Master Program Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

About The Program

We offer an interdisciplinary, international Master program in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) taught exclusively in English. The program starts annually in October. For information on the program and its contents, just follow this link. See below for details about the admission process.

This program collborates intensively with the Cluster of Excellence Languages of Emotion (LOE) at FU Berlin.  Languages of Emotion is an interdisciplinary consortium uniting neuroscientists, basic researchers, scientists from the humanities and  linguistics on one campus, independent of their institutional affiliations. The cluster's prior focus is on the interdependencies between language and affect. All information can be obtained online via the aforementioned link.

There are no designated tuition fees for this Master program. For enrolment, students will face only administrative costs (including public transport service in Berlin, which is a good deal) of approximately 250-270€ per semester. Fundings and scholarships can be obtained upon personal engagement at common institutions and societies.

Admission

Admission to SCAN is highly competitive and bound to a series of necessary preconditions. Applicants necessarily need to meet the following criteria:

• Bachelor's degree in psychology, neurosciences, cognitive sciences, physics, biology, IT, linguistics, both parts of the Certificate of Physician Exam (Ärztliche Prüfung) or equivalent (if uncertain about the eligibilty of your degree, please contact the student affairs office)
• Proof of proficiency in English (C1 level), e.g. TOEFL or IELTS test score. You don't need to certify this if you got your Bachelor degree from an institution with english as official language of instruction or if you are a native speaker. For questions concerning language certificates please contact the INFO Service of the FU.

The admission process consists of 3 steps that run from initial application in April/May to a final admission decision by the end of July (tentatively).

Step 1: Application Period

The submission of application documents for each winter semester is possible in the period from 15.04.2013 to 31.05.2013 online at  FU Application Center. This relates to all applicants that graduated in Germany. All students who graduated in foreign countries are to submit their applications to the professional credential evaluation service uni-assist. The fee for this service needs to be paid by the applicant and can't be refunded.

All files are administered online and are eligible for upload. Please submit the following:

Step 2: Admission Process

Admission to the Master SCAN follows a downward point-based ranking ranging from 100-0 selection points (SP), with 100 being top score. 

Applicants meeting all required preconditions will be ranked according to their qualifications. In this process, grades of the undergraduate program will be transferred to a point score up to 80 SP according to the following table. Grades are displayed in the German system - international grades will be transferred via Uni Assist and FU, respectively.

 Subsequently, all applicants will be invited to interviews by beginning of July (tentatively). The admission commission will evaluate the motivation and qualification of prospective students by means of these interviews and award them with up to another 20 SP leading to a maximum number of 100 SP. 

Travel costs will not be reimbursed by Freie Universität.

Step 3: Final Selection

All approval notifications will be sent out at the beginning of August both per e-mail and post.

Ressources and Links

• Information Brochure (will update soon)

•  Study and Examination Regulations (inofficial translation)

• Languages of Emotion (LOE) Cluster of Excellence

• TOEFL language skills

• IELTS language skills

• FU Application Center 

• Uni Assist

You find detailed information via following link.

Do not hesitate if any questions concerning the program arise and contact Carmen von Luckwald or Dr. Stefan Petri.