Cognitive Science Program

Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program: BS/BA and MS in Computational Cognitive Science

The Cognitive Science Program offers exceptional Tufts undergraduate students the option of completing a Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BA/BS and MS in Computational Cognitive Science. This program allows students to finish their undergraduate degree requirements and the 30 credit master's degree together, typically in five calendar years.

Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master's Program receive both a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree from Tufts, and each degree is awarded upon completion of requirements for each portion. In other words, you would graduate with an undergraduate degree with your undergraduate class and graduate with a master's with your master’s cohort once your graduate requirements are met.

Program Requirements and Policies

  • Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master's Program must complete all the academic requirements for both their undergraduate degree and the MS in Computational Cognitive Science.
  • Admitted and enrolled students may be permitted to apply up to six credit-hours of >100-level Tufts coursework, taken to fulfill for the undergraduate degree requirements, towards the master's degree requirements. These shared graduate-level course credit-hours must be part of the master's degree requirements and must adhere to the policies in the graduate student handbook and department student handbook. An additional 6 credit hours may be placed on reserve for the master’s degree (these will not contribute to the undergraduate degree). Course reservation forms should be completed according to the rules and deadlines designated by Student Services.
  • There is a one-year residency requirement for the graduate program.

If you have questions regarding the Fifth-Year Master's Program in Computational Cognitive Science, please contact the program director, Ariel Goldberg.

Admission Process and Criteria

Admission to the graduate degree portion of the program is separate from the undergraduate degree portion. Students may apply during the spring of their junior year or by the fall of their senior year. For application deadlines, please see the GSAS Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program information.  

Tufts undergraduate students must submit an application through the Office of Graduate Admissions. There are several criteria for admission to the program:

  • Competitive applicants will have an overall minimum 3.5 GPA
  • Applicants are required to submit 2 letters of recommendation and are not required to pay the graduate application fee

Tuition and Financial Aid

Fifth-Year Master's students may seek financial aid assistance for their graduate degree. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides a graduate tuition scholarship proportional to the undergraduate tuition award at the time of application.

If admitted to the program, you will reduce the cost of your master's by applying credits already earned as an undergraduate. Students accepted into a Fifth-year Master's Program will be charged graduate tuition per-credit once they receive their bachelor’s degree and only for the courses that are left to complete.