Research in Cognitive Science

Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Studies

Level of studies: second-cycle studies

Type of studies: full-time

Duration: 2 years

Language of instruction: English

Professional title: master (magister)

Educational profile: general academic

Tuition fee: the semester tuition fee for the first year of studies is: PLN 1 000,00 (the fee can be paid in 4 installments of PLN 250,00 each).

About the programme

Programme description

Cognitive Science at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań has the longest tradition in Poland, almost 20 years, and the Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science is recognized as one of the leading Polish centers for cognitive research and education in this field. Research in Cognitive Science is a course with a general academic education profile, so its program is closely related to scientific research in psychology, social communication, and media sciences. Graduates of complementary master’s studies in Research in Cognitive Science are exceptionally prepared to conduct research and implementation work related to the issues of the mind and cognitive processes and solve multidisciplinary problems, both independently and as part of teamwork. Cognitive knowledge and skills are used wherever tasks related to stimulating cognitive development, creating solutions in social communication, designing research tools, or improvements in human-computer communication are implemented. Completion of Research in Cognitive Science allows you to acquire skills to use both the resources of individual basic disciplines and creative problem solving requiring, for example, linking psychological knowledge with computer science, theories of artificial intelligence and logic, or biology with linguistics and philosophy. This knowledge and skills allow you to find yourself ideally in multidisciplinary project and research teams and coordinate them.

Example of courses

Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience
Problem Solving
Conceptual Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Academic Writing

Graduate competencies

The objectives of education in the area of "Research in Cognitive Science” include:

shaping research maturity, skills of conscious designing and implementing plans for personal development, and at the same time sensitivity to ethical and cognitive challenges of the modern world,
implementing to conduct scientific research at the highest level by implementing significant research projects together with academic staff,
upbringing in a sense of responsibility for strengthening the principles of democracy and respect for human rights and social responsibility of science,
developing skills of disseminating and communicating scientific achievements, as part of shaping cooperation between the academic world and the socio-economic environment,
building interdisciplinary and international cooperation, in the context of unity of knowledge and creating conditions for sustainable development.

Career prospects

• Conducting research and implementation work related to issues of the mind.

• Designing solutions for social communication.

• Designing improvements in human-computer communication.

• Solving multidisciplinary problems that require linking psychological knowledge with computer science, theories of artificial intelligence and logic or biology with linguistics and philosophy.

Additional information

Faculty website of the programme

Admission to the programme

Admission schedule

Enrollment start date:

2024-06-01

Enrollment end date:

2024-09-12

Enrollment fee payment deadline:

2024-09-12

Deadline for attaching documents obtained abroad:

2024-09-12

Photo upload date:

to 2024-09-12

Dates for document submission (in the form of scans):

from 2024-08-19
to 2024-09-17

Results announcement date:

2024-09-19

Maximum number of admitted candidates:

Admission procedure has ended.

Contact details for admission subcommittee

Phone number

+48 61 829 2305

Working hours

9:00 -14:00 (in Poland)

Detailed admission rules

Formal requirements

All candidates are required to have proven knowledge of English at the B2 level.

Selection procedure

for graduates of first-, second- and long-cycle studies

Elements of selection procedure	Minimum required	Max points	Weight of element	Max result
1) grade on the higher education diploma	-	5	5	25
2) project	3	5	9	45
3) cover letter	3	5	6	30
Maximum number of points to be scored during the selection procedure				100

Ad 2. Additional information:

The candidate submits the outline of their master's thesis project, with indication and approval from a potential supervisor, within the given deadline.

Receiving fewer than 3 points for the master's thesis project results in a negative assessment of the project and non-admission to the program – regardless of the points earned for the diploma evaluation and motivational letter.

Failure to submit the master's thesis project results in non-admission to the program – regardless of the points earned based on the diploma evaluation and motivational letter.

The master’s thesis project should include the proposed title of the thesis and the supervisor’s consent, and consist of at least three basic parts:

An expanded abstract (1–3 A4 pages),
An outline of the thesis (approximately 1 A4 page),
A bibliography in APA7 format (1–2 A4 pages).

In the abstract, the following information should be included:

The aim of the thesis and reference to the current state of knowledge in the field of the issue,
Hypotheses (if any) along with their justification,
Proposed methodology (e.g., for empirical studies: research plan, research group, planned tools and methods),
A schedule of planned activities (in relation to the outline),
Analysis of potential risks and ways to minimize them.

The outline should be an expanded table of contents of the future master’s thesis (chapter titles along with a brief description of their content), which should clearly stem from the Abstract.

Ad 3. Additional information:

Obtaining fewer than 3 points for the motivational letter results in a negative assessment of the letter and non-admission to the program – regardless of the points earned for the diploma evaluation and master's thesis project.

Failure to submit the motivational letter results in non-admission to the program – regardless of the points earned for the diploma evaluation and master's thesis project.

In the motivational letter, it is important to describe in detail personal expectations, professional and academic goals, and the motivations that led to the choice of this field. The candidate should emphasize how their previous experiences and scientific interests relate to cognitive science and what aspirations they have in terms of contributing to the preparation of their master’s thesis. It is also worth mentioning specific skills or achievements that may distinguish the candidate from others and how they plan to utilize the knowledge gained after completing their studies.

Selection procedure steps

1. Creating an account

The candidate creates an individual account in the Online Admissions System by providing the necessary personal data. Subsequent admission-related operations can only be made after logging in to the created account. All steps taken by the candidate after logging into the system are saved and archived. The candidate is obliged to keep the password to access the account secret.

2. Enrolling in the programme

The candidate chooses a programme/major and type of studies. It is recommended that the candidate thoroughly read the admission requirements for a given programme as well as the admission schedule.

3. Paying the enrollment fee

The candidate pays an admission procedure fee in the selected programmes/majors. Failure to pay the fee for a given programme means the candidate is not included in the selection procedure in this programme. The enrollment fee is PLN 85.

4. Attachment of documents obtained abroad

The candidate with the documents obtained abroad attaches scans of these documents for the purpose of their verification.

5. Complement of information about the diploma

The candidate enters information about the diploma: final grade on the diploma, diploma issuance date and diploma number.

6. Uploading a photo

The candidate uploads a high-resolution photo which will be used when generating the personal questionnaire. The photo of the admitted candidate will also be used in the student identification card.

Notice: if you do not upload a photo, system will not be able to generating the questionnaire!

7. Lodgment of all required documents by electronic means

Upon enrolling into the programme and paying the enrollment fee, the candidate is obliged to lodge of all required documents scans by electronic means within the specified time limit.

8. Final results of the selection procedure

The results of the selection procedure will be provided via the Online Admissions System. Upon logging into his/her account, the candidate will see information on admission or denial of admission.

List of documents

Set of documents

photo file which will be used when generating the personal questionnaire
a scan of university diploma
a document confirming knowledge of English at B2 level
project
letter of motivation

English language command (B2 level)

Candidates applying for admission to studies in this field are required to attach a document confirming their knowledge of English at the B2 level. Accepted documents are:

International Baccalaureate Diploma,
European Baccalaureate Diploma,
a certificate or other document confirming knowledge of English at the B2 level following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages skills,
a foreign document equivalent to a Polish upper secondary school leaving certificate, with English as the language of instruction,
a foreign document equivalent to a Polish high school diploma, with English as the language of instruction.

A candidate who does not have an appropriate document is obliged to take a English language proficiency test (online test).

Preparation of the documents

During the recruitment process, candidates do not submit any paper documents.

Each of the required documents should be scanned to a separate file in PDF format. A document (e.g. certificate or diploma) that has more than one page should be scanned into one multi-page PDF file.

Scanning documents can be carried out on its own with the use of a scanner or with the use of dedicated applications for devices with Android or iOS. The document scanning service is also available at most copy shops.

Attestation of documents

Document attestation is a process in which an employee of the University confirms the compliance of the attached scans of documents with their original (paper) version. Attestation of the document by AMU consists in submitting (for inspection) the original document at the Student Office at the Faculty at the beginning of the academic year.

Documents obtained abroad

Candidates with documents obtained abroad also provide:

a scan of a foreign document, which is legalized or accompanied by an apostille, entitling the candidate to take up higher education studies in the country where the document was issued
a scan of translation of the document into the language of the studies undertaken by the candidate, performed by a sworn translator entered into the list of sworn translators maintained by the Polish Minister of Justice, or certified by a Polish consul in the country where the document was issued
a certificate of recognition of a foreign certificate as equivalent to Polish Matura certificate issued by a competent Board of Education – if the foreign certificate is not recognized, by virtue of law or under international agreements, as a document entitling to commence higher education studies in Poland
a scan of a document confirming the entitlement to study tuition-free – in the case of the foreigners concerned