Graduate Admissions
How to Apply | Application Details | Financial Aid | Visiting Campus
Thank you for your interest in the Department of Cognitive Science. Below you will find application instructions. Applicants to the Ph.D. Program in Cognitive Science must apply through the web-based Graduate Program Application system. Completed application packs will be reviewed by the core faculty and ranked accordingly. Top applicants will be invited to visit JHU as a group, be interviewed by the faculty, meet the current graduate students, and tour our department facilities. The visit usually takes place in early March. Decisions concerning admission are made after the visit. Please visit http://grad.jhu.edu/faqs for general information on graduate admissions.
Application deadline is January 1.
All applications and documentation must be provided in English. If you are unable to secure translations, we recommend that you contact World Education Services.
How to Apply
1. Submit the following through the Web-Based Application
__Application, fee, and signature page
__Statement of purpose
__Sample of written work
__Three letters of recommendation (must be submitted electronically)
2. Mail the following
Please use the Mailing Label and Cover Sheet to be sure that all pieces to the application are in place and mailed to the correct address. Please note, that only regular mail, certified mail, UPS, DHL, and Federal Express deliveries are accepted.
__Original transcripts from all institutions listed on the application
__Original GRE scores | Institution code: 5332 | Department code: 2903
__Original TOEFL scores or original IELTS scores
Either test is accepted for all non-native speakers of the English language.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Website for TOEFL is http://www.ets.org/toefl
Johns Hopkins prefers a MINIMUM SCORE of 600/paper
or 100/IBT on the TOEFL test.
Reference - Institution code: 5332 | Department code: 04
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Website for IELTS is http://www.ielts.org
Reference -
Institution: Johns Hopkins University,
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences,Whiting School of Engineering.
Country: USA
Bandscore: 7
Course ID #: 4610 (Graduate Admissions)
If you are applying to two separate departments at Johns Hopkins University
In that case, one application fee is paid, and one application is done, but two application packets are required - one for each department for which you are applying.
Application Details
Statement of purpose - this will include specific interests that you wish to pursue at JHU. It is recommended to include primary and secondary interests in the following research areas:
- Cognitive Psychology & Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Computational Approaches to Cognition
- Generative Linguistics
- Language Processing
- Language Acquisition
- Philosophy of Mind
It is also recommended that you reference core faculty that you are particularly interested in studying under.
The Statement of Purpose should also include your relevant background, previous experience and names of mentors. For example, candidates wishing to pursue computational approaches to cognition are encouraged to discuss their math background; cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and language processing candidates their laboratory experience; and linguistics candidates their background in generative linguistics.
For candidates with no previous background in Cognitive Science, the statement should convey:
- their formal background
- their previous exposure to issues in Cognitive Science
- their particular interests in Cognitive Science and why the JHU program is an appropriate program of study and research.
Duo-degree candidates must explicitly mention the relevant disciplines.
Sample of written work can be research papers, writing samples, thesis, conference posters, etc. The purpose of the writing sample is to see how the student puts their thoughts in writing, and their thought processes.
Three letters of recommendation - There are three letters required and they should be detailed, address the candidate's suitability for research in Cognitive Science and, if relevant, provide an evaluation of his or her previous research experience and future promise. Have the person writing your letters include CONTACT INFORMATION as we do contact the references (e-mail, telephone, and fax). All letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically.
GRE/Graduate record examination should be taken early in the preceding fall. GRE scores need to reach us no later than January 31. Please reference the following codes: Institution code: #5332, Department code #2903)
TOEFL or IELTS scores - For more detailed information regarding these two forms of testing, see http://grad.jhu.edu/faqs.
Troubleshooting
If you have any technical problems with the online application process, visit http://grad.jhu.edu/faqs
Financial Aid for Graduate Studies
We only admit full-time graduate students that we are able to financially support for the duration of the 5-year program (stipend and tuition remission), as long as their performance is deemed satisfactory.
We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to take advantage of graduate fellowship opportunities provided by a number of organizations (NSF, NIH, etc.) and apply for those in a timely fashion. Always verify on the relevant websites that you are eligible before proceeding.
All students are expected to engage in full-time research during the summer months and the January intersession.
All full-time graduate students are expected to serve as teaching assistants in some Cognitive Science courses, except for their last year and (when possible) their first semester.
Financial support is available for student participation in conferences and workshops.
See also the Johns Hopkins Financial Aid page.
Graduate Research Fellowships
For specific deadlines, please consult the relevant websites.
NSF (www.nsf.gov)
Ford Foundation http://national-academies.org/fellowships
NIH (http://grants1.nih.gov)
NIMH/APA (www.apa.org/mfp)
DoD (www.asee.org/ndseg) : apply the first semester of grad school
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/javits/index.html
Visiting Campus
The Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office typically offers a tour of the campus every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Applicants should check the ‘Visit Us’ webpage to verify the scheduled tour prior to arrival. A student-produced online tour of our campus can also be found here.