PhD Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology

University of Essex

An Integrated PhD provides a route into research study if you do not have a Masters degree, or have very little research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing a full-time Masters-level qualification, followed by a full-time PhD studied over three to four years or a part-time PhD studied over six to seven years. We also offer a ‘standard' PhD in this subject which can be studied either full-time (three to four years) or part-time (six to seven years). Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It is a branch of both psychology and neuroscience, overlapping with disciplines such as biological psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuropsychology. Cognitive neuropsychology uses data from single cases of individuals with brain injury or neurological illness to refine theoretical models of cognitive processing. In your first year on our Integrated PhD Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, you study both cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology to gain a thorough grounding in the scientific investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying human behaviour and the effects of brain injury on cognitive function. You are be taught the theoretical and biological foundations of cognitive science, and undertake advanced training in statistics and neuropsychological research methods. Your first year gives you advanced research training to well prepare you for the PhD element of this course. In your second year you move into the PhD element, where research supervision is available in the fields of cognitive psychology, sensory and cognitive neuroscience, and social psychology. You study in a stimulating and vibrant research environment, and we provide excellent research facilities. In general, our PhD students enjoy the same access to neuroscience and other research equipment as our academic staff, and access to our research participant pool which is essential for your experimental research. You also benefit from the supportive supervision given by our staff, and the friendly and collegiate atmosphere provided by fellow students. This ensures that we have an exemplary record in supporting our PhD students to produce a high quality thesis. Our Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs), offer you skills training and funding for your postgraduate research. We are supported by some of the most prestigious funding bodies, including the European Commission and the Leverhulme Trust.

Department of Psychology