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About the Cognitive Science Master's Program

Studies in the Cognitive Science Master Program cover multiple aspects of cognition, such as perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving reasoning, emotions, and language. We are concerned with questions related to how these cognitive abilities are realized in biological and artificial systems, and how such systems are organized (e.g. brain structure, neural architectures and connectionist networks, and autonomous agents). In addition, complex information processing systems such as teaching systems and spoken language dialog systems are treated from a design and implementation perspective, including human-computer interface aspects.

The Master Program consists of 120 ECTS credits, 30 of which refer to the Master thesis. In the second and third semester, students participate in a students' project. The Master Program is completed with a Master thesis in the fourth semester and leads to a "Master of Science (M.Sc.)" degree in Cognitive Science.

Each student selects one or two out of four focus areas of the Cognitive Science Masters' program:

• "Cognition: Mind, Ethics, and Society" mainly focuses on philosophical questions and comprises topics in the Philosophy of Mind and Cognition and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
• "Cognition: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning" focuses on Cognition in Artificial Systems and comprises topics in Artificial Intelligence, Neuroinformatics, NeuroAI, Computational Linguistics and Computer Vision.
• "Cognition: (Computational) Neuroscience" focuses on topics in Neuroscience and Computational Neuroscience.
• "Cognition: Psychology, Language, and Communication" focuses on Cognition in Biological Systems and comprises topics in Cognitive Modelling and Psychology, Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics, and Animal Cognition.

The 90 ECTS credits of coursework comprises of

• a one-year study project (24 ECTS)
• coursework from the focus areas (44 ECTS, with 20 ECTS per selected focus area)
• coursework from free electives (22 ECTS)

The language of instruction is English (level B2 or higher required). We particularly encourage international students to apply for the Cognitive Science program.

Tuition Fees

Aside from a semester fee of approximately 350 EUR (which includes the "Semesterticket" for public transport), there are no tuition fees charged. Students must provide proof of health insurance upon registration.

Application and Admission

Applicants with a Bachelor degree (or a comparable degree) in Cognitive Science can be admitted to the Cognitive Science Master's Program at Osnabrück University.

Applicants with a Bachelor degree (or comparable degree) in a related field, such as the life sciences, computational linguistics or linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, medicine, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology or a field with a high degree of information technology content may also apply to the Master's program. The admission board decides on a case-by-case basis whether or not such an applicant can be admitted to the Master's Program. A Bachelor's degree in a related field does not automatically make an applicant eligible for being admitted to the Master's program.

Applicants are required to have a good command of English in order to understand lectures, participate in discussions, and take examinations. Applicants can demonstrate that they have attained level B2 in the English language according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in the following ways:

• the relevant level of English proficiency was already an admission requirement for the earlier Bachelor’s degree, or
• the applicant has already successfully completed an English-language undergraduate or graduate degree program, or
• English was the language of the education system of the applicant at the time they earned their higher education entrance qualification, or
• the applicant has passed a language test at level B2 (CEFR) (for possible language tests and the corresponding points required, see: www.uni-osnabrueck.de/sprachnachweise).

Note: Usually, applicants who have taken the German "Abitur" satisfy the requirement B2.

For details see Regulations.

How to apply

Prospective students with German university entrance qualification or German citizenship apply directly via the application platform of the University of Osnabrück:

Please fill in the online application.

Applications must be sent in by July 15th (winter semester) or by January 15th (summer semester).

Prospective students who do not meet the criteria above (International students) apply via the service office ASSIST.

Please fill in the application form.

Applications must be sent in by June 15th (winter semester) or by December 15th (summer semester).

Important note: Please send your application to the address given in the application form. Students who do not have a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science are strongly encouraged to include in their application materials a CV and a statement explaining why they wish to change their previous field of study and obtain an MSc in Cognitive Science, and how their interests in Cognitive Science relate to their previous field of study and other competencies previously acquired. Please be as specific as possible. It is not required and we do not encourage you to include a picture of yourself in the CV.

The Master Program accepts students for the summer semester and for the winter semester. The application deadlines are listed above.

Concerning applications via ASSIST, we strongly recommend that you send your application as early as possible. Open questions can then be settled within the application period and before the deadline.

Get in touch... 

 ... if this page got you interested in studying Cognitive Science and you want to learn more about the Master's program or if you have questions.

The CogSci Student Mentoring Team is happy to answer all informal questions regarding the Cognitive Science program.

For questions about the application process, please contact the admissions office.

For formal questions about the Cognitive Science program, please contact the Program Coordinator and Dean of Studies, Dr. Dr. Gregor Hörzer.