Graduate Specialization

The Interdepartmental Graduate Specialization in Cognitive Science are available for students who are enrolled in master’s and doctoral degree programs in Audiology and Speech Sciences; Computer Science; Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior; Geography; Linguistics, Languages and Cultures; Neuroscience; Philosophy; Physics and Astronomy; Physiology; Psychiatry; Psychology; Telecommunication; and Zoology.  The College of Social Science administers the specialization.

One of the most important remaining mysteries in science is the nature of mind, whether mind be embodied in the neurons of the brain or in the silicon stuff of computer chips in an artificial brain-like system.   Cognitive Science explores how biological systems process information to produce thought and adaptive behavior and whether artificial systems can be endowed with the same capabilities.  The scientific study of the nature of mind requires a concerted effort by investigators from many different theoretical perspectives, empirical traditions, and academic disciplines. The program will make available  to students an interdisciplinary field that encompasses approaches to solving the problems of understanding the mind from a number of sharply different directions.  Students will learn about, and engage in,  research on these problems under more than one disciplinary umbrella.  The specialization is supervised by the Cognitive Science Graduate Affairs Committee.

Students seeking admission to the specialization must contact the Director of the Cognitive Science Program.  To be admitted, a student must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a grade-point average of at least 3.0 and have been admitted to a master’s or doctoral program in one of the participating departments.  Students should submit a cover letter and a personal statement describing  their interest in cognitive science  and their objectives in seeking admission.  Additional documentation may be requested.

Requirements for the Specialization in Cognitive Science

The Specialization in Cognitive Science is offered at both the master’s and the doctoral level.  No student may receive certification at both levels.  During the first year of the master’s or doctoral program, the student and the major professor select a guidance committee to assist in planning  both the student’s degree program and specialization.  At least one member of a master’s student’s guidance committee and two members of a doctoral student’s guidance committee shall be members of the Cognitive Science faculty, with one of the latter from a discipline outside the student’s major department.

Credits that are used to meet the requirements of the specialization may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the student’s major at the discretion of the department or college.  Courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the specialization must be approved by the student’s guidance committee and should demonstrate competence in at least two areas of cognitive science.

Master’s Students must:

1. Complete 18 credits of course work as specified below.
2. Participate in a research project outside their major department, either by completing one semester of  work in a laboratory project or by enrolling in an independent study course involving collaborative work with a member of the cognitive science faculty.
   Plan A students will also complete a thesis reflecting the integration of the student’s discipline and Cognitive Science.

Doctoral Students must:

1. Complete 18 credits or course work as specified below.
2. Participate in a research project outside their major department, either by completing one semester of  work in a laboratory project or by enrolling in an independent study course involving collaborative work with a member of the cognitive science faculty.
3. Complete a dissertation that reflects the integration of the student’s discipline and Cognitive Science.

   Required Core Courses
   PSY	863	Seminar in Cognitive Science					1
   At least 16 additional credits in courses relevant to Cognitive Science.
   At least 6 of these credits, chosen from the following, must be in courses
   outside the student’s major.
   ASC	813	Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Speech, Language, and Hearing					3
   ASC	823A	Acquired Language Disorders					3
   ASC	914A	Speech Production and Perception I					4
   ASC	914B	Speech Production and Perception II					4
   CSE	802	Pattern Recognition and Analysis					4
   CSE	803	Computer Vision					3
   CSE	841	Artificial Intelligence					3
   CSE	845	Knowledge-Based Systems					4
   CSE	847	Machine Learning					3
   CSE	848	Evolutionary Computation					3
   CSE	885	Artificial Neural Networks					3
   CSE	941	Selected Topics in Artificial Intelligence					3
   LIN	824	Phonological Theory I					3
   LIN	834	Syntactic Theory I					3
   LIN	837	Advanced Studies in Semantics and Pragmatics					3
   LIN	850	Advanced Studies in Child Language Acquisition					3
   PHL	860	Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology					3
   PHL	880	Seminar in Philosophy of Science					3
   PSY	801	Sensation and Perception					3
   PSY	802	Basic Cognitive Processes					3
   PSY	803	Higher Order Cognitive Processes					3
   PSY	814	Psycholinguistics					3
   PSY	851	Neuropsychology					4
   ZOL	822	Topics in Ethology and Behavioral Ecology					3
   Other course may be substituted with prior approval of the Cognitive Science Graduate Affairs Committee.