Program Description

The PhD program in Cognition and Neuroscience offers advanced study and research training for students seeking to become leading scientists and scholars in the field. Research in the program encompasses all aspects of cognition and neuroscience, including studies of perception, memory, stress, reasoning, pain, addiction, decision-making, neurodegeneration, neuroplasticity and neuro-engineering.

The Cognition and Neuroscience PhD program offers a distinctive blend of research initiatives and doctoral study in the neural processes underlying sensation, perception, memory, learning, language and executive function throughout the lifespan. Students may focus on perception and memory for complex information patterns such as faces, speech, language, music, and text, or reasoning and decision-making processes in conditions such as brain damage and addiction. Another area of strength is cellular and molecular neuroplasticity — in typical learning and memory as well as in chronic pain and other atypical conditions such as addiction and psychiatric disease. The program also has strengths in artificial neural networks and neuro-engineering.

The PhD program in cognition and neuroscience offers exceptional research facilities, including state-of-the art laboratories for investigating neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, neurochemical, and neuropsychological processes, as well as for conducting advanced mathematical analyses and modeling. In addition, the school’s centers, such as the Center for BrainHealth and the Center for Vital Longevity, house outstanding research facilities for the study of cognitive neuroscience, including cutting-edge brain imaging technologies for identifying the neural signatures of learning, aging, and disease. Collaborative arrangements with the UT Southwestern Medical Center expand student research opportunities through additional access to clinical populations and neuroimaging facilities.

The Cognition and Neuroscience Program is divided into two research tracks. The cognitive neuroscience track in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) includes research in human psychology, including memory, perception, music and addiction. It is centered in our Department of Psychology and utilizes human neuroimaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalogram (EEG) and positron emission tomography (PET). New students are directly admitted to a single research laboratory.

The systems and cellular neuroscience track in BBS focuses on neurobiological approaches in neuroscience, including molecular, cellular and systems approaches in animal models and humans. Research foci include learning and memory, stress, addiction, psychiatric disease and pain. It is centered in our Department of Neuroscience. New students typically rotate through multiple research laboratories to choose a dissertation laboratory.

PhD students selected for the program are fully funded through either a teaching assistantship (TA) or a research assistantship (RA). The minimum funding amount is $2,196 per month, paid over 12 months. Additionally, all PhD students receive a tuition waiver from the university. All students receive health insurance paid for by the program.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the program seek positions such as: neuroscientist in academic, private practice, industry or medical settings; researcher or professor; biotechnology and pharmaceutics.

Application Requirements

We encourage you to see our comprehensive site for the Cognition and Neuroscience PhD Program for detailed information on application requirements including addition information on faculty research, application requirements, and benefits of the program.

Degree requirements: Admission to the Cognition and Neuroscience program is based on a review of the applicant’s transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation, curriculum vitae, and narrative description of research interests and career goals. In addition to academic requirements, the admissions committee weighs heavily the match between the applicant’s research interests and the research areas available to students in the school.

Overall, we use a holistic review process to evaluate applicants taking into account your full academic and research history, your leadership qualities, indications of perseverance, and evidence of community engagement.

For information about faculty research interests, see our web pages at bbs.utdallas.edu/research/labs.

GPA and transcripts: Required

Test score required: No

Letters of recommendation: 3

Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the candidate’s probability of success in graduate school. Use the electronic request form in the graduate application to submit the letters. Contact the graduate academic program department if you have any questions.

Curriculum vitae: Yes

Admissions essay required: Yes

Deadlines: Applications for admission are due December 1. Students are accepted for the Fall semester only.