Requirements

Matriculated graduate students at the master’s or Ph.D. level in the university departments of Communication Disorders, Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology can complete the requirements of the Graduate Certificate Program in Cognitive Science and receive formal recognition of such completion. Matriculated graduate students in other departments may petition the Cognitive Science Certificate Steering Committee for admission to the program. Program requirements are:

a) Students must take 15 credits of approved graduate courses in one or more departments other than their major degree department, selected from the offerings of the departments of Communication Disorders, Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. A list of suitable courses is available from the steering committee or the Cognitive Science website. Students may appeal to the steering committee to substitute up to six credits of courses for courses on this list. Such appeals must be accompanied by persuasive rationales for the substitutions and must be approved by a majority of the steering committee.

b) Up to six of the 15 credits may be earned for conducting original research outside the student’s major department.

c) Students must submit a plan of study to the steering committee as early as possible in their graduate career. They must have completed no more than nine credits of coursework toward the certificate when the plan of study is submitted. The plan of study must specify a cohesive package of courses to be taken and provide a rationale for the particular selection of courses by demonstrating how the courses constitute a coherent approach to cognitive science. The plan of study must also designate a member of the graduate faculty as a certificate adviser and the adviser must indicate his or her approval of the plan of study.

d) The steering committee must review each student’s accomplishments at or before the time that the student receives his or her terminal degree and, if the student has fulfilled the requirements, vote to award the certificate.

For further information, contact any member of the steering committee or visit the website www.umass.edu/cogsci.