PhD Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Massachusetts Amherst

Programme overview

A doctoral programme centered on fundamental theoretical questions about cognitive function, using behavioral measures, eyetracking, event-related potentials and MRI, with computational modeling. Laboratories cover attention, categorization, decision-making, memory, multisensory perception, numerical cognition, psycholinguistics, reading and visual cognition.

Faculty: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Department: Psychological and Brain Sciences | Duration: PhD (master's thesis earned en route) | Intake: Fall; deadline December 1 | Study mode: full-time | Location: Amherst, MA, United States

What you will study

Research training across labs such as Eye Tracking, Dynamic Memory Modeling, Language, Intersensory Perception and Speech, and Visual Cognition and Attention; students earn a master's thesis en route, then pass comprehensive examinations and write a dissertation.

Career pathways

The expected terminal degree is the PhD.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (all doctoral programs): applications are due December 1 for fall entry. Required: online Graduate School application, personal statement of academic and research interests and professional goals, unofficial or official transcripts from every institution attended, and three letters of recommendation (preferably from the major academic field). International applicants from non-English-speaking countries submit TOEFL, academic IELTS or PTE Academic. Applicants should have 18 semester hours of psychology beyond the introductory course, including at least one statistics course and one experimental psychology course; strong applicants from related fields may be admitted and asked to make up courses. Applicants with a prior master's not based on a thesis must complete a master's thesis before the PhD. Interviews depend on the area (clinical applicants in the final pool of 30-40 are invited). GRE scores are welcome but not required for this programme.

Requirements published at program group level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Intake: Fall; deadline December 1

Duration: PhD (master's thesis earned en route)

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