Course details

Summary

The Master of Science (MSc) is a two-year degree which encompasses both coursework and research. The first year involves mainly coursework and preliminary research preparation. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to existing fields of research, or to begin to develop new areas.

Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary subject which covers the brain or 'neural' component of disciplines such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Neurology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Psychology and Zoology. It is currently one of the fastest growing areas in Biology.

Because the Otago degree programme is truly interdisciplinary, it is constructed from papers offered by a large number of different departments.

Papers and Thesis

NEUR 495 Master's Thesis Preparation

Four of ANAT 454, COSC 420, COSC 421, COSC 422, NEUR 452, NEUR 455, NEUR 457, NEUR 459, NEUR 461, NEUR 462, NEUR 463, PHAL 423, PHSL 472, PHSL 474, PSYC 469, PSYC 471, PSYC 474, PSYC 476, ZOOL 412

Thesis: NEUR 5

Notes: One of the following may be substituted for NEUR 5: ANAT 5, BIOC 5, COSC 5, PHAL 5, PHSE 5, PHSL 5, PSYC 5, ZOOL 5.

One of the following may be substituted for NEUR 462 or NEUR 463: ANAT 453, ANAT 457, COSC 470, COSC 471, PHAL 430, PHAL 431, PHSE 527, PHSE 528, PHSE 529, PHSL 474, PSYC 472, ZOOL 419, ZOOL 420.

The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis.

Entry criteria

Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).

Every applicant must either: be a graduate with an average grade of at least B for the appropriate 300-level papers, or have alternative qualifications or experience acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).

An applicant seeking admission to the thesis-only option of the programme on the basis of the degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours or the Postgraduate Diploma in Science or equivalent must have achieved a grade of at least B+ for the research report, thesis preparation, or dissertation requirement of the qualification concerned.

English Language Requirements

IELTS - Score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); Internet-based TOEFL Score of 95 with a minimum writing score of 22.; Paper-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 587 (TWE 4.5); Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 4 or higher; Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 64 with no communicative skills score below 57; University of Otago Foundation Studies Ltd: Completion of 'English for Postgraduate Academic Purposes' with a grade of C or higher.