IIT Gandhinagar opens admissions to MSc in cognitive and brain sciences

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT Gandhinagar) has invited applications for the MSc programme in cognitive and brain sciences. The application form is available at the official website, admissions.iitgn.ac.in. Applicants will have to pass a written examination which will be conducted in online mode. After that, applicants will be called for an offline interview.

Eligible candidates enrolled in the MSc cognitive science programme can apply for financial assistance through the 'on-campus employment opportunities programme'. The Institute also encourages MSc students to submit their research work at national and international conferences and provides travel scholarships of up to Rs 60,000.

MSc cognitive science students have the following career and research options:

• Educators, user experience (UX), linguistic analysts, data analysts, product developers/designers, AI engineers, cognitive rehabilitation, robotics, consumer behaviour, and so on are examples of industry roles.

• Academic jobs in human-computer interaction, neuroscience, decision-making, and other fields, as well as international PhD opportunities

• Establishing a start-up

The MSc programme includes integrated laboratory courses covering research methodologies and experimental techniques such as behavioural studies, physiological measurements, eye tracking, motion tracking, brain stimulation, brain mapping with EEG, and functional MRI to fully immerse students in the programme.

The MSc programme is distinguished by a two-month summer internship at various top Indian institutes such as NIMHANS, IIT Delhi, IIT Mandi, IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, and abroad with competitive fellowships such as the Shastri Indo-Canadian fellowship, DAAD exchange fellowship Computation and Cognition Tübingen Summer Internship, Radboud Gateway Fellowship, Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, etc.

Highlighting the aspects of this course, the department of cognitive and brain sciences head Sameer Dalvi said, “All IIT Gandhinagar courses are interdisciplinary, increasing students' learning. An MSc in cognitive science deepens understanding of mind, brain, and cognition. Respecting the transdisciplinary spirit, this course lets students customise their studies. A vibrant learning environment is fostered by encouraging cross-disciplinary courses.”

The cognitive science programme at IIT Gandhinagar has 120 alumni, including 103 MSc and 17 PhD students. Alumni from this MSc programme are currently enrolled in top universities in Europe, North America, and Asia.