Set yourself up for a research career in a range of areas including psychology, neuroscience and health and biomedical sciences. You'll get the knowledge and skills you need through a set of courses, research laboratory rotations and a research thesis.

Use cutting-edge research tools and technology in the School of Psychology's state-of-the-art neuroscience laboratories. The results of your work might lead to new insights about how the brain and mind work, or to new treatments for mental health disorders.

While studying in the School of Psychology, you'll join a community with a track record of strong collaborations between students and staff. More than two thirds of publications produced by the School's academics have one or more students as co-authors.

The MSc in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience is a 2-year programme with two parts. Year 1 is coursework, including a compulsory research preparation course and two compulsory research rotations. Year 2 is research thesis. Year 1 gives you a chance to explore and decide what topic you would like to focus on for your thesis and to broaden your research skills.

A Master's in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience will give you a strong foundation for further study at the PhD level. Students completing the MSc thesis may also have the option to upgrade to a PhD thesis.

If you enrol in the Master's but don't complete the thesis component, you may be awarded the Bachelor of Science with Honours.

If you do well in your Master’s research, you can apply to do a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, or in Psychology. You can also upgrade your MSc thesis to a PhD, which you can discuss with your supervisor and the programme director. If you have an Honours degree or equivalent, and want to do a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, you should contact the programme director.

View possible topics in the areas of cognitive psychology and brain and behaviour research.

Prepare yourself for a research career in academia or industry. You might work in a university or research centre, hospital or mental health clinic, or pharmaceutical company.

You might also get a job in fast-growing areas like data science, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, or human performance testing.

Postgraduate study at Victoria University of Wellington will help you build valuable relationships and networks with peers, university staff, and future colleagues. You'll have opportunities to attend events, seminars, workshops, and social functions.

You’re encouraged to join the Victoria Students’ Psychology Society—come along to the annual quiz night, talks by guest speakers, movie nights, and other social events aimed at bringing students and staff together.

The Postgraduate Students' Association can give you information on study at the University and provides a voice for you on campus.

You can apply to work as a tutor or lab demonstrator for undergraduate courses. Contact the course coordinators to indicate your interest in tutoring.