MSc in Neuroscience

What is Neuroscience?

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, its functions and structure. The nervous system controls human behavior, emotions, thinking, physical functions, conscious and unconscious movements. Even now, we still do not fully understand this most complex system, and many questions remain to be answered. Moreover, much awaits to be discovered about how the dysfunction of nervous system can lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Award Title

Master of Science in Neuroscience

Mode of Attendance

Combined mode*, Self-financing

Normal Study Period

Full-time: 1 year (max. 2.5 years)
Part-time: 2 years (max. 5 years)

Graduation Requirements

Minimum 30 Credit Units

Medium of Instruction & Assessment

English

Class Schedule

Classes are held during daytime. Classes may be offered in weekday evenings / Saturdays in special cases.

Tuition Fee

Please refer to SGS Website.

Application

Please refer to the steps and procedures on SGS website.

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* Combined mode: Local students taking programmes in combined mode can attend full-time or part-time study in different semesters without seeking approval from the University. For non-local students, they will be admitted to these programmes for either full-time or part-time studies. Non-local students must maintain the required credit load for their full-time or part-time studies and any changes will require approval from the University.

Admission

Entrance Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the University’s general entrance requirements and the following programme entrance requirements:

For admission to MSN, applicants should possess a recognised undergraduate degree in Life Science/ Bioengineering/ Psychology/ Medicine/ Dentistry/ Veterinary Medicine/ Biostatistics or a related discipline.
Preference for admission will be given to individuals who have completed a holistic undergraduate education with knowledge covering statistics, neuroscience, psychology, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, medicine, animal science, and bioengineering.
Additional attention will be paid to students, who have little training in health science-related area to ensure that they can follow the progress of the programme.

English Proficiency Requirements

Applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is NOT English should also fulfil the following minimum English proficiency requirement:

A score of 79 (internet- based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)^@#; or
An overall band score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS)^@*; or
A score of 450 in band 6 of the Chinese mainland’s College English Test (CET6); or
other equivalent qualifications.

^@ TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid for two years. Applicants are required to provide their English test results obtained within the two years preceding the commencement of the University's application period.

^# Applicants are required to arrange for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send their TOEFL results directly to the University. The TOEFL institution code for CityU is 3401.

* Applicants are required to arrange for sending their IELTS result(s) via the IELTS Results Service e-delivery to the University.

General Information

Provide students with diverse background of undergraduate education with updated knowledge and practical techniques of basic and translational neuroscience
Provide students with knowledge and encourage them to critically think about emerging neuroscience and neuroscience-related interdisciplinary research, technology, education, and industries, and to prepare them for a career in this growing multi-disciplinary field
Educate healthcare and non-healthcare professionals with updated relevant knowledge of neuroscience and neuropsychiatric diseases.

Upon successful completion of this Master Programme, students should be able to:

Understand how the anatomy and physiology of our nervous system enable the various functions such as learning and memory, sensory and motor function, and emotion.
Understand how dysfunction of the nervous system can lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders, and how new therapeutics can be developed to treat them.
Critically evaluate the latest research literature and apply it to provide solutions to current issues in nervous system health.
Critically analyse, interpret, discuss and justify neuroscientific data.
Communicate effectively, manage skillfully, and work closely with people from diverse education and professional background and experience. Communicate complex translational neuroscience concepts effectively to a variety of audience.

After graduating from this programme students will have the skills to work in a range of disciplines and settings such as:

Education and Research
Private sector (health care organisations, pharmaceutical industry and consulting)
PhD studies in Neuroscience

Programme Curriculum

2026 Cohort

Core Courses (15 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Level	Credit Units
NS5001	Research Methodology and Ethics	P5	3
NS5002	Neurobiology of Disease	P5	3
NS5003	Neural Basis of Learning and Memory	P5	3
NS5004	Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience	P5	3
NS8002	Advanced Neuroscience	R8	3

Electives

5 electives (a total of 15 credit units) or
NS6001 + 3 electives (a total of 15 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Level	Credit Units
NS5005	Sensory and Motor Neuroscience	P5	3
NS5006	Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience	P5	3
NS5007	Human and Artificial Intelligence	P5	3
NS5008	Neuropharmacology	P5	3
NS5009	Ethical Application of Artificial Intelligence in Biological Sciences and Healthcare	P5	3
NS6001	Research Project in Neuroscience	P6	6
BMS8106	Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine	R8	3
BMS8110	Genomics and Bioinformatics	R8	3

Remarks

Some of the elective courses will be offered in every two years.
Courses offered by different departments might have timetable conflicts, please plan ahead for the courses to register.
NS6001 Research Project in Neuroscience will normally last for a maximum of two semesters to complete in Semester A and Semester B. The enrolment quota of NS6001 is subject to the availability of the lab of the faculty members.