General description

Through millions of years of evolution, Nature has evolved very sophisticated stategies and highly efficient biological machinery, such as a nervous system, to enable us to see, hear, and otherwise perceive our environment. The physical and operational sophistication of a nervous system allows its owners to make intelligent decisions, plan and execute actions, and learn and adapt very efficiently. The Neuroinformatics tries to discover the general principles that allow our own brains and the brains of other animals to function so fast and efficiently. If we can discover the fundamental principles of how brains function, we could understand how the astonishing perceptual capabilities and actions arise. This knowledge can then be applied to other domains, such as intelligent systems built from silicon. In the Neuroinformatics program, students learn how the central nervous system is built and operates to address specific challenges and solves complex problems. They learn about the computations performed by brain structures to achieve a particular goal, such as object recognition, planned actions, learning and memory. Students can also learn how biologically inspired strategies can be implemented in artificial devices. Neuroinformaticians work with real biological systems, with computational models, artificial neural networks, and robots. If you want to learn about the brain, or to build machines that can see, hear, maybe even think, then Neuroinformatics is for you!

Admission requirements

The conditions for admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme are regulated in: „Verordnung über die Zulassung zum Studium an der Universität Zürich (VZS)".

Educational goals

Graduates from the minor study program in Neuroinformatics (30 ECTS credits) are able to

• write computer programs of moderate complexity in a higher programming language, and use these programs to analyze neurobiological data.
  
• implement a neurobiological question in such a program and answer it by
  

analyzing neurological data.

• explain fundamental terms in Neuroinformatics and understand important algorithms for data analysis in Neuroinformatics.
  
• collect relevant information from the literature on a topic in Neuroinformatics and communicate it - in writing as well as orally - using the
  

proper vernacular.

• acquire and integrate various data sets from internet-based databanks.
  
• understand and apply the concepts and terms of “Neuromorphic Engineerings”
  

ECTS credits

30 ECTS Credits

Program structure

A Bachelor’s minor degree program in Neuroinformatics (30 ECTS credits) offers students an introduction into the research fields of Neuroinformatics and Systems Neuroscience. The students have the possibility to choose, in addition to the courses and exercises offered by the Institute of Neuroinformatics, related courses, exercises, and semester works offered by other institutes and faculties.

Major/minor subject combinations

A minor study program in Neuroinformatics is a minor study program 30.
In the minor study program in Computational Science 60 two of the following scopes have to be chosen:

• Data Analysis for Natural Sciences
  
• Simulations in the Natural Sciences
  
• Bioinformatics
  
• Neuroinformatics
  

Examination and assessment regulations

The student's achievement is assessed at the end of each module.
Achievements are graded on a scale from 1 to 6, whereby 6 denotes the highest grade of achievement and 1 the lowest. A grade below 4 is insufficient.
Achievements can also be graded with 'passed' or 'failed'.

Language of instruction

German, English