Mind, Brain, and Behavior

Secondary PhD Field in Mind, Brain, and Behavior (MBB)

The secondary field of PhD study in Mind, Brain, and Behavior (MBB) may follow one of two tracks — a general track, or a specialized track.

The general track will draw PhD students in the humanities. Participants will gain familiarity with basic issues related to mind, brain, and behavior but will not be expected to do experimental research. A student in comparative literature, for example, who is interested in 18th-century notions of the self might want some familiarity with contemporary cognitive neuroscience to complement her research.

The specialized track, by contrast, will draw PhD students whose home disciplines are within the MBB fields. This track is intended to encourage education and research in fields outside the home discipline. Participants in the specialized track will be required to submit a proposal for their program that is prepared in consultation with at least one supervisor outside the home discipline. A student in linguistics, for example, might do work with developmental psychologists on language acquisition. A natural way for such a student to satisfy the requirements of the specialized track might be to take a general course in developmental psychology, a directed reading course on language acquisition, and do two semesters of research in a developmental psychology lab working on projects involving language acquisition.

Program Requirements

MBB:  General Track

Four half courses from MBB-related departments. One should be a foundational course, typically satisfied by a graduate level section of SLS 20. The three other courses should be chosen from MBB-related departments, and at least two of them should be at the graduate level, or at the undergraduate level but with special accommodations for graduate students. All four courses must be completed with a grade of B+ or higher.

MBB:  Specialized Track

Four graduate-level half courses from MBB-related departments. All four courses should be outside the student’s main area of research, and up to two of them may involve work in a lab. The four courses should be organized around a central theme, which the student will develop in consultation with at least one supervisor outside the main discipline. One of the courses can be a directed reading. Proposals must be approved both by the supervisor and by a sub-committee of the Standing Committee on MBB. Ordinarily, the research directer in the affiliated field will serve on the student’s dissertation committee.

Administrative Issues

Admission to and Review of Students in the Graduate Secondary Program

A small faculty sub-committee, appointed by the chairs of the MBB Standing Committee, will review proposals on an ad hoc basis throughout the year as they are received. This committee shall be named the MBB Graduate Secondary Sub-Committee. In addition to its ad hoc meetings throughout the year, this sub-committee will also meet annually to review the progress of those graduate students enrolled in the secondary program. The sub-committee may wish to require students to submit a short précis of the work they have done for the program during the previous year for the purposes of this evaluation. The committee will deliver a short report to each student, evaluating his or her progress in the program.

Advising

A. For the specialized track, the research director in the affiliated field and the student’s home field advisor together will advise the work in the secondary field. In addition, the ad hoc sub-committee will give advice about structuring the program at the start.

B. For the general track, advising will come from the student’s home advisor, the ad hoc committee, and the MBB Educational Program Coordinator.

Application

Secondary Field Instructions and Application

Members of the MBB Sub-Committee on Graduate Secondaries

Gennaro Chierchia
Alice Flaherty
Joshua Greene
Sean Kelly
Steven Pinker
Lindsay Powell (Graduate Student Representative)