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Cognitive science, the study of cognitive systems, cuts across a variety of traditional disciplines. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the departments of Communication Disorders, Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology are most heavily involved in cognitive science. Other members of the Five College consortium—Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges—also provide rich offerings in cognitive science and their faculty often participate in training university graduate students.

Pioneering work in cognitive science depends on identifying new questions and approaching them in novel ways. Although this can be done within the bounds of a traditional discipline, contact with related disciplines may serve as a catalyst. It may equip researchers with the skills needed to take on issues at greater depth than would be possible with a single discipline, and contact with faculty and students in other departments often has unforeseen benefits to all involved.

The Cognitive Science Certificate promotes interdepartmental contact in a self-designed, flexible but coherent program that draws on the academic strengths of the university and the interests and talents of individual students. Further information about the program is available online at https://blogs.umass.edu/cogsci/.