Master’s program in cognitive science ENS-PSL & EHESS, Paris
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The program in detail

2 years, 4 semesters, 120 ECTS

The program runs over two years and four semesters. It opens with a pluridisciplinary core curriculum, followed by specialization and a long research internship. All courses and exams are in English.

The four semesters

First year (M1)
Second year (M2)
S1 Sept – Jan

Core curriculum

The pluridisciplinary core, shared by all.

Core courses
7
PSL Week
Nov.
S2 Feb – June

Specialization

A first internship and advanced elective courses.

Internship
2 days a week
Elective courses
≈3 of 12
PSL Week
Mar.
S3 Sept – Jan

Research topics

Interdisciplinary courses on current research.

Interdisciplinary courses
≈6 of 23
Pre-internship
in parallel
External courses
optional
S4 Feb – June

Internship and thesis

A five-month research project, concluded by a thesis.

Research internship
5 months
Thesis
article
Defense
oral
First year (M1)

Core curriculum

First semester, Sept – Jan, 30 ECTS

In the first semester, students follow a pluridisciplinary core curriculum that introduces them to the conceptual and methodological foundations of cognitive science.

Core courses

All 7 courses are required

PSL Week

November
A PSL Week course

Chosen from the courses offered that week by the PSL institutions (ENS, Mines Paris, Dauphine, ESPCI, Chimie Paris, etc.).

Advanced specialization

Second semester, Feb – June, 30 ECTS

Research-laboratory internship

2 days a week

A first internship in a research laboratory, two days a week.

Specialized courses

≈ 3 courses chosen from 12

PSL Week

March
A PSL Week course

Chosen from the courses offered that week by the PSL institutions (ENS, Mines Paris, Dauphine, ESPCI, Chimie Paris, etc.).

External courses

optional
PSL courses

Courses of the PSL Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Society (IASO), each worth 3 ECTS. For further information, contact Nicolas Baumard, director of the IASO master.

Comparative Law of Digital Regulation
Agentic AI
Data Quality
Human–Computer Interaction
Second year (M2)

Research topics

First semester, Sept – Jan, 30 ECTS

In the first semester, interdisciplinary courses introduce students to current research topics in cognitive science.

Pre-internship

alongside the courses

Throughout the semester, alongside their courses, students do a pre-internship in the laboratory that will host them, to prepare the five-month research internship of the second semester.

Interdisciplinary courses

≈ 6 courses chosen from 23, 30 ECTS

External courses

optional, replaces up to 3 courses from the list
Other ENS departments
Behavioral ecology Department of Biology
Evolutionary ecology Department of Biology
PSL courses

Courses of the PSL Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Society (IASO), each worth 3 ECTS. For further information, contact Nicolas Baumard, director of the IASO master.

Advanced Large Language Models
Public Policy and LLMs
Graph Analytics
Datalakes and Streaming
Ethics of AI
Computational Social Sciences and Humanities
Collège de France, PSL (in French)
Psychologie cognitive expérimentale by Stanislas Dehaene
Linguistique générale by Luigi Rizzi
Philosophy of Language and Mind by François Recanati

Internship and thesis

Second semester, Feb – June, 30 ECTS

Research internship

5 months

A five-month internship, in an academic laboratory in France or abroad, or in the non-academic sector under joint academic supervision.

Thesis

The writing of a thesis in the form of a scientific article.

Oral defense

An oral presentation of the research carried out during the internship.

Course catalog

The description of every course of the master, with its teachers, its credits and its prerequisites, on one page.