PhD Program

Core Curriculum | Concentration

Because students come to the brain and cognitive sciences (BCS) discipline with a wide range of backgrounds, the PhD program is designed to introduce students to parts of the field they might not previously have studied, and to prepare them for advanced work.

This core curriculum covers a range of topics in perception, action, cognition, language, learning, and development, each examined from the perspectives of behavioral, computational, and neural science.

The methods students master for approaching their own research may vary. However, as preparation for entering a highly interdisciplinary field, all students must acquire some expertise in at least two approaches. Students also take advanced courses and seminars in one or more areas of specialization. At all stages of their graduate careers, students are heavily engaged in research.

Program Overview

Generally students complete most of their course work during the first two years. During the third year students take a qualifying exam covering the scholarly literature surrounding their area of specialization, and thereafter typically devote themselves fully to their research. The PhD is awarded upon the completion of a dissertation containing original research in the field. 

Core Curriculum

All BCS graduate students are required to take both courses

BCSC 502 Cognition: The goal of the course is to provide students with a broad foundation in key areas of (nonperceptual) human cognition.  An interdisciplinary introduction to cognition. Topics covered include learning, memory, attention, concepts and categories, cognitive development, and reasoning, each considered from the perspectives of behavioral study, computational processes, and neural mechanisms

BCSC 505 Perception, action and neural foundations: This team-taught course will provide an interdisciplinary introduction to sensory perception, interplay between action and perception, as well as their basic neural foundations. Topics to be covered include: fundamentals of perceptual detection and discrimination, eye movements, visual perception of form, motion, and depth, haptic perception, basics of neural coding, multisensory processing, and attention.

5 Advanced Courses in Relevant Research Areas

Courses can be either in BCS or in related research areas, including Linguistics, Computer Science, Optics, and Neuroscience.

At least one course needs to have a focus on statistics or research methodology.

Partial list of Currently Offered Courses

Ethics Training

Students are required to obtain training in research ethics. They fulfill this requirement through one of two mechanisms.

IND 501: Ethics and Professional Integrity in Research- Biomedical Sciences

The course features 10 sessions consisting of lecture/case study presentations followed by small group discussions that provide information on the various topics that the National Institutes for Health consider essential for the responsible conduct of research. Specific topics include the ethical issues underlying human experimentation and related conflicts of interest, animal experimentation, the mentor-mentee relationship, scientific misconduct and plagiarism, collaborative and team science, and publication/authorship. The course also provides an introduction to approaches for improving rigor and transparency with the goal of enhancing research reproducibility. (Fall)

NSF Responsible Conduct of Research Training: NSF RCR is mandatory by NSF for all graduate students supported by NSF. Topics will include Research Misconduct and Plagiarism, Responsible Authorship, Intellectual Property, Copyright and Conflict of Interest. (Spring)

Concentrations

By selecting 3 courses from a concentration area students can also earn a concentration in either: (A) Computer Science or (B) Vision Science. See below for the list of courses in each concentration area. A student can only earn one area of concentration

A. PhD Concentration in Computer Science

To earn a Ph.D. concentration in computer science a student needs:

  1. Satisfy all requirements for a PhD in BCS, as detailed above
  2. Structure their course selection to include at least 3 courses that are relevant to both BCS and Computer Science. This includes all of the courses listed below. A student may petition to have other courses considered. Each petitioned course must be relevant to both BCS and Computer Science.
    • BCSC 433 / LING 448 / CSC 448. Statistical Speech and Language Processing
    • BCSC 435 / LING 447 / CSC 447. Natural Language Processing
    • BCSC 512 / CSC 512. Computational Methods in Cognitive Science
    • BCSC 515. Applied Introduction to Signal & Systems in Brain and Cognitive Sciences
    • BCSC 532. Probabilistic Theories of Cognitive Processing
    • BCSC 536 / CSC 449. Machine Vision
    • BCSC 547 / CSC 441. Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
    • BCSC 557 / CSC 443. Advanced Computational Neuroscience
    • BCSC 570 / CVS 534 / OPT 410 / CSC 413 / NSCI 415. Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality
    • BCSC 571 / CVS 535 / OPT 438 / CSC 414 / NSCI 416. Selected Topics in Augmented Virtual Reality
    • BCSC 572 / CVS 572 / OPT 503 / CSC 513 / NSCI 540. Practicum in Augmented and Virtual Reality
    • CSC 412: Human-Computer Interaction
    • CSC 440: Data Mining
    • CSC 442. Artificial Intelligence
    • CSC 444: Knowledge Representation & Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence
    • CSC 446. Machine Learning
    • CSC 466: Frontiers in Deep Learning
    • CSC 578: Deep Learning

B. PhD Concentration in Vision Science

To earn a Ph.D. concentration in vision science a student needs:

  1. Satisfy all requirements for a PhD in BCS, as detailed above
  2. Structure their course selection to include at least 3 courses that are relevant to both BCS and Vision Science. This includes all of the courses listed below. A student may petition to have other courses considered. Each petitioned course must be relevant to both BCS and Vision Science.
    • OPT 448 / TEO 448. Vision and the Eye
    • OPT 489. The Retina-Brain Interface
    • BCSC 504 / CVS 504. Sensory Systems
    • BCSC 515. Applied Introduction to Signal & Systems in Brain and Cognitive Sciences
    • BCSC 520. The Intelligent Eye
    • BCSC 528 / CVS 528. Special Topics in Vision Science
    • BCSC 536 / CSC 449. Machine Vision
    • BCSC 541 / NCSI 541. Neurons, Circuits & Systems
    • BCSC 570 / CVS 534 / OPT 410 / CSC 413 / NSCI 415. Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality
    • BCSC 571 / CVS 535 / OPT 438 / CSC 414 / NSCI 416. Selected Topics in Augmented Virtual Reality
    • BCSC 572 / CVS 572 / OPT 503 / CSC 513 / NSCI 540. Practicum in Augmented and Virtual Reality

For general information about graduate studies at the University of Rochester, and for descriptions of all graduate course offerings at the University, see the graduate studies bulletin. For more specific information about some of these requirements see the current students page.