College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: cogsci [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.cogs.indiana.edu 

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy and Joint Doctor of Philosophy in Cogni­tive Science and another Discipline

Program Information

The Cognitive Science Program comprises an interdisciplinary research program and a doctoral degree program. Students carry out intensive research projects in state-of-the-art computer-based laboratories. There are two Ph.D. degree options: a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and a joint Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and another originating degree-granting program, for example, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Informatics, Computer Science, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Linguistics, or Speech and Hearing sciences. A Ph.D. Minor in Cognitive Science is also offered. The program is designed to train students in theory development and model building (mathematical, formal, and computer simulation models), in empirical research, and in the development of the conceptual framework and technical skills needed for successful careers in research, teaching, business, and government.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Admission Requirements

Admission is by approval of the program’s graduate admission committee. Applicants should have an undergraduate major in a field such as Cognitive Science, Psychology, Computer Science, Philosophy, Linguistics, Biology, or Anthropology; basic computer programming skills; and basic knowledge of mathematics for science, including calculus and statistics. In recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the programming or mathematics admission requirements may be waived and satisfied while pursuing graduate study.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 90 credit hours, including the core courses COGS Q520 (3 cr.), COGS Q530 (3 cr.) , COGS Q540 (3 cr.), COGS Q550 (3 cr.), COGS Q551 (3 cr.), and COGS Q560 (3 cr.) and selec­tions totaling at least 16 credit hours from offerings listed in the Cognitive Science Program or cross-listed with other departments, divisions, or programs. A maximum of 6 of these 16 credit hours may come from pure research courses (COGS Q799, COGS Q899, or the equivalent in another department).  Students must also take at least four semesters of the Colloquium Series course COGS Q733 before candidacy.   On the basis of their undergraduate background or demonstrated competencies, students may be waived from one or more of the core courses other than COGS Q540, which all students must take. Waivers and substitutions, for any core courses require approval by the Director of Graduate Stud­ies of the program and the University Graduate School (prior to candidacy). 

Research Project Requirement

Ph.D. degree students are required to complete a Research Project in their first two years. The project should constitute significant original research done while the student is enrolled in the Cognitive Science Program. The Program assigns a preliminary advisor (or advisory committee) to all students at the point of admission who acts as default supervisor for the Research Project, though students may instead opt to find a different supervisor for their Research Project. Students must decide on a supervisor and topic for their Research Project by the end of their second semester. At that point, they submit the Research Project Progress Report that outlines the project proposal to the Cognitive Science Program. The DGS in consultation with the supervisor of the Research Project (who does not have to be the student’s advisor) acts to approve the proposal. The project, including some form of write-up to be agreed upon by the supervisor of the Research Project, must be completed by the end of the second year (or earlier) along with submitting the Completion of Research Project Form, which is approved by the DGS in consultation with the supervisor of the Research Project.

Research Presentation Requirement

Students must present a research talk to a Cognitive Science audience (including at least three faculty members who assess it), covering some aspect of the student’s own research in Cognitive Science.  The presentation should be advertised to the cognitive science community, and could be part of campus lecture series like Cognitive Lunch, Logic Seminar, Developmental Seminar, Linguistics Colloquia, Grey Matters, etc.  The research covered may be from any stage of the student’s career, including (but not restricted to) their research.  The presentation must be made before advancement to candidacy.

Content Specialization

Each student selects a Content Specialization, an area of study that can be approached from the perspectives of the different disciplines within Cognitive Science. With the approval of the student’s advisory/research committee, any relevant area of cognitive science may fulfill the Content Specialization requirement. Some possibilities are Language and Speech, Dynamical Systems, Logic, Neuroscience, Evolution of Cognition, and Human-Computer Interaction. Students must complete at least five courses in their specialization, and these courses must be taken in at least two different departments. Courses from the student’s minor or second major may count toward the Content Specialization, and Cognitive Science courses other than the core courses. The Content Specialization should be selected by the end of the student’s second year in the program, and the courses selected must be approved by the student’s advisory/research committee. The Content Specialization must be completed prior to Candidacy.

Minor Requirement

Students must complete a minor in another department or program unless the student completes a joint degree with another department. The minor should be completed prior to candidacy.

Qualifying Examination

Each student must pass a Qualifying Examination, typically before the beginning of their third year. If the student fails the exam, they will be placed on academic probation and may retake the exam once, and need to complete the exam by the end of May in the third year; failing the second time is grounds for dismissal from the program.  .  Prior to the qualifying examination, each student will turn in a Qualifying Examination Petition form with the signatures of the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s Advisory Committee. This form must be completed by the end of the student’s second year.

Students pursuing joint degrees in Cognitive Science and another discipline may request to postpone the Qualifying Examination by one year, by writing to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Qualifying Examination is expected to have a written and an oral component and to demonstrate (1) in-depth knowledge of the student’s Content Specialization, (2) knowledge of some other area of Cognitive Science, (3) academic writing competence, and (4) the ability to defend a position in an oral setting.

In consultation with his or her Advisory Committee, the student will agree on the format of the examination. Within these constraints, two broad categories of Qualifying Examinations are possible: (1) Papers or (2) Conventional Written Examination.

Papers

In consultation with their Advisory Committee, the student selects topics and develops questions for three qualifying papers. Each paper should answer a question, such as: “How might simulation-based models help to clarify or dispel the view of communication as information transmission?” Two of the topics are expected to be within the student's Content Specialization, and these should address at least two of the different methodological approaches to that content area. The third paper can deal with a topic in any other area of cognitive science but must be outside the student's Content Specialization.  The questions as approved by the Advisory Committee must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies via the Qualifying Examination Petition form before the writing period. With the approval of their advisory committees, students are encouraged to write papers that can contribute directly to their professional progress, for example as submitted publications or components of grant proposals (e.g., NIH National Research Service Awards). The papers are typically each about 25-30 pages long, double-spaced, plus references.

The student is typically given the period of three months during the summer following their second year in the program to write the papers. During this time, they may consult any works on the paper topics but may not discuss the topics with others. Questions to Advisory Committee should only concern procedural matters. After the papers are submitted to the committee, they are evaluated by the committee members, normally within a period of a week, and can be returned to the student with comments. Next, the student meets with the committee to defend their answers orally; the oral portion of the exam should take place within three weeks of the submission of the papers. Based on the written answers and the oral defense, the student may be passed immediately, failed outright, or required to rewrite one or more of the papers and possibly also to meet with the committee again for a second oral defense. If the student satisfies the committee with these additional assignments they have successfully passed the Qualifying Examination ; otherwise the exam is considered failed and must be completely retaken.

Conventional Written Examination

The student and  their Advisory Committee agree on a set of topic areas and readings. The topics must include at least one area outside of the student's Content Specialization and must be  submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies via the Qualifying Examination Petition form before the exam date.  The student then has three months to prepare for the exam, normally during the summer following the second year in the program.

Students have to answer four questions.  Each committee member writes one or two questions and the committee selects which questions will be offered to the student and whether the student will receive more than four questions to choose from for their answers.  The student has two days, four hours per day, to answer the questions, using any resources they  wish to bring to the examination room. Within a week, the committee evaluates the student's answers. The student does not normally receive feedback from the committee but may discuss the answers informally with members of the committee in preparation for the oral portion of the exam. The student meets with the committee within two weeks after submitting the answers to orally defend their answers and respond to follow-up questions. If the committee agrees that the student's written and oral answers are satisfactory, the student has successfully passed the qualification exam. Otherwise, the committee may fail the student outright or may require the student (1) to elaborate further in written answers to one or more questions or (2) to answer in writing one or more additional questions. If the student satisfies the committee with these additional assignments, they have successfully passed the qualification exam; otherwise, the exam is considered failed and must be completely retaken.

Joint Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Cognitive Science and another originating department

Admission Requirements

The Joint Ph.D. Degree in Cognitive Science and another department or program is both for new students and for students already in another Ph.D. program at IUB who want to add a graduate major in Cognitive Science, and for students who are already in the Cognitive Science Ph.D. program and want to add a second graduate major in another department or program. The Joint Cognitive Science Ph.D. has slightly different requirements from the single-major Cognitive Science Ph.D. described above. Students need to be accepted separately by both the Cognitive Science program and the second Ph.D. program (the dual major). Current IU graduate students must submit an electronic application for the joint Cognitive Science Ph.D. including: the single to double major application form, the Advisory Committee form for a dual major, and a goal statement addressing their goals in both majors (1-2 pages). Students who wish to pursue the joint degree must apply to do so prior to completing (and preferably before starting) their qualifying exams for either Cognitive Science or the other department. 

Course Requirements

A minimum of 90 credit hours, of which 32 credit hours must be in courses listed or cross-listed in Cognitive Science, including COGS Q520 (3 cr.), COGS Q540 (3 cr.), COGS Q550 (3 cr.), COGS Q551 (3 cr.), and at least 6 credit hours of breadth coursework not in the originating department and not among the core Q-courses or pure research courses such as Q799 and Q899. A non-core Q-course maybe used to satisfy the breadth requirement with the approval of the student’s advisory committee. Student must also take at least four semesters in the Colloquium Series course COGS Q733 before candidacy. The 32 credit hours may include a maximum of 6 credit hours in pure research courses (COGS Q799, COGS Q899, or the equivalent in originating departments). Strong encouragement is given to interdisciplinary diversification. Note that courses may count toward the requirements of both Cognitive Science and the dual major department or program. On the basis of their undergraduate background or demonstrated competencies, students may be waived from one or more of the core courses other than COGS Q540, which all students must take. Waivers and substitutions for any core courses require approval by the Director of Graduate Studies of the program and the University Graduate School (prior to candidacy).

Research Presentation Requirement

Students must present a research talk to a Cognitive Science audience (including at least three faculty members who assess it), covering some aspect of the student’s own research in Cognitive Science.  The presentation should be advertised to the local cognitive science community, and could be part of campus lecture series like Cognitive Lunch, Logic Seminar, Developmental Seminar, Linguistics Colloquia, Grey Matters, etc.  The research covered may be from any stage of the student’s career, including (but not restricted to) the thesis research.  The presentation must be made before advancement to candidacy. 

Tool-Skills Requirements

Statistics Tool Skills: Complete a 3-credit hour course covering statistical analysis, e.g. PSY P553-P554 (advanced statistics in psychology) or the equivalent. COGS Q560 may also be used to fulfill this requirement.

Computational Tool Skills: Completing a 3-credit course, which mainly covers programming related to cognitive modeling, such as Q530.  Students with extensive programming experience may fulfill this requirement by showing their prior work related to cognitive modeling.

Advisory Committee for Joint PhD Cognitive Science program

The Appointment of Advisory Committee form is required by the Graduate School to establish your advisory committee that  approves the student’s program of study and counsels the student until the passing of the qualifying exams.  This committee should be set up by the end of the second semester.  The advisory committee should be set up by the end of the second semester.  The advisory committee must be approved by both the Cognitive Science Program and the dual major department or program.   The committee will need to have at least two members from each major.  From the two members of the Cognitive Science Program, at least one member must be outside the originating department. 

Qualifying Examination

There are two options for the qualifying examination: (a) a Qualifying Examination in Cognitive Science and a separate examination in the dual major department or program (these may be taken at separate times); or (b) a joint examination covering relevant areas of both the Cognitive Science Program and the dual major department or program, as determined by the Advisory Committee and with permission of both the Cognitive Science Program and the dual major department or program. In the first option (a), the Qualifying Examination in Cognitive Science is usually reduced, i.e. two rather than three papers, or three rather than four questions in the Conventional Written Exam The Cognitive Science examination is normally taken after completion of all the Cognitive Science course requirements, which for Joint Degree students is typically by the end of their third year. (Joint Degree students may request to postpone their Qualifying Examination from their second year to their third year by writing to the Director of Graduate Studies and submitting the Qualifying Examination Petition form.) If the student fails the exam, they will be placed on academic probation and may be retake the exam once, to be completed by the end of May after their first attempt (and no later than during their fourth year); failure the second time is grounds for dismissal from the program. See further details under the Doctor of Philosophy Degree subsection on the Qualifying Examination above.  

Dissertation and Final Examination 

A single dissertation will be written and submitted for both the Cognitive Science Program and the student’s dual major department or program. The public and oral defense of the dissertation will be conducted jointly with both programs.

Ph.D. Minor in Cognitive Science

Graduate students obtaining a Ph.D. in another discipline may have the option of taking a minor in Cognitive Science. To obtain this minor, students must satisfy the following requirements: (a) obtain approval from the Cognitive Science Program; and (b) complete COGS Q540; one of the following: COGS Q520, COGS Q530, COGS Q551, COGS Q560, or COGS Q550; two semesters of COGS Q733)  and at least 6 other credit hours in Cognitive Science and/or cross-listed courses not in the originating department.

Master of Science Degree in Cognitive Science 

Course requirements: A total of 30 credit hours, including three of the core courses Q520, Q530, Q540, Q550, Q551, and Q560 (3 credits each) and two or more semesters of the Colloquium Series course COGS Q733 (1 credit per term). At least 20 of these 30 credit hours must be in Cognitive Science and cross‐listed courses, excluding research credits (COGS Q799 and Q899). Additionally, a Research Project must be completed. Any course requirements discussed above can be substituted; such substitutions must be approved by the Program’s Director of Graduate Studies and the University Graduate School. 

Students can only get one Masters degree from either Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Program in Neuroscience (PNS), or Cognitive Science. Exceptions can be made if the Directors of Graduate Studies by both involved programs agree. 

The M.S. track is only available to students who have been in the Ph.D. track. Students in the Ph.D. track who want to switch to the M.S. track must send an informal application request to the Director of Graduate Studies who decides about the application.

Research Project

M.S. degree students are required to complete a Research Project. The project should constitute significant original research done while the student is enrolled in the Cognitive Science Program. The Program assigns a preliminary advisor (or advisory committee) to all students at the point of admission who acts as default supervisor for the Research Project, though students may instead opt to find a different supervisor for their Research Project. Students must decide on a supervisor and topic for their Research Project by the end of their second semester or before. At that point, they submit the Research Project Progress Report that outlines the proposal to the Cognitive Science Program. The DGS in consultation with the supervisor of the Project acts to approve the proposal. The project, including some form of write-up, must be completed by the end of the second year (or earlier) along with submitting the Completion of Research Project Form, which is approved by the DGS in consultation with the supervisor of the Research Project.