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Students
Tuition Fee
Start Date
Medium of studying
On campus
Duration
Program Facts
Program Details
Degree
PhD
Major
Cognitive Science
Area of study
Social Sciences
Education type
On campus
Timing
Full time
Course Language
English
About Program

Program Overview


Cognitive Science Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

Overview

The Cognitive Science Ph.D. program at RIT is an interdisciplinary program that explores the human mind through psychology, neuroscience, AR, and more. The program is designed to provide students with a dynamic and cutting-edge education that integrates formal education with state-of-the-art research and best practices from industry.


Why Pursue a Cognitive Science Ph.D. at RIT?

  • STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
  • Cutting Edge Cognitive Science Research: Including context, culture, and cognition; biologically-inspired computational models; and cognition and human action.
  • Future-Focused Curriculum: Provides a dynamic program designed by academic and industry leaders to integrate formal education with state-of-the-art research and best practices from industry.
  • Top-Notch Faculty: Work side-by-side with experienced faculty conducting research on contemporary problems.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

The cognitive science graduate program is jointly delivered by faculty experts from five RIT colleges, allowing students to develop valuable, career-enhancing interdisciplinary skills and communication competency as part of the program experience.


Research

Ph.D. in cognitive science faculty, all sharing a passion for understanding the biological and computational foundations of human cognition - including memory, perception, attention, language, learning, decision-making, creativity, and problem solving. While faculty research interests are broad, our program emphasizes:


  • Context, culture, and cognition: Whilst the existence of cognitive universals is likely given the high degree of genetic overlap across animal species, there are significant variations in environments that are likely to lead to individual differences in cognition. Understanding how context and culture drive this variability can both improve our understanding of human cognition and lead to a more inclusive cognitive science.
  • Biologically-inspired computational models: Computational models provide insights into the mechanisms of cognition and how information is represented and processed in cognitive systems. Biologically-inspired models not only help us constrain our cognitive theories, they also allow us to apply the insights of cognitive science to the development of innovative and powerful computational tools.
  • Cognition and human action: Cognition cannot be separated from action. The purpose of cognition is to allow us to navigate the world around us in both goal-driven and stimulus-responsive ways. Therefore it is important to explain how cognition is realized in human behavior, and the role of cognition in guiding human action.

Faculty

  • Rain Bosworth
  • Elena Fedorovskaya
  • Allison Fitch
  • Alexander Ororbia

Featured Work and Profiles

  • Student Finds Her Niche in New Cognitive Science Ph.D. Program

Curriculum

Typical Course Sequence

  • First Year
    • COGS-600: Foundations in Research
    • COGS-801: Cognitive Science Research Colloquium
    • COGS-610: Laboratory Methods
    • PSYC-640: Graduate Statistics
    • PSYC-712: Graduate Cognition
    • Electives
  • Second Year
    • COGS-801: Cognitive Science Research Colloquium
    • COGS-720: Teaching Practicum
    • COGS-621: Foundations of Scientific Computing
    • PSYC-717: Advanced Graduate Statistics
    • Electives
  • Third Year
    • COGS-801: Cognitive Science Research Colloquium
    • COGS-899: Cognitive Science Dissertation Research
  • Fourth Year
    • COGS-801: Dissertation and Research
    • COGS-899: Cognitive Science Dissertation Research

Program Electives

  • CGNS-601: Cognitive Neuroscience
  • CGNS-710: Design Thinking and Cognition
  • CLRS-820: Modeling Visual Perception
  • CMPE-677: Machine Intelligence
  • CMPE-765: Brain Inspired Computing
  • COGS-760: Foundations of Cognitive Modeling
  • COGS-761: Graduate Psycholinguistics
  • COGS-762: Animal Cognition
  • COGS-765: Psycholinguistics of Signed Languages
  • COGS-766: Neuroplasticity in Deaf and Blind Individuals
  • COGS-768: Deaf Vision
  • CSCI-630: Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
  • CSCI-631: Foundations of Computer Vision
  • CSCI-633: Biologically Inspired Intelligent Systems
  • CSCI-635: Introduction to Machine Learning
  • CSCI-736: Neural Networks and Machine Learning
  • IMGS-620: The Human Visual System
  • IMGS-624: Interactive Virtual Env
  • IMGS-684: Deep Learning for Vision
  • PHIL-604: Philosophy of Mind
  • PHIL-790: Philosophy of Action
  • PSYC-681: Natural Language Processing I
  • PSYC-682: Natural Language Processing II
  • PSYC-684: Graduate Speech Processing
  • PSYC-711: Graduate Biopsychology
  • PSYC-714: Graduate Engineering Psychology
  • PSYC-715: Graduate Perception
  • STAT-670: Design of Experiments

Admissions and Financial Aid

  • Admit Term(s): Fall
  • Application Deadline: January 15 priority deadline; rolling thereafter
  • STEM Designated: Yes

Application Details

  • Requirements:
    • Learn tips to apply for a doctoral program and then complete a graduate application.
    • Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
    • Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college. Since the program encompasses a wide variety of disciplines, students with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent) is recommended.
    • Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
    • Submit a statement of purpose for research which will allow the Admissions Committee to learn the most about you as a prospective researcher.
    • Submit two letters of recommendation.
    • Entrance exam requirements: None
    • Submit one writing sample. This may be an example of your research, publications, project, or other scholarly written work.
    • Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required.

Cost and Financial Aid

  • Tuition: Ph.D. students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Assistantship that will consist of a research assistantship (stipend) or a teaching assistantship (salary).
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