Program Overview

---

Introduction to the Ph.D. Program in Cognitive Sciences

The Ph.D. program in Cognitive Sciences prepares students for research and teaching careers in academia, industry, and government. The department is regarded as one of the world's leading centers for mathematically oriented research in cognitive sciences. The Ph.D. program places particular emphasis on modern and leading-edge techniques of experimental and theoretical research into the function of the human mind and brain.

Program Overview

The Ph.D. in Cognitive Sciences with a Concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that studies the relation between mind and brain. With the development of non-invasive functional brain imaging techniques during the last two decades, the integration of cognitive and neural models of information processing has become a major focus in the field.

Admission Requirements

Commensurate with the multidisciplinary nature of cognitive neuroscience, the department expects to admit students with a variety of undergraduate educational backgrounds. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, undergraduate degrees in:

• Psychology/cognitive science
• Neuroscience
• Biology
• Computer science
• Mathematics
• Engineering Suitable undergraduate degrees for our program include degrees in:
• Psychology
• Cognitive science
• Biology
• Computer science
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Engineering
• Physical sciences
• Linguistics
• Philosophy
• Related fields Standard requirements for admission include:
• A statement of purpose
• Personal statement
• Official transcripts of all college course work
• At least three letters of recommendation Applicants whose primary language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in English for admission consideration.

Master's Degrees

Although the Department does not have a terminal master's program, students may earn an optional master's degree as part of the Ph.D. program. Students in the Ph.D. program in Cognitive Sciences may earn an M.S. in Cognitive Sciences. Students in the concentration may earn an M.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience. All students who have started in our Ph.D. program have the opportunity to apply for an M.S. in Statistics through a joint M.S./Ph.D. program offered with the Department of Statistics.

Requirements for the M.S. in Cognitive Sciences and M.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience

Students enrolled in the program may earn an M.S. in Cognitive Sciences or M.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience by completing the following requirements:

1. Complete the required course work
2. Pass the Second-Year Examination

Second-Year Examination

During the first year, in consultation with their advisor, the student should establish an advisory committee consisting of three faculty members, one of whom should be the primary advisor. At least two of the three must be Cognitive Sciences faculty members. The committee should meet with the student no later than spring quarter of the first year to determine the student's area(s) of research interest and to identify the published literature with which the student must be familiar. At the beginning of the fall quarter of their second year, students will be required to take a second-year examination. It will involve:

1. The student writing a critical review of work in their area of research interest
2. A presentation by the student followed by an oral examination by the committee Should the student fail the second-year exam, the student will be allowed to repeat the exam in the winter quarter. A subsequent failure results in the student exiting the program.

Pre-Advancement Talk

Prior to advancement, usually in the third year, each student is required to give a talk to the department faculty and students. Each student is expected to carry out theoretical/empirical research during the first two years. By the start of the third year, each student should have completed a research project of a scope and nature that is potentially publishable in a professional journal. This talk is required prior to the student's advancement to candidacy.

Advancement Examination

The advancement examination consists of a written research proposal, for example in NIH NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship format, and an oral defense of the proposed research. The requirements for advancement are detailed below. Normative time for students to advance to candidacy is by the end of their fourth year in the program.

Dissertation

Students must submit a dissertation describing original publishable research and present a public defense of the dissertation as the final requirement of the Ph.D. program as detailed below.

Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy

The requirements for advancement to candidacy are:

1. The student must meet the requirements listed for the appropriate Master's degree
2. The student must, in addition, form a five-member faculty committee selected according to Graduate Division policy. The committee will examine the student on a topic which is determined in consultation with the committee. A written document describing the student's work on this topic must be submitted to the committee prior to advancement. The student must demonstrate an understanding of the background and issues for the research topic and show sufficient preparation and creativity to undertake planning for a dissertation project.

Requirements for the Ph.D.

The requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

1. The student must formally present and defend a written dissertation proposal to a committee of at least three members selected according to Graduate Division requirements. The dissertation proposal presentation may take place as part of the examination for Advancement to Candidacy, in which case, that five-member committee will approve the dissertation proposal
2. The proposal must be approved prior to the final dissertation defense (usually at least three months before to allow time for the candidate to incorporate suggestions and changes required by the committee)
3. The accepted proposal must be archived with the department
4. Prior to the approval of the final version of the dissertation the student is expected to defend the dissertation in a public colloquium announced with at least two weeks' notice
5. All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be fulfilled within three years after advancement to candidacy. The normative time for advancement to candidacy is four years. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is six years.

Course Requirements

The following courses are required:

• A. Select two cognitive and brain sciences core courses:
  • COGS 210A Cognitive and Brain Sciences I: Topics in Perception
  • COGS 210B Cognitive and Brain Sciences II: Topics in Cognition
  • COGS 210C Cognitive and Brain Sciences III: Topics in Learning and Development
• B. Select three quantitative courses:
  • COGS 203A Statistical Models for Cognitive Sciences I
  • COGS 203B Statistical Models for Cognitive Sciences II
  • COGS 203C Statistical Models for Cognitive Sciences III
  • COGS 214 Bayesian Cognitive Modeling
  • STATS 210 Statistical Methods I: Linear Models
• C. Select two computational methods courses:
  • COGS 205C Introduction to Statistical Learning
  • COGS 205D Neural Networks and Machine Learning
  • COGS 214 Bayesian Cognitive Modeling
• D. Complete five electives of which at least two must be taken in Cognitive Sciences. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Graduate Director. Many of these courses require familiarity with computer programming. Students are expected to enroll in the Cognitive Sciences Research Seminar COGS 201A-COGS 201B-COGS 201C during all quarters in residence prior to passage of the advancement-to-candidacy examination. During the fall of the first year in the program, students must enroll in COGS 202A. Note that no course may be used to fulfill more than one requirement in the program.