The MSc in Neuroscience at UNIGE is uniquely interdisciplinary, run by the faculties of Medicine, Science, and Psychology. It provides wide exposure to fundamental neurobiology and cognitive mechanisms.
You should be ready for hands-on lab work & have interest in cellular/molecular circuits, and cognitive processes.
Portal documentation is strict. Compile everything early and check the official conditions twice.
No formal French exam is required, but reaching B2 in English is mandatory. We also think that better English proficiency could strengthen your application.
Official Conditions →Background: Mandatory BSc in Science, Medicine, Psychology, or equivalent.
What we recommend putting forward: Map your modules (Stats, Programming, Psychology) explicitly to the program’s foundations.
In Switzerland, a photo is usually required. Humans will read your CV, so we recommend engaging layouts and a touch of color. We also suggest including:
Should you contact labs by yourself? Yes we think so! It demonstrates genuine interest and helps supervisors assess if you fit ongoing projects.
Fundamental: Basic biology, cells, and circuits often using animal models, cultures or biopsies.
Clinical: Studying disorders in humans, linking brain function to diagnosis or treatment.
Computational: Mathematical models and simulations to understand or model the brain.
Motivation letter: We suggest focusing on academic preparation and identifying 3–5 labs. For each, you could refer to a specific paper. Here is an example from one student:
Subject: Prospective student - Interest in [topic]
Intro + "I read your paper on X and was intrigued by Y..." + Skills he thinks he can bring to the lab.
Most labs will ask you to have a proper in house interview. From experience, PIs like to discuss projects concretely. They seem to value curiosity, reliability, and awareness of daily lab life (teamwork & troubleshooting).
Here are some suggestions to do before the semester to make lab integration and coursework much smoother.
RESAL License
Fundamental lab? Animal training is mandatory for some experiments. Talk about it with your PI.
RESAL Module 1
Learn to Code
You could already learn some Python, R, or MATLAB for data analysis early, depending of what your lab is using.
Free online courses
Welcome Days
Essential for admin info and meeting the GNSA-AENG community.