What is the difference between an undergraduate degree in cognitive science and a graduate degree?
Undergraduate education often focuses on teaching the theoretical and methodological foundations of the field. During an undergraduate degree, students are expected to learn and apply the material.
A graduate degree is different. It’s a training program that transforms students into scholars who are actively contributing to scientific knowledge. PhD trainees are expected to conduct research and thus to contribute new knowledge to the field.
What’s special about the Cognitive & Information Sciences program? Is it the right program for me?
We think our program offers a special mix of interdisciplinarity, theoretical rigor, and computational training. You can read more here: https://uc-merced.foleon.com/grad-division/cis/
As a community, we investigate systems that range in scale from sensorimotor brain areas to entire societies, using a variety of methods ranging from transcranial magnetic stimulation to agent based modeling, from classroom studies to formal analyses of complex systems. While each professor and graduate student has their own personal focus, people in our department remain in active conversation with each other. Many of those conversations happen at our weekly invited speaker series (cogsci.ucmerced.edu/events/upcoming-speakers) and our twice-weekly departmental tea time.
We work hard to cultivate an environment of healthy excellence, where people can conduct world-class research within a convivial, supportive community. CIS graduate students and faculty often collaborate across lab and disciplinary boundaries. And graduates of our PhD program have gone on to great positions in academia and industry (cogsci.ucmerced.edu/people/cis-phd-alumni)
What if I didn’t major in cognitive science?
That’s fine! Most of the faculty didn’t major in cognitive science, either. When preparing your application, just make the case that you are prepared to excel in a world-class research environment.
Do I need a master’s degree to apply to the PhD program?
No, and many successful applicants do not have a master’s degree.
How long does it take to complete the PhD program? Will it cost me a lot of money?
Our PhD program is typically completed in five years — and it won’t cost you a dime. All students admitted to our PhD program are fully funded, which means the university covers their tuition, offers health insurance, and pays them a liveable stipend that should be enough to live a good life in Merced.
How does the admissions committee evaluate Statements of Purpose?
The Statement of Purpose is an opportunity to convince the admissions committee that you are passionate about cognitive science, are prepared to conduct research, and will excel in a demanding apprenticeship-based training environment. It is probably the most important document that you will submit.
Since our doctoral training is apprenticeship-based, PhD students will immediately join a lab where they will start conducting research in their first semester. Thus, one of the most important factors is the “fit” between an applicant’s interests and skills and the lab they would potentially join. A strong Statement of Purpose will clearly articulate the student’s research interests and preparation for research, and it will make the case that the student will thrive in the potential advisor’s lab.
What is the difference between a Statement of Purpose and a Personal Statement?
The Statement of Purpose is where you explain why you want to join our PhD program, what kinds of research questions you hope to answer, why you’re ready, and why you’ll excel.
The Personal Statement is an opportunity to let us know more about you as a person — your background and experiences — particularly those aspects of your journey that can help inform our evaluation of whether you’re a good fit for graduate training. For instance, students can describe any special obstacles they have overcome that demonstrate their capacity to overcome adversity in pursuit of their goals. Or they can explain why they are so passionate about pursuing a PhD, which can help us evaluate whether the student has the necessary level of commitment to complete a 5-year training program. In general, the Personal Statement is an opportunity for you to share anything that you think will make us more excited about inviting you to join our research community.
Do you require applicants to have research experience before they apply? What can I do if I don’t have any?
Research experience is not required, but it is strongly recommended. From our perspective, we need to judge whether an applicant will enjoy doing research and will be good at it. Some of the best evidence is past enjoyment and success in research.
If you don’t have any research experience, you can seek out opportunities by volunteering in a lab, either in a nearby university or through online collaborations. You can also make the case that non-research experiences have given you an equivalent preparation.
Are students admitted to a specific lab? Do I need to pick an advisor before I apply?
Yes, graduate students are admitted to a specific lab. When applying, you should make it clear which lab(s) you are interested in joining. Not all labs have space for new students. To see which faculty are recruiting graduate students, please visit the CIS faculty directory (https://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/faculty) and look for names with an asterisk (*). Those are the people who are currently open to new graduate students.
Should I email a potential advisor in advance to ask if they are taking students?
To see which faculty are recruiting graduate students, please visit the CIS faculty directory (https://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/faculty) and look for names with an asterisk (*). Those are the people who are currently open to new graduate students.
You are also welcome to reach out directly to potential advisors. This can be an opportunity to check whether your research interests are a good fit with the lab’s research focus. Before reaching out, you can get a sense of the lab’s current research by looking up the professor’s personal website or finding them on Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) and reading a few of their recent papers.
Note that faculty vary in how open they are to corresponding with potential applicants before they apply. Some faculty prefer to chat extensively and may even agree to talk over Zoom. Others prefer to limit their interactions to avoid biasing their admission decisions. But it is certainly ok to politely reach out!
What about the GRE? Should I submit my scores?
The GRE is not required. If students submit their scores, we will use them as an additional source of information about whether they are prepared to conduct the kind of research they want to pursue. For instance, for students interested in pursuing computational work, the quantitative score can be a good way to demonstrate that they have the required mathematical foundation. All applications are evaluated holistically, however, and applicants who do not submit their GRE scores will not be penalized.
Who should I ask for letters of recommendation?
The strongest letters of recommendation will come from people who can speak, concretely, about your preparation to thrive as an apprentice-scientist. This will typically be a professor who has collaborated with you in the context of research.
Will I be able to visit the department in person?
We invite finalists who live in the US to visit the campus in early Winter for an in-person interview and visitation. We will reach out to applicants to let them know if they have made it to that round. (Finalists from outside of the US will be invited to visit with members of the department via video conferencing.)
Does your department offer a master’s degree?
Yes! We offer a one-year master’s program. Graduates of our master’s degree have gone on to PhD programs and jobs in industry.
How do I determine whether I should apply to the CIS MS program or the CIS PhD program? Can I apply to both?
Applicants can only apply to one of the two graduate programs.
If you are looking for a quick, one-year crash-course in the theories and methods of cognitive science as we approach it here, then the master’s is your best bet. Master’s students pay tuition, take courses alongside PhD students, and participate fully in the intellectual life of the department.
If you are looking for a 5-year apprenticeship that will prepare you to conduct world-class research as an independent scientist (e.g., as a professor), then the PhD program is for you. PhD students are fully funded and begin conducting research in their first semester.
If an applicant to our PhD program is promising, but we are not sure if they are ready for our PhD program, we will sometimes offer them a position in our master’s program. So if you are unsure about which program is right for you, then you should apply to the PhD program.
How many applicants will be accepted?
Typically, we accept between 5 and 10 PhD students every year. Since the department consists of around a dozen labs, that means most labs will recruit one new PhD student every year or two.
