CAS Cognitive Science FAQ

Do I need to be enrolled as a student for the certificate?
You must be enrolled to attend classes and receive credits in the first two modules. However, you can still submit the final thesis after you are no longer enrolled. If you are still in the matriculation process, you can also register for the certificate and must then submit the successful matriculation before the start of the semester (1.10.). Otherwise, your place will be reassigned.

Is there mandatory attendance in the courses?
This depends on the course. Attendance is mandatory for the Fundamentals II seminar.

Will the courses be offered online/hybrid?
For the time being, the Fundamentals I lecture series and the Fundamentals II seminar will be offered as face-to-face courses only. Both courses are required for the final admission to the certificate program. For Module II, it is up to the lecturer to decide in which format the course will be offered.

Since when does the certificate exist?
The certificate will be offered for the first time in the winter semester 2023/24.

My major is not classically considered cognitive science. Can I still do the certificate?
The certificate is open to students from any discipline with an interest in cognitive science. However, it would be helpful if you have taken a course dealing with issues in human cognition and/or have some idea of the goal you wish to pursue. If you are not sure whether the content of the certificate matches your interests, we recommend that you attend the lecture series. This should help you decide whether cognitive science is interesting enough for you to pursue the entire certificate.

Are there grades or just pass/fail?
The certificate as a whole is not graded, and the individual modules/components need only be passed. However, individual courses may be graded. This applies, for example, to the exam for the lecture series. For the courses in the individual profile area, it depends on the agreement with the lecturer whether the course certificate (‘Schein’) is graded or not.

There is no Master's in medicine and law. What are the application requirements for the certificate?
Medical students interested in the certificate should have already passed the ‘Physikum’. Law students can register from the 7th semester.

How do I know which faculty area/field of focus my study program belongs to?
Have a look at the list of all study programs. Click on your study program. In the new tab that opens, you will find the program's faculty affiliation in the top line. Here you can find out which faculty cluster (field of focus) your faculty belongs to.

List of all study programs

Do I have to take the Fundamentals II seminar and the lecture series in the first semester? What if I cannot attend one or both?
The Fundamentals II seminar has a maximum capacity of 24 participants, and we aim to make the best use of these slots. That is why participation in the seminar is mandatory in the first semester in which you have been admitted. After registration, you have one year to pass for the seminar and the lecture series Fundamentals I. Only then you will be formally accepted in the certificate program. You could also visit the lecture series in the following semester, but we recommend that you take it in the first semester. Conversely, you can also attend the lecture series and acquire the certificate in the first semester and only register for the seminar in the following semester. In this case, the passed exam of the lecture series will be taken into account when registering. Keep in mind that even then there is no guarantee of a spot in the seminar.

How does the 'Individual Profile' module work?
The courses you can take are posted for selection on a moodle page for certificate students before the start of the semester. In some cases, only a limited number of seats are available for certificate students. Course requirements depend on the individual course and the number of credits you wish to earn. For example, if you want to earn only 2 ECTS for a seminar in the complementary disciplinary foundations component, in many cases the requirements will only be regular attendance, active participation, self-study and possibly small written assignments during the semester, while for an in-depth seminar with 4 or 6 ECTS, you will have to complete an additional assignment. As you can see from the module plan, the minimum number of credit points within the different components of the individual profile adds up to 14, while a total of 16 ECTS are planned for the module. You can earn the additional 2 credit points in a component of your choice, for example, by taking a methods course with 6 ECTS instead of 4 ECTS.

What is the project draft in the 'Completion module'?
The project draft you will develop in the completion module is like a small research exposé. You will first develop a research question and, based on current scientific debates from different cognitive science disciplines, consider how and why this particular topic is of interest. The exposé ends with a proposal for a concrete method to address your chosen research question. The project outline can serve as the basis for a subsequent master's/doctoral thesis or for smaller research projects.

Can I complete the certificate in less than 4 semesters?
In principle, yes. It depends on how much effort you are willing to put in per semester. A total of 29 credit points must be earned in the various modules. It is up to you to decide how to divide the work to be done among the different semesters. It should be noted that the courses offered in the individual profile area vary from semester to semester and that some of the courses have only a limited number of places for certificate students. If you want to complete the certificate as quickly as possible, you may have to make some sacrifices in course selection. Also, keep in mind that learning and processing new information takes time. If you really want to explore topics in an interest-driven way, it may be helpful to allow some time for learning and processing. 

What courses can I take if I have not yet been accepted into the certificate?
Even if you have not been admitted to the certificate program, you can attend the lecture series and take the exam. In principle, you can already attend courses of the individual profile module, but the available places are partly limited and are given to certificate students preferably (in the case of courses from medicine and psychology: exclusively). Courses that you have already successfully completed can be credited if you are subsequently accepted into the certificate program.

Is there a deadline by which I must have completed certain courses?
You need to pass the Fundamentals II seminar and the lecture series within one year.

Can I get credit for courses taken in my regular degree program?
The Statistics course can be credited. In certain cases, courses/seminars belonging to the second module may also be credited. Creditable courses must meet the certificate requirements. In particular, courses for the individual profile module must come from a department other than the student's own. The eligibility of a course for the certificate will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Can I get credit for certificate courses in my main degree program?
The extent to which courses from the certificate program can be credited to your degree program (for example, as an elective) must be decided by your registrar’s office. If you are interested in this option, we recommend that you check with your registrar’s office before registering for a course.