Central European University (CEU)
Doctor of Philosophy in Cognitive Science
Vienna, Austria
PhD
DURATION
6 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 15,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* application deadline for doctoral programs for applicants from all countries, all applications must be complete with any applicable standard test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, etc.)
** payable in one or two installments, non-refundable initial tuition fee installment (€500 EUR) is paid to confirm your acceptance of our offer of admission and is credited towards the 1st tuition fee installment in year 1
Key Summary
About: Central European University Doctor of Philosophy in Cognitive Science is a research-based interdisciplinary PhD specializing in social cognition, cognitive development, and formal and biological models of perception and learning. Core courses cover cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, anthropology, perception and computational modeling, and you'll train in methods, experimental design and data analysis in department labs. Standard duration 4 years with fully funded stipends for 4 years. Next Deadline 15th October 2026, apply: https://www.ceu.edu/admissions
Career Outcomes: Graduates enter academia, postdoctoral research and faculty roles; they also work in research institutes, industry R&D, data science, AI, UX, policy and consultancy positions.
The Department of Cognitive Science offers a PhD program in Cognitive Science. This research-based, interdisciplinary program offers specialization in the fields of social cognition, cognitive development, and formal and biological models of perception and learning. Students may take courses in cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, cognitive anthropology, visual perception and computational modelling. They receive practical research training in methods, experimental design and data analysis in the laboratories of departmental faculty members. As of 2023, we offer a PhD program of which the standard duration is 4 years with fully funded stipends for 4 years.
As a doctoral researcher, you will be invited to join one of the labs of our department. These are:
- Cognitive Development Center
- Social Mind Center
- Social Mind and Body Lab
- Adaptive Cognition and Economics in Society
- Language Comprehension Lab
- Centre for Cognitive Computation
- Computational Learning and Memory Group
- Vision Lab
Program Accreditation/Registration
- The program was approved and registered by the New York State Education Department
- Program accredited by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ-Austria)
1st-year students: 30 credits (60 ECTS) to be collected during the academic year (16 for courses, 6 for JC + Colloquia 8 for Ph.D. thesis proposal.)
2nd, 3rd, and 4th yr students: 30 (60 ECTS) credits to be collected during the academic year (6 for JC + Colloquia, 2 for workshop presentation, 2 per conference participation, 18 for PhD Progress Report)
The main goal of the courses in our Ph.D. program is to ensure that the students master the basic notions and theories in cognitive science and can do cutting-edge doctoral research in one area of expertise of the program, such as social cognitive sciences and the study of social cognition. The PhD program will provide basic training (taught courses) on at least the following topics:
- Cognitive psychology
- Research methods in cognitive science
- Social cognition
The credit requirements to be fulfilled during the three-year Cognitive Science Ph.D. program are such that the course work is concentrated during the first year, while most of the requirements are research-focused.
Courses and Syllabi
Fall Term (2023/24) - credit requirements: 8 for 1st yr students
Core Course (Mandatory):
- Topics in Cognitive Science - Günther Knoblich (2 credits for Grade) - offered for cross-list to PHIL
Research Courses: [4 credits to be elected for 1st yr students]
- Infant Cognition - Gergely Csibra, Erno Teglas (2 credits for Grade)
- Visual Cognition - József Fiser (2 credits for Grade)
- Joint Action and Communication - Natalie Sebanz, Günther Knoblich, Eva Wittenberg (2 credits for Grade) - offered for cross-list to PHIL
Elective Courses: [2 credits to be elected by 1st year students]
- Folk Teleology - Gergely Csibra (2 credits for Grade) - offered for Crosslist to Phil
- Practical Programming for Cognitive Scientists – Jonathan Kominsky (2 credits for Grade)
- Perception – Hanoch Ben-Yami (4 credits for Grade), offered by Phil for cross-list
Mandatory to attend for Pass/Fail (for all 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th yr students):
- CDC Seminar/Department Colloquium - (1 credit for Pass/Fail)
- Journal Club/Research Club - (1 credit for Pass/Fail)
Winter Term (2023/24) - credit requirements: 8 for 1st yr students
Core Course (Mandatory):
- Statistics for Experimental Research - József Fiser (2 credits for Grade)
Elective Courses: [4 credits to be elected for 1st yr students]
- Academic writing – Natalie Sebanz, Eva Wittenberg (2 credits for Grade)
- The Cognitive Science of Ignorance – Jonathan Kominsky (2 credits for Grade) – cross-listed with PHIL and POLS
- Bayesian Data Analysis I – Jozsef Fiser (2 credits for Grade) offered for cross-list to NDS
- The Origin of Abstract Combinatorial Thought – Agnes M. Kovacs, Erno Teglas (2 credits for Grade) - offered for cross-list to PHIL
- How Minds Make Societies: An Evolutionary Psychology Approach - György Gergely (2 credits for Grade) – cross-listed with PHIL, POLS, DSPS, SOCL, CHSP
- Metaphysics of Mind – Tim Crane (4 credits for Grade) offered by Phil for crosslist.
Mandatory to attend for Pass/Fail (for all 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th yr students)
- CDC Seminar/Department Colloquium- (1 credit for Pass/Fail)
- Journal Club/Research Club - (1 credit for Pass/Fail)
One Individual Study Course with the Supervisor, 4 credits, graded (mandatory for all 1st yr students)
Spring Term (2023/24)
- Research Proposal Development (8 credits for Pass/Fail - for 1st year students)
- Comprehensive exam (0 credits for Pass/Fail - for 1st year students)
- PhD Progress Report and Chapter (18 credits for Pass/Fail- for 2nd and 3rd yr students)
- Conference presentation (2 credits for Pass/Fail - for 2nd and 3rd yr students)
- CDC Seminar/Department Colloquium - (1 credit for Pass/Fail - for all 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th yr students)
- Journal Club/Research Club - (1 credit for Pass/Fail - for all 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th yr students)
CEU is committed to attracting talented students and scholars from around the world and provides generous merit-based scholarships available to students from any country. Doctoral scholarships include a full tuition waiver and a generous stipend for housing and living expenses.
CEU has an international reputation for high-quality postgraduate education delivered in a research-led environment. In pursuit of our mission, we strive to attract the very best graduates worldwide for our doctoral program. Candidates who apply by the financial aid deadline are automatically considered for the CEU Doctoral Scholarship, covering the full cost of tuition, complete with a monthly stipend to assist with housing and living costs.
Doctoral Stipend - 1,680 EUR/gross/month (=1,350 EUR/net/month for students who have no other taxable income)*
*PhD stipends are taxable in Austria. PhD students are considered new self-employed individuals in Austria, and they have to file their taxes and register at the national SVS insurance provider.
Housing
Doctoral students receive a monthly stipend to help with housing and living expenses. Each student is responsible for securing accommodation for themselves.
Please note: The CEU Doctoral Scholarship is awarded for a period of 48 months in total.
Our program equips students with skills for successful careers in academia and other research-oriented sectors, meeting the growing demand for experts in social and computational cognitive science. They may also find positions at organizations that
appreciate how institutional design and governance benefit from a better understanding of the cognitive bases for decision-making.