{"id":3027,"date":"2011-12-05T14:20:35","date_gmt":"2011-12-05T19:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/?page_id=3027"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:20:16","slug":"ph-d-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/ph-d-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 py-24 md:py-28 lg:py-36 xl:py-48\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/05\/grad1-768x336.jpg); background-position: 50% 14%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                    \n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/calendar.carleton.ca\/grad\/gradprograms\/cognitivescience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Program Requirements Carleton Calendar<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"w-full max-w-xl mx-auto overflow-hidden bg-white rounded-lg shadow-lg cu-stackedlist cu-component not-contained not-prose\">\n    <h2 class=\"px-6 py-4 text-base font-semibold border-b rounded-t-lg md:text-xl bg-gray-50 text-cu-black-800\">\n        Table of Contents\n    <\/h2>\n    <div class=\"grid cu-scrollto cu-stackedlist--toc cu-stackedlist--1 md:grid-cols-1\">\n            <div class=\"space-y-1\">\n                    \n            <div class=\"pl-4 text-cu-red-700\">\n                <div class=\"flex gap-2 pb-3 text-base md:text-lg\">\n                    <span class=\"font-light text-cu-black-700\">\n                        1.\n                    <\/span>\n\n                    <a href=\"#why-might-i-want-to-get-a-doctorate-in-cognitive-science\" class=\"font-medium hover:underline\">\n                        Why might I want to get a doctorate in Cognitive Science?\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n                    \n            <div class=\"pl-4 text-cu-red-700\">\n                <div class=\"flex gap-2 pb-3 text-base md:text-lg\">\n                    <span class=\"font-light text-cu-black-700\">\n                        2.\n                    <\/span>\n\n                    <a href=\"#how-can-i-apply-for-the-doctoral-program\" class=\"font-medium hover:underline\">\n                        How can I apply for the doctoral program?\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n                    \n            <div class=\"pl-4 text-cu-red-700\">\n                <div class=\"flex gap-2 pb-3 text-base md:text-lg\">\n                    <span class=\"font-light text-cu-black-700\">\n                        3.\n                    <\/span>\n\n                    <a href=\"#can-i-get-help-with-funding\" class=\"font-medium hover:underline\">\n                        Can I get help with funding?\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n                    \n            <div class=\"pl-4 text-cu-red-700\">\n                <div class=\"flex gap-2 pb-3 text-base md:text-lg\">\n                    <span class=\"font-light text-cu-black-700\">\n                        4.\n                    <\/span>\n\n                    <a href=\"#what-is-required-to-complete-the-phd-program\" class=\"font-medium hover:underline\">\n                        What is required to complete the PhD program?\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n                    \n            <div class=\"pl-4 text-cu-red-700\">\n                <div class=\"flex gap-2 pb-3 text-base md:text-lg\">\n                    <span class=\"font-light text-cu-black-700\">\n                        5.\n                    <\/span>\n\n                    <a href=\"#additional-program-information\" class=\"font-medium hover:underline\">\n                        Additional Program Information\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Department of Cognitive Science offers a doctoral (PhD) degree program. This degree is usually required to become a professor or to lead one\u2019s own research in the working world. It is intensive training in how to become a researcher in cognitive science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"why-might-i-want-to-get-a-doctorate-in-cognitive-science\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why might I want to get a doctorate in Cognitive Science?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A doctorate (PhD) in cognitive science gives you training in how to conduct research on the subject of minds well enough to run your own research laboratory. Ph.D.s in cognitive science might go on to work as professors or researchers at companies (e.g., Google Research) or government research labs (e.g., StatCan, NRC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"how-can-i-apply-for-the-doctoral-program\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I apply for the doctoral program?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/admission-requirements-grad\/\">View our admissions requirements.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"can-i-get-help-with-funding\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I get help with funding?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/awards-and-scholarships\/\">See Awards and Scholarships.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-is-required-to-complete-the-phd-program\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is required to complete the PhD program?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/graduate-courses\/\" type=\"page\" id=\"16912\">3.5 credits of coursework<\/a>, including <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/methodology-rotations\/\">methodology rotations<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6.5 credit thesis\/dissertation, which includes a prospectus defense.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/calendar.carleton.ca\/grad\/courses\/CGSC\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cognitive Science courses<\/a>&nbsp;that we offer in general, though not all of these course will be available every year. To see what classes are available in any given term, <a href=\"https:\/\/central.carleton.ca\/prod\/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">see the&nbsp;Classes offered by term schedule<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students are expected to complete their <a href=\"https:\/\/calendar.carleton.ca\/grad\/gradprograms\/cognitivescience\/#text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coursework<\/a> by the end of the&nbsp;<strong>2nd<\/strong>&nbsp;year, including the Pro-Seminar and Theory and Methods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students are expected to complete their <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/methodology-rotations\/\">methodology rotations<\/a>&nbsp;by the end of their&nbsp;<strong>7th term.&nbsp;<\/strong>Methodology rotations are small projects with other professors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students are expected to defend their <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/ph-d-thesis-preparation\/\" type=\"page\" id=\"3708\">prospectus<\/a>\u00a0by the end of their\u00a0<strong>9th term<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students are expected to complete all program requirements by the end of their 6<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All students are expected to&nbsp;<strong>attend weekly&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>colloquia<\/strong> (talks), even if those talks are not related to the student\u2019s research.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All PhD Students are expected to\u00a0<strong>present 3 times at a conference,<strong class=\"myprefix-text-bold\"> two must be at the<\/strong> <\/strong>Cognitive Science <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/events\/\" type=\"page\" id=\"16668\">Spring Conference<\/a> every year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We remind students to check their audits every term by <a href=\"http:\/\/360.carleton.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">logging in to Carleton360<\/a> and selecting \u201cmyAudit\u201d from the important links menu.&nbsp;<br>We also remind students that it is their responsibility to complete the milestones on time as this is an indication that students are moving well through their program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have specific questions about the requirements, please send an email to <a href=\"mailto:graduate.administrator.cogsci@carleton.ca\" type=\"mailto\" id=\"mailto:graduate.administrator.cogsci@carleton.ca\">graduate administrator<\/a> of the Cognitive Science program for further information.<\/p>\n\n\n    \n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--grey ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl bg-cu-black-50 max-w-screen-2xl mx-auto rounded-xl px-6 py-5 md:px-14 md:py-12 md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n                            \n\n\n<header class=\"mb-6 cu-pageheader cu-component-updated md:mb-12\">\n    <h2 id=\"additional-program-information\" class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative text-2xl md:text-3xl lg:text-4xl lg:leading-[3rem] pb-4 after:w-8 after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px\">\n        Additional Program Information\n    <\/h2>\n\n    <\/header>\n        \n        <div class=\"cu-column cu-component not-contained mx-auto grid max-w-5xl md:grid-cols-3 gap-6 md:gap-10\">\n            \n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Awards, Scholarships and Fees\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/awards-and-scholarships\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        The Cognitive Science Graduate Students Association (CSGSA)\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/csgsa\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Graduate Courses\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/graduate-courses\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Graduate Forms\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/graduate-forms\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Graduate Program Admission Requirements\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/admission-requirements-grad\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Graduate Research Showcase\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/research\/cognitive-science-graduate-research-showcase\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Methodology Rotations\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/methodology-rotations\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        PhD Prospectus and Thesis\/Dissertation Preparation\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/ph-d-thesis-preparation\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n        \n        \n            <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n                \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Roadmap for PhD Students\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n                \n                    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto text-white md:pt-5\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/roadmap-for-phd-students\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n                    View Page\n                <\/a>\n            <\/footer>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Cognitive Science offers a doctoral (PhD) degree program. This degree is usually required to become a professor or to lead one\u2019s own research in the working world. It is intensive training in how to become a researcher in cognitive science. Why might I want to get a doctorate in Cognitive Science? A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[105],"class_list":["post-3027","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-general"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3027"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17418,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3027\/revisions\/17418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cognitivescience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=3027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}