Graduate Programs

Introduction | Support | Program Requirements | Master's Degrees | Applications & Admission

Director of Graduate Studies: Prof. Bertram Malle
Student Affairs Coodinator: Michele Barchi 

Introduction

Brown University’s Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences is a unique interdisciplinary department that offers Ph.D. programs in three fields: Cognitive Science, Linguistics, and Psychology.

Graduate students are admitted to the Department as a whole and select a specific Ph.D. program by the end of their first year.  Given the interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty in the department, graduate students are able to carry out coursework and research in many areas and from many methodological perspectives.  Students are encouraged to bring together faculty from the different programs in their first-year project committee to be exposed to multiple approaches and traditions. 

The department currently conducts research in the following areas: 

  • Animal Learning, Cognition & Behavior
  • Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Cognition and Memory
  • Perception, Action, and Sensory Processes
  • Social Psychology
  • Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics
  • Theoretical Linguistics
  • Computational Modeling of Mind, Brain, and Behavior

Download our Graduate Program Flyer for additional information.

Support

Students are expected to complete the Ph.D. program in 5 years, and they receive full financial support for these 5 years.  Support comes in the form of university fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. 

Program Requirements

Although the requirements differ somewhat between programs, there are core requirements common to all three programs:

  • First-year project
  • Core content and methodological courses
  • 4 semesters of teaching assistance
  • Preliminary exam or Major Paper
  • Dissertation proposal
  • Dissertation

In addition to acquiring subject-matter knowledge and research skills through a mixture of course work and research experience, graduate students also develop job-related skills and receive training in the legal and ethical responsibilities as professionals.

The CLPS Graduate Program Handbook is last updated in April 2013.

Master's Degrees

CLPS does not admit students for only a Master's degree, but students admitted to a Ph.D. program may receive an A.M. or Sc.M. degree en route to their Ph.D.

Applications & Admission

Admission to the CLPS programs is highly selective.  Fewer than 10% of applicants are invited for interviews, and about half of the interviewees receive offers of admission.

The application deadline for all three CLPS programs is December 15.  Please consult the Brown Graduate School webpage for further information about the department and the programs at this link and follow application instructions at this link.