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Graduate Program | The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality

Graduate Program

  • Decision making processes and rational explanations of natural phenomena can be studied through a large range of disciplines, using a wide variety of research tools. For example, concepts and tools from the field of mathematical game theory can be used to explore economic processes, biological evolution, and parliamentary legislation; psychologists use their experimental and theoretical techniques to study processes of rational decision making as well as errors in judgments while statisticians study the methods of decision making using statistical data.
  • The Center for the Study of Rationality is a multi-disciplinary center whose members are concerned with these and related issues. Members of the Center come from the departments of Philosophy, Psychology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Business Administration, Law, Education, Statistics, Biology and Public-Policy.
  • In 2006 the Center inaugurated a graduate program, in cooperation with the departments from which the Center's members are drawn. In order to be admitted to the Center's graduate program a student must be admitted to and registered in the doctoral program or the masters program of one of these departments. The student must also meet the additional criteria set by the Center for admission to its program. Download the application form
  • Every student in the program must have a background in mathematics at least at the level required for admission to the University's Department of Statistics: this includes differential and integral calculus, and linear algebra. The student must also have an introductory course in statistics and probability and a course in game theory. A certain amount of this background material can be acquired in the course of the student's studies at the Center, with the approval of the Center's Director of Graduate Studies.
  • Each student must satisfy all the academic requirements of the department in which he or she is registered plus an additional 15 units of coursework on rationality-related topics. Courses in fields related to rationality and decision making are offered at the Center itself, as well as in various departments throughout the University (for example in the School of Public Policy, in the Faculty of Law, and in the Departments of Mathematics, Economics, Psychology, Statistics, Life Sciences, and more).
  • The Center will award a number of fellowships to outstanding students.