIGE application portal in May. You will then be enrolled in the faculty to which your supervisor is affiliated.
The affiliated research groups approved by the Neurocenter committee is listed here.
The available Master’s research projects 2025 are listed here.
Contact
For administrative questions (immatriculation request), please contact directly the Admission office via their platform: https://admissions.unige.ch/kayako/
For further information about the program, please contact directly Delphine Jochaut: delphine.jochaut@unige.ch
For information regarding living and studying in Geneva, you can contact the Master in neuroscience student association: Site web Email: aeng-gnsa@unige.ch