The Max Planck School of Cognition

The doctoral program at the Max Planck School of Cognition will offer exceedingly bright students a superior grasp of the different methods and approaches used in the rapidly evolving field of Cognition. We are driven by the passion to better understand human cognition and “mental phenomena” (potentially) occurring in non-biological systems and agents.

The School is comprised of an outstanding and world-renowned cluster of faculty researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds but with overlapping research interests. The researchers come from Max Planck Institutes, universities, Helmholtz Association and Fraunhofer Society.

The program consists of an orientation year (basic courses, lab rotations) followed by three years of research for the doctorate and is fully financed.

Max Planck Schools

The Max Planck School of Cognition is one of three pilot Max Planck Schools. For more information about this unique and country-wide initiative, please visit the central website.

The Max Planck School of Cognition offers an international four-year doctoral program starting on September 1st each year with a one-year orientation phase followed by three years of research for the doctorate (Figure 1). Students can enter the program with a bachelor’s (fast-track) or a master’s degree.

The coordination team of the Max Planck School of Cognition has offices at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Our School does not have a classical campus. Our students, however, can conduct their doctoral research with one of 46 scientific experts at 29 institutions in 16 cities across Germany, the Netherlands and England. Below you can find more information on who is part of our School.

The application portal will reopen on September 1st 2025 for intake 2026! The program starts each year on September 1st.