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Cognitive Science (Joint PhD)

Doctorate

Overview

Application Requirements

Home Departments

Faculty

Related Programs

Apply Request Info

Application Deadlines

Fall: Dec 1 (Child Study and Human Development, Education, & Psychology), Dec 15 (Computer Science)
Spring: Sep 15 (Computer Science)
Summer: n/a

School/Department

Cognitive Science Program

Program Director

J.P. de Ruiter

Contact

gradadmissions@tufts.edu

Location

Medford/Somerville

Format

On-campus

Commitment Options

Full-time

Average Duration

5 years

Credits

Varies

Overview

Cutting across the information and life sciences, cognitive science is a paradigmatic multi- and inter-disciplinary research program with enormous future societal benefits, especially as intelligent artificial agents are becoming part of our lives.

Program Objectives

Tufts has built up a world-renowned faculty in Cognitive Science, some of whom have been prominent since the beginnings of the field. The joint PhD program has particular interdisciplinary strength in the area of human language, including theoretical linguistics, psycho- and neurolinguistics, reading and dyslexia, and computational linguistics, and it offers considerable expertise as well in other traditional subareas of cognitive science including animal cognition, human memory, behavioral/cognitive/affective neuroscience, cognitive modeling, robotics, and human computer interaction.

Application Requirements

Application Fee
Resume/CV
Personal Statement
Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo test scores (if applicable)
- Computer Science considers a TOEFL score of 100, IELTS score of 7.5, or Duolingo score of 120 to be competitive for admittance. See the Computer Science Doctorate page for a listing of specific subcategory scores.
- The remaining tracks follow the standard guidelines found on our International Student Requirements page
Transcripts
Three Letters of Recommendation
GRE General Test scores: Not required for applicants applying to Psychology: Cognitive Science, Child Study and Human Development: Cognitive Science, and Education: Cognitive Science. If you are applying to the Computer Science: Cognitive Science program, GREs are waived for those who will have received a degree from an institution located in the U.S. or Canada by time of enrollment.
Child Study and Human Development Only: A supplemental essay (maximum 500 words) that answers the prompt: "How do differences in cultural and/or contextual processes impact theory, research, or practice in your area of scholarly interest?"

There is no separate admissions process for the cognitive science PhD program. Simply indicate on your application to a home department that they would like to be admitted to the cognitive science PhD program. The program director will work with faculty responsible for admission in the home department to determine your eligibility. Note that this process will not conflict with the admissions process (or criteria) in your home department; only students that satisfy the admissions criteria of the home department can be considered for admission into the cognitive science PhD program.

PhD in Psychology: Cognitive Science - Indicate "Cognitive Science" on application.
PhD in Child Study and Human Development: Enroll in Cognitive Sciences program after matriculation.
PhD in Computer Science: Indicate "Cognitive Science" on application.
PhD in Education: Cognitive Science: Indicate "Cognitive Science" on application.

Tuition and Financial Aid

See Tuition and Financial Aid information.

Home Departments

There are four departments are associated with this exciting interdisciplinary program: Psychology, Computer Science, Child Study and Human Development and Education. Students apply to and enroll in the joint Cognitive Science PhD program through one of these departments (referred to as the 'home departments'), either as a prospective graduate student or as a current graduate student after they have been accepted by one of the departments (e.g., after they have already started their PhD).