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Cognitive Science

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Program Code: 
COGS
Department: 
Department of Cognitive Science

Who may apply?

Students from various branches of science, engineering and education can apply.

Prospective students can get more information regarding our degree programs' application requirements from the following web sites:

Who may apply?
Applying to Informatics Institute

The Cognitive Science Program at METU Informatics Institute brings together the research and teaching of academicians in computer engineering, psychology, philosophy and linguistics. It aims to extend its interdisciplinary links to as many parts of METU as possible, as well as to other universities in Turkey and abroad. It aims to develop a collaborative atmosphere that attracts researchers and postgraduate students interested in all aspects of cognition.

Aim and Philosophy of the Program

The objective of our graduate programs is to offer students with different backgrounds breadth of knowledge and research techniques in a wide range of areas in Cognitive Science, but not restricted to the areas of expertise of our staff.

The Cognitive Science Program at METU Informatics Institute brings together the research and teaching of academicians in computer engineering, psychology, philosophy and linguistics. It aims to extend its interdisciplinary links to as many parts of METU as possible, as well as to other universities in Turkey and abroad. It aims to develop a collaborative atmosphere that attracts researchers and postgraduate students interested in all aspects of cognition.

The training we offered in Cognitive Science is theoretically and methodologically oriented. It is interdisciplinary and includes a whole range of applications, as manifested by our various research activities and labs. Four disciplines are represented in the graduate programs of Cognitive Science at METU. Cognitive Psychology studies deal with cognitive processes such as memory, attention, perception, action and reasoning through empirical research on human behavior. Linguistics investigates the nature of human language and its manifestation as a mental ability. Computer Science creates computational models of cognitive processes for purposes of understanding similar abilities in humans and designing intelligent systems. Philosophy addresses questions about the essential nature of mind, knowledge, representation, and language. These traditional tracks have recently been complemented by cognitive neuroscience research.

Academic Activities

Cognitive Science Colloquia

Cognitive Science Colloquia are held throughout the year and consist of seminars/talks given by invited speakers from various universities, as well as seminars by the METU staff or our own PhD students. The Colloquia aim to share information on cognitive science research, as well as promote academic research and collaboration. The seminars are open to anyone interested and provide an opportunity for our students to keep up with the recent research conducted in the field, allowing them to observe how research topics develop through academic exchange. The colloquia topics include all areas related to cognitive science ranging from “Representations of Action and Motion in Gestures and Sign Languages” (presented by Aslı Özyürek), “Cortical Correlates of Contextual Influences on Visual Perception” (presented by Hüseyin Boyacı), “Modeling Prefrontal Cortex Functions with Artificial Neural Networks” (presented by Gülay Büyükaksoy Kaplan), “Geometrical Interpretations (or Analysis) of Knowledge" (presented by Can Başkent), "The Effects of Age and Stress on Suggestibility to False Memories"  (presented by Mine Mısırlısoy) to “Quantum Theory and the Mind” (presented by İskender Öksüz).

Cognitive Science Colloquia

Cognitive Science Seminars

As part of the METU Informatics Institute Seminar Series, the faculty of the Cognitive Science Program organizes seminars on Cognitive Science and related fields, with inviting speakers from various universities, both in Turkey and abroad. The first of these seminars was held in 2007 on Cognition and Neuroscience: Neuroanatomy, fMRI and Modelling of Human Vision, organized by Asst. Prof. Bilge Say and Asst. Prof. Didem Gökçay. In 2008, the second seminar was held on Philosophy and Cognitive Science: Theory Building and Empirical Methods, organized by Asst. Prof. Annette Hohenberger and Dr. Ceyhan Temürcü.

Graduate Curriculum

Program Structure

Courses are grouped into four tracks. These are computer science, linguistics, psychology, and philosophy (see the curriculum). The advisor of the each student will be responsible for guiding the student in taking the necassary courses, by considering the courses that the student has taken in the past.

MS Degree Requirements

  • 2 Must courses (3 credits each)
  • 1 Must course (1 credit)
  • 4 restricted electives (3 credits each)
  • 3 electives (restricted, departmental or free) (3 credits each)
  • 1 seminar course (non-credit)
  • Master's Thesis (non-credit)

PhD Degree Requirements

  • 2 Must courses (3 credits each) (If not taken in the M.S. or exempted)
  • 1 Must course (1 credit) (If not taken in the M.S. or exempted)
  • 3 major area courses (3 credits each)
  • 3 minor area courses (3 credits each)
  • 2 elective courses (3 credits each)
  • 1 seminar course (non-credit)
  • PhD Thesis (non-credit)

M.S. in Cognitive Science

The Cognitive Science Department at METU Informatics Institute offers an MS degree in Cognitive Science. The MS program provides an interdisciplinary training in Cognitive Science, in which the students should take courses from each of the four tracks of the program; i.e. Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. In order to enable students to have a strong and sufficient background for the program, three must courses, namely COGS 501 Linguistics and Formal Languages , COGS 502 Logic and Programming and COGS 503 Introduction to Cognitive Science are offered. Requirements for a MS degree in Cognitive Science Program consist of taking four restricted electives, three free electives, one seminar course and completing a Master’s Thesis. The seminar courses provide students with perspectives on different research areas and recent investigations in Cognitive Science. All courses at the Cognitive Science Department are very intensive and provide individually-centered training with relatively low numbers of students, ranging from 6 to 16 students per course for 2007/2nd semester.

MS Program

Students must take COGS 501 - Linguistics and Formal Languages, COGS 502 - Logic and Programming and COGS 503 - Introduction to Cognitive Science courses. Students who have their undergraduate degree from Computer Science are exempted from COGS 502. Students with other undergraduate degrees who believe that they can be exempted from this course because of their knowledge of the content of the course must see the course instructor. (course descriptions). Those students who are granted exemption from must courses must take an extra elective for each course replaced as such.

Students should take at least one restricted elective from each track. All courses are offered by METU, except where noted.

PhD in Cognitive Science

The PhD program in Cognitive Science at METU Informatics Institute provides extensive interdisciplinary training as it enables students to enroll in courses from various disciplines. Some of the courses offered in various tracks are:

Computing track: Computational Models of Mind, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence for Cognitive Science, Neuroimaging: Anatomy, Physiology and Function of the Human Brain
Linguistics track: Theoretical Linguistics, Lexical Semantics, Language and Cognition, Language Acquisition, Syntax, Semantics and Computation: Combinatory Categorial Grammar
Psychology track: Cognitive Development, Human Memory, Cognition, Perception and Action, Statistics and Research Methods
Philosophy track: Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Meaning and Logic, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophical Logic, Topics in Epistemology

The program requires students to decide on a major and a minor area of interest. In order to complete the PhD program, students should take at least three courses from the major area and three courses from the minor area, two elective courses, one seminar course and write a PhD Thesis. PhD candidates are required to pass a written and an oral exam on their major and minor specialization areas, upon the completion of course requirements. The successful candidates spend the rest of their candidacy period focusing on their research area and completing their thesis work. Throughout the PhD program students are encouraged to participate in research activities, present papers and posters at national and international conferences, make publications and thus become productive and independent researchers in Cognitive Science.

PhD Program

Students must take COGS 501 - Linguistics and Formal Languages, COGS 502 - Logic and Programming and COGS 503 - Introduction to Cognitive Science courses in addition to the regular course load of the PhD program, if they have not taken them or equivalent courses before. In the later case, students do not have to take any other course to replace the exempted course(s).

Students should take at least three courses from the major area and three courses from the minor area. All courses are offered by METU, except where noted.

Qualifying Exams

Upon the completion of course requirements, the PhD candidate takes a written and oral exam on his/her major and minor specialization areas. The PhD candidates should identify their major and minor specialization areas and inform the Informatics Institute Secretary in writing. This should be done in the add-drop period of the semester the student will take the exams. The latest qualifying exams can be obtained from the secretary. (Sample exams and PhD reading List).
 

Student Profile

The Cognitive Science Department at METU Informatics Institute welcomes students from various backgrounds and so far has admitted students from departments such as Computer Science and Engineering, Psychology, Philosophy, Foreign Language Education, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Computer Education and Instructional Technology.
Currently (2008-2009/1), there are 30 MS, 22 PhD students registered in the Cognitive Science Department. The department had a total of 48 graduates up to date.

Career Opportunities

Language technology, innovative uses of computers, man-machine interfaces, academic track on Cognitive Science or related disciplines, such as Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Philosophy. 

Comments From Students

Işın Demirşahin (PhD student):
"When I made the decision to study Cognitive Science, I was an undergraduate student at METU and I already knew that the program offered a high-quality education. What did not know was how the warm and welcoming Cognitive Science society adopted the newcomers. The courses are designed meticulously to bring students of all sorts of academic background together. The instructors are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of having a mixed crowd in the class, and while filling in for the shortcomings when necessary, they never leave out the essentials in expense. Interdisciplinary courses also allow students to study cognitive phenomena from various points of view. In addition to a variety of courses offered each semester, there are extracurricular opportunities for self-improvement such as seminars, conferences, weekly talks among the students of the program and people from related departments of other universities. I appreciate very much the way this program has contributed to my knowledge and perspective. Attending Cognitive Science Program in Middle East Technical University was a life choice I will always be proud of.." more...

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