Doctoral School in Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Faculty of Cognitive Sciences

About the University of Trento

The University of Trento has been recently ranked first in the Italian national ranking, published yearly by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). The university is located in the autonomous province of Trentino at the foot of the Dolomites in Northern Italy.

General Information

The Doctoral School in Cognitive and Brain Sciences engages students in an integrated program of research, instruction, and professional development in cognitive psychology, clinical neuropsychology, theoretical and computational linguistics, experimental physics and  computer sciences. Students actively participate in international research projects, seminars, and conferences based in the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC). The length of the program is three years. The language of instruction is English.

School Objective

The educational program of the School takes advantage of the multi-disciplinary skills of its faculty and of the availability of the Neuroimaging and behavioral labs of the CIMeC and of its associated departments (Cognitive Sciences and Education, Physics, and Information and Communication Technology, and the Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences). The center's facilities include on-site fMRI and MEG scanners, advanced EEG, TMS and behavioral labs, and the Center for Neurocognitive Rehabilitation (CeRiN).
The Doctoral School collaborates with the neuroinformatics group at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). Students may develop research projects with these groups. The Doctoral School’s educational offerings allow the students to acquire skills in diverse areas of research, both applied and theoretical, and favor development in innovative areas of research, pushing the frontiers of the mind/brain sciences and succeeding in the global research community.

International dimension and organization of the School

Located in Trento and Rovereto, Italy, the School includes faculty, researchers and students from around the world. The Ph.D. program is on par with the high academic standards of universities in Europe and North America and meets international requirements. Students are given the opportunity to strengthen their approach to research while increasing their knowledge in the various scientific disciplines of the School. This is done by attending and participating in research and topical seminars, lectures and colloquia as well as conducting experimental studies in laboratories and clinical settings.

Admissions process

Admission to the School is open to all candidates, regardless of ethnic background, gender, age and nationality, that have an Italian university degree or an equivalent degree qualification which allows for admission to a Doctoral School in the country where the degree was obtained. Applications are now open for next year's enrollment (deadline: June 8th). Note that if you do not have these qualifications, you may be able to apply to the Master's program in cognitive science