Illustrative course programs for the Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science

I. A student in Psychology who is interested in memory and conceptual behavior could take the following courses:

CmpSci 587, Computing with artificial neural networks
CmpSci 589, Machine learning
Ling 501, Linguistic theory and grammar of English
Phil 784, Philosophy of science
Phil 785, Philosophy of mind

This program would give the student a broad overview of cognitive science approaches to knowledge and the representation of knowledge, which is fundamental to the student's specialization in memory and conceptual behavior

II. A student in Psychology who is interested in computational approaches to vision, visual reasoning, and visual form learning might take the following courses:

Cmpsci 572, Neurobiology
Cmpsci 587, Computing with artificial neural networks
Cmpsci 589, Machine learning
Cmpsci 670, Computer vision
Plus one course not in current list, added at the request of the student who argues that the specific computational principles covered in this course have particular relevance to psychological approaches to computer vision: Cmpsci 687, Reinforcement Learning.

This program is sharply focused on computational approaches. It would provide the student with tools to do research on the psychology of vision that few psychologists enjoy.

III. A student in Linguistics who is interested in language processing in normal adults and in adults with language disorders might take the following courses:

Cmpsci 585, Natural language processing
Psychology 530, Human neuropsychology
Psychology 617, Applied and basic cognition and its development I
ComDis 580, Cognitive bases of language
ComDis 613, Language disorders in adults I

This program would provide the student with a broad overview of experimental and clinical approaches to language and language disorders.

IV. A student in Communication Disorders who is interested in normal and disordered phonological development might take the following courses:

Linguistics 601, Introduction to transformational grammar
Linguistics 603, Generative phonology
Linguistics 614, Introduction to phonetic theory
Psychology 617, Applied and basic cognition and its development
Psychology 752, Perceptual development in children

This program would give the student a substantial and integrated foundation of linguistic approaches to language, focused on phonology and phonetics, as well as a solid introduction to experimental approaches to the psychology of perception, including auditory perception.