PhD Social and Decision Neuroscience at California Institute of Technology

Programme overview

Doctoral program on the neurocomputational basis of decision-making and social interactions, training in computational modeling, statistics, systems neuroscience and neural measurement such as fMRI, EEG and single-unit recording.

Faculty: Humanities and Social Sciences with Biology and Biological Engineering | Department: Social and Decision Neuroscience | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall | Location: Pasadena, CA, United States

What you will study

Required PhD courses and yearly progress reports to the SDN option representative.

Career pathways

Graduates pursue faculty jobs in neuroscience, psychology, marketing, economics, political science or finance and industry roles in technology, data science, finance and neurotechnology.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in science or engineering related to the option; transcripts from each institution attended, three letters of recommendation, CV and essays; GRE policy is set by each graduate program; English proficiency (e.g. TOEFL, PTE Academic, IELTS) expected for applicants whose native language is not English; application fee $100 (waivers available). Admission is once a year with fall-term enrollment; deadlines vary by program from December 1 to January 15. PhD matriculation requires evidence of US work authorization unless alternative support is arranged with the option. Programme-specific: Very strong quantitative background regardless of undergraduate major; prior exposure to neuroscience, psychology or economics useful but not required.

USD 68,574 a year (2026-27). Annual graduate tuition rate for all Caltech graduate students (Fall, Winter and Spring terms at $22,858 each); no programme-specific rate; excludes mandatory fees ($2,448). The same page states that PhD financial packages cover tuition and mandatory fees Source

Graduate admission takes place once each year, with enrollment starting in the following fall term.

Graduate applications are accepted between December 1 and January 15 for enrollment the following fall term, with deadlines varying by programme. The application fee is $100, with fee waivers for a limited number of applicants. Applications are submitted online.

Apply through the official page: https://www.gradoffice.caltech.edu/admissions/applyonline

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