Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science

The Graduate Certificate Program is open to UConn PhD students and returning students who have completed their bachelor's degree. If you are seeking a deeper, more interdisciplinary understanding of how people perceive, act, know, and think, we invite you to apply. Returning students who are looking to change careers or augment their current career trajectory through the interdisciplinary study of Cognitive Science can complete the certificate program on a full-time or part-time basis.

Graduate Certificate Requirements

Students must complete 12 credits. Required Course: COGS 5001. Required Electives: Students design an individualized plan of study in consultation with their advisory committee that is subject to approval of the Certificate advisor (Program Director). The three electives need to be from at least two academic departments/divisions outside their home department. Please refer to the list below for the most up-to-date course listings.

The certificate advisor will advise on the appropriateness of the selected courses for the student's stated goals, the availability of such courses, and the preparation necessary to undertake them.

After the 12 credits are completed, email the final Plan of Study form to the Cognitive Science Program Director, Erika Skoe. On the form, list the Director as the advisor.

Core Course (required)

COGS 5001, Cognitive Science Proseminar (3 credits)

Electives

Three courses from the list below, with the requirement, that courses come from at least two academic departments or divisions. Students are encouraged to have at least two courses from outside their home department/division. (NOTE: For further information about a course or permission to enroll, please contact the offering department.) Students who are candidates for both the Cog Sci Grad Certificate and the Neurobiology of Language (NBL) program may use at most one NBL course to satisfy the Cog Sci Grad Certificate requirements.

Anthropology (ANTH)
5306. Human Behavioral Ecology
5331. Cognitive Science of Religion
5332. Cognitive Anthropology
5333. Evolution and Cognition

Cognitive Science (COGS)
5120. Structure, Acquisition and Processing of Language

Communication (COMM)
5500. Nonverbal Communication
5501. Seminar in Nonverbal Communication and Persuasion

Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
5705. Advanced Artificial Intelligence
5709. Natural Language Processing

Biomedical Engineering (BME)
5100. Physiological Modeling
6120. Neuronal Information Processing and Sensory Coding
6190. Bioelectrical Signals in Neuronal Tissues
6810. Machine Learning Methods for Biomedical Signal Analysis

Education Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI)
5715. Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition

Educational Leadership (EDLR)
5210. Influences on Adult Learning

Educational Psychology (EPSY)
5510. Learning: Its Implications for Education
5530. Theories of Learning, Cognition, and Instruction
6550. Situated Cognition

Linguistics (LING)
5000. Introduction to Computational Linguistics
5110. The Acquisition of Syntax
5120. Readings and Research in Acquisition
5310. Phonology I
5320. Phonology II
5410. Semantics I
5420. Semantics II
5510. Syntax I
5520. Syntax II
6210. Morphology

Philosophy (PHIL)
5317. Seminar in Philosophy of Psychology
5331. Seminar in Philosophy of Mind
5342. Seminar in Philosophy of Language
5344. Seminar in Philosophical Logic

Psychological Sciences (PSYC)
5140. Foundations in Neuropsychology
5150./COGS 5130. Neurodevelopment and Plasticity
5251. Neural Foundations of Learning and Memory
5285. Neurobiology of Aging Changes in Cognitive Processes
5302. Adult Psychopathology
5303. Child Psychopathology
5410. Advanced Developmental Psychology
5420. Cognitive Development
5424./COGS 5150. Cognitive Neuroscience of Language across the Lifespan
5425. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
5440. Development of Language
5441. Language Modality, Neural Plasticity, and Development
5445./COGS 5140. Neurobiology of Language: Typical and Atypical Cognition and Language Development
5450. Infancy and the Effects of Early Experience
5470. Current Topics in Developmental Psychology (when the topic is appropriate)
5512. Ecology of Language and Cognition
5513. Memory
5514. The Mental Lexicon
5515. Connectionist Models
5516. Event Cognition
5541. Reading Acquisition and Reading Disorders
5553. Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics
5554. Advanced Nonlinear Dynamics for the Behavioral Sciences
5564. Dynamics of Language and Cognition
5567. Cognition
5568. Psychology of Language
5569. The Neuropsychology of Language
5570. Current Topics in Cognitive Science
5571. Sensation and Perception I
5572. Sensation and Perception II
5574. Control and Coordination of Action
5575. Introduction to Cognitive Systems
5583. Sentence and Discourse Processing
5616. Human Judgment and Decision Processes
6733. Social Cognition

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS)
5342. Aphasia
5343. Cognitive-Communicative Disorders
5348. Language Disorders I: Birth to 5 Years
5349. Language Disorders II: School Age Population
5355. Psychoacoustics
5362. Advanced Speech Science II (Speech Perception)
5372. Central Auditory Disorders
5376. Language Impairments and Literacy
6123. Bilingualism in Typical And Atypical Populations: Language and Cognition
6370. Seminar in Psycholinguistics

Admissions

Applications should be submitted through the graduate school by October 1st for review at the Cognitive Science Steering Committee’s October meeting; or by March 1st for review at the March meeting. If you have already completed the coursework required of certificate, the COGS Director may provide the second letter of recommendation to certify the course completion. Please email the COGS Director for further information.

After our review process, a letter indicating your application status will be sent to applicants and cc’d to the two faculty members who supplied supporting letters.

Applicants enrolled in another UConn graduate program

Application Requirements 

  • A CV in the style of your home field.
  • A brief personal statement regarding your interest in cognitive science and the UConn Cognitive Science program (1 page).
  • A brief letter signed by your major advisor supporting the application.
  • A second short letter supporting the application. This second letter should come from a faculty member who is familiar with your work who is not your major advisor.

Notes 

  • Once your application has been started, you may email gradadmissions@uconn.edu to have the application fee waived.
  • Transcripts will be provided by the Graduate School from your previous application file and current records.
  • A GPA of 3.0 is required by the Graduate School.

Applicant not enrolled in a UConn graduate program

Application Requirements 

  • A CV in the style of your home field.
  • A brief personal statement regarding your interest in cognitive science and the UConn Cognitive Science program (1 page).
  • Two short letters of recommendation supporting the application. The letters can be from people inside or outside of UConn who can speak to your interest in or relevant background in Cognitive Science.

Notes

  • Applicants need to supply their own transcript from their baccalaureate institution.
  • No more than 6 credits of prior undergraduate or graduate coursework can be transferred after acceptance into the program
  • Students with adequate preparation could complete the certificate with 12 credits, however, others may need preparatory course work. It is encouraged to connect with the CogSci Director and/or another CogSci-affiliated faculty to discuss goals for the certificate before applying.
  • If you haven’t connected with an advisor already, then list the CogSci Director as your advisor.
  • The Graduate Certificate must be completed within 3 years of acceptance.
  • Application fees cannot be waived by the Graduate School.
  • There is no GPA requirement.