Academic Requirements

Applicants should hold a very good master's degree (or qualified equivalent). The degree should include a minimum of four years of academic training (BSc + MSc) and should be awarded by an internationally recognized university-level institution.

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree will, in exceptional cases, also be admitted to the school.

The study program should include an extensive original research project and a written thesis in a discipline such as cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, translational neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, psychology, medicine, neurobiology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, neuroimaging, biochemistry, or related fields. Research experience is essential for successful candidates.

All certificates that are not in English or German must be translated by an officially approved translation office.

If the master's degree is not completed yet

Students may apply before receiving their master’s degree (or equivalent degree). In this case, they need to indicate the expected date of degree completion and must submit their most current academic transcripts. The degree must have been awarded by the time the student starts the IMPRS on Cognitive NeuroImaging program.

Language Requirements

Candidates are expected to be proficient in written and spoken English. For PhD applicants a minimum score required for a TOEFL paper-based test is 550. The minimum score for the TOEFL computer-based test is 213, and for the internet-based test 79–80. For IELTS the overall band score should be 6.5. Coursework in English is also accepted, either at your home university or from a university abroad.

Because the teaching and supervision language at the IMPRS on Cognitive NeuroImaging is English, German language skills are not mandatory. However, the IMPRS on Cognitive NeuroImaging  offers the opportunity to take German language courses.