• Programme information
• Specialisations
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Fundamental Neuroscience
  • Neuroeconomics
    • Course descriptions (pdf)
    • Research lines
    • Staff
    • Internships
    • More information
  • Neuropsychology
  • Psychopathology
• Internships
• Career prospects
• More information
• Application and admissions
• Frequently Asked Questions

Neuroeconomics

Neuroeconomics is a truly interdisciplinary endeavour aiming at understanding human individual and social decision making by investigating their neuronal basis and underlying psychological processes. Neuroeconomics combines theoretical and empirical research methods and techniques from neuroscience, economics and psychology into a unified approach. The resulting synthesis avoids the shortcomings that may arise from a single perspective approach and aims at an integrative understanding of human decision making, ranging from explaining decisions in complex social situations, like helping strangers, to the very foundations of decision-making: How do we come to a decision when we face different choice options?

Programme Outline

The specialisation Neuroeconomics is jointly organised by the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) and the Economics Departments of the School of Business and Economics (SBE). You will follow courses at SBE as well as FPN and you will receive an in-depth training in quantitative theoretical and empirical methods in economics, cognitive neuroscience and extensive hands-on training in all aspects of neuroimaging research. The program combines this methodological training with the theoretical and experimental approaches from economics, psychology, and neuroscience to study human decisions in all its aspects.

Research

The research in Neuroeconomics is conducted by an international and multidisciplinary group of researchers with backgrounds including economics, neuroscience, psychology, mathematics, and computer science, which are members of the Maastricht Research School of Economics (METEOR) and the Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (M-BIC), respectively. METEOR offers a fully equipped state-of-the- art experimental laboratory and M-BIC offers a unique research infrastructure with the newest ultra-high field imaging facilities.

Internships

The local state-of-the-art research infrastructure and the multidisciplinary team provide a large international research network in all involved research fields. The fact that the local researchers have backgrounds in economics, neuroscience and psychology gives access to institutes in all three subfields as well as to institutes specialising in neuroeconomics. This offers unique opportunities for internships at some of the most prestigious research institutes around the globe. Internship research topics can vary from studying individual decisions to exploring social human behaviour and research methods range from behavioural research to fMRI, TMS and DWI fibre tracking.

Career Focus

The specialisation in Neuroeconomics provides an optimal basis for a career in fundamental and applied neuroeconomics and decision neuroscience. Graduates in this specialization are expected to continue their careers as PhD candidates at research institutes specializing in behavioural economics and decision neuroscience and will as well be able to use their acquired expertise as consultants and advisors in decision making and conflict resolution.