Admission

Call for Application for PhD Studentships

PhD studentships are available for the doctoral program in Cognitive Science at Central European University (CEU).

The Department of Cognitive Science at CEU invites applications for doctoral student positions starting in September 2012. This is a research-based training program in human cognition with social cognition and learning as core themes. Research topics include cooperation, communication, social learning, cultural transmission, embodied cognition, joint action, developmental social cognition, strategic decision-making, problem solving, visual cognition, sensory and statistical learning, visual psychophysics, computational neuroscience, and social cognitive neuroscience. Students will follow courses in cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, cognitive anthropology, computational cognition and linguistics, and will receive practical research training in the laboratories of the members of this new department.

Admission criteria

Applicants are expected to hold an internationally recognized Master’s or comparable degree in the standard disciplines that constitute cognitive science. A comparable degree in other Social Sciences, Humanities, or other disciplines will also be considered in case of an excellent academic record. We will consider the applications of exceptional students who only hold a Bachelor degree, provided it is in a discipline closely associated to cognitive science.

Application materials

As part of their application package, applicants must submit the following materials as general CEU requirements:

The completed Online Application Form 2012/2013
A curriculum vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if any
Proof of English proficiency (please see CEU Language Requirements here)
Two letters of recommendation
Academic records: the copies (and translations) of the applicant's transcripts and diplomas (or a statement/extract from the registry indicating that the applicant will receive his/her relevant degree by the time the program commences), as well as any other certificates referred to in the application form.

A Department of Cognitive Science would like to add the following departmental specific requirements:

a research proposal of 1000 to 2000 words. The research proposal should include the research questions, aims and objectives of a research project that is related to the ongoing work in the department. The proposal should situate the project in the context of the existing literature, be clear as to the expected academic contribution, and outline possible appropriate analytical frameworks and methodologies. Note that, if admitted, students will not be expected to pursue the research project as it is outlined in the proposal (though it may form the basis of their doctoral work). The submitted research proposal will be used during the application process to assess the applicant's understanding of what doing research in cognitive science entails.

We encourage applicants to consult the website and approach appropriate members of the faculty in advance in order to check the suitability of their research plans.

Further details on admissions, please see http://www.ceu.hu/admissions. (Detailed information about the Admissions Process and Admission Decisions are also available there.)

Key admission dates for 2012/2013

January 25, 2012, 24:00 Pacific Standard Time (PST). - application deadline.
February 11, 2012: CEU-administered institutional TOEFL test and department-specific examinations.
After March 20, 2012: The admissions decisions are made available to candidates via the online application system.

Track your status

In order to learn the decision about your application to CEU, please login to your online application , and click "Track your status".
Please note that in case you have applied to multiple programs, you will have a separate decision displayed in each application you have submitted.

Financial Aid: please go here for information about CEU financial aid packages.