How Long Does it Take to Become a Neuroscientist?

written by Adriana

If you just finished an undergraduate degree in Psychology or Life Sciences, you might be wondering what to do next. While some people start applying for jobs right away, others might want to continue their education.

With a background in psychology where you learned about human thoughts and behaviours, you might be willing to learn more about the human brain and study neuroscience.

Becoming a neuroscientist is a long and hard journey but it’s definitely worth it. You will study how the brain works and its impact on behaviour and cognitive functions.

In this post, I will explain how long a neuroscience degree is and how long it usually takes people to complete.

I’ll also briefly go over the steps you need to make to become a neuroscience researcher and work in academia.

So, how long does it take to become a neuroscientist?

Generally, it can take anywhere from 6 to 8 years to become a neuroscientist who works in a lab and if you want to become a clinical neuroscientist who treats patients with brain injuries, that can take 10 years if you get admitted to medical school after graduating from high school.

Everyone’s journey is different and it’s hard for 14 or 15 year olds to decide what they want to do for their career.

So, it can actually take you longer to arrive at the decision of what you want to study and why.

I was 26 when I started my master’s programme and finished it at 28. Prior to this, I did a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and graduated in 2026 when I was 21.

And I still didn’t know what I want to do and where I want to work so I tried a couple of things.

I worked as a private science tutor, worked in operations at the bank and in a gambling company and only after that got into medical editing and health writing.

Adriana got into a medical school in Lithuania when she was 18 but after a year of studying decided to apply for a BSc in Human Biology and Psychology at the University of Worcester and then did her MSc in Clinical, Social and Cognitive Neuroscience at City.

She’s 25 now and just started her training to become a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner that will take a year to complete.

How long is a neuroscience degree?

A bachelor’s degree in neuroscience in the UK and Europe is 3 or 4 years with a foundation, in the US neuroscience major is usually 4 years. A Master’s degree in neuroscience is usually 1 year if studying full-time and 2 years if you do it part-time. A PhD in neuroscience can take 3 to 4 years and you can find a paid position.

How long does it take to get a neuroscience degree?

Generally, it can take 3-4 years to get a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and 4-5 years if you do a master’s degree depending on where you’re studying (US, UK, Europe). At this point, you can start working as a research assistant.

If you want to become a neuroscientist leading your own research, then you need to do a PhD which is another 3 to 4 years and pursue a post doc fellowship that can last from 2 to 4 years, considering that you do everything on a full-time basis.

Most of the time students pay for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, however, there are grants that can help you to fund your studies if you are eligible.

You can also find a paid PhD training where tuition fees will be paid for and you can get a salary for doing a PhD. Findaphd.com is a good website for finding PhD research projects.

If you want to know what studying neuroscience is really like, read this article where I share my experience studying Master’s degree in Clinical, Social and Cognitive Neuroscience at City, University of London in London, UK.

5 Steps to Become a Neuroscientist

Step 1: Do A levels Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English in the UK or study these subjects in high school in the US and European countries.

Step 2: Do a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, Psychology or other Life Sciences at the university or college.

Step 3: Do a Master’s degree in Neuroscience (general or specialised) at the University and try to get a research or clinical internship to get some work experience.

Step 4: Do a PhD in Neuroscience if you want to become a neuroscience researcher working on your own research, work in academia as a lecturer in the future or want to do a job that requires a PhD.

Step 5: Do a postdoctoral fellowship that takes from 2 to 3 years to specialise in one area of neuroscience and work under supervision to become an independent researcher after you finish it and apply for a post as a lecturer.

If you want to work as a clinical neuroscientist, you will need to achieve a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Then, you can work as a neurologist or neurosurgeon.

“In Neuroscience you always learn - there are too many questions without answers”

Adriana

student

Where are you in your neuroscience journey? Are you planning to work in the clinical or research setting? How lond did it take you to get to where you are now? Let us know in the comments section below!

If you want to see more everyday behind the scenes of studying and working in neuroscience, follow us on @neurobirdieswrite!

~With better awareness, better results~

A&A

Hi there!

Thank you for stopping by! We are neuroscientists by day and digital creators by night who are passionate about self-development, personal growth and a healthy mindset. 🧠

We met when studying Master’s degree in Clinical, Social and Cognitive Neuroscience at City, University of London and instantly realised that we had a lot in common!

Let’s see what it is! ➡️