The aims of this one-year, full-time research training course are as follows:
- to give the student experience of research work;
- to expose them to a variety of laboratory environments and the balance of self-sufficiency and teamwork needed in a researcher;
- to introduce them to the basic skills of experimental design, project management, time management etc. needed in research;
- to familiarise the student with the practicalities of laboratory research, imparting an understanding of the nature of bench research, of record keeping and data handling, and of good laboratory practice;
- to introduce them to basic analytical techniques needed to understand and contextualise their research;
- to familiarise them with basic scientific writing and presentation skills.
The additional objectives that are specific to this programme will be:
- to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds into neuroscience by providing a taught module with a basic overview of neuroscience;
- to provide students with thorough training in neuroscience methods, data analysis and statistics techniques;
- to give students the necessary basic yet broad understanding of neuroscience to prepare them for future PhD studies; and
- to provide students with adequate experience in neuroscience research to enable them to make an informed choice of PhD project if they so wish.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the master's course, students drawn from a diverse range of subject backgrounds are all expected to have:
- developed a broad understanding of modern research techniques, and thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to research in topics related to neuroscience;
- been exposed to a number of theoretical approaches to brain science and trained in critical thinking in the area;
- acquired specific expertise in neuroscience research methods and statistics;
- demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the field;
- acquired knowledge of a broad range of interdisciplinary research areas and supervisors to inform their choice of PhD projects if applicable; and
- undertaken training in generic and transferable research skills including the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies.
