Cognitive Science

economics

WHAT IS COGNITIVE SCIENCE?

This major is part of the Health & Medicine Exploration Group and Social & Behavioral Sciences Exploration Group

Cognitive Science Major Website

Cognitive Science is the study of how intelligent beings (including people, animals, and machines) perceive, act, know, and think. It explores the process and content of thought as observed in individuals, distributed through communities, manifested in the structure and meaning of language, modeled by algorithms, and contemplated by philosophies of mind. Its models are formulated using concepts drawn from many disciplines, including psychology, linguistics, logic, communication sciences/disorders, computer science, anthropology, and philosophy, and they are tested using evidence from psychological experiments, clinical studies, field studies, computer simulations, and neurophysiological observation.

This program is intended to prepare students for graduate training in cognitive science and related disciplines or to work in the information sciences. The distribution requirements ensure that students will acquire a truly interdisciplinary education. The research and formal systems requirements provide basic knowledge concerning the experimental and theoretical foundations of cognitive science. Finally, majors are encouraged to learn about theory building and testing in a variety of natural and physical sciences. One way to achieve this is to fulfill the requirements of the Bachelor of Science degree.

Declaration, Major Requirements, and Courses

HOW TO DECLARE:

Declare here

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MAJOR REQUIREMENTS:

Major Requirements Overview

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HELPFUL INTRO COURSES:

Click here for full course descriptions

One course of PHIL 1101-1107

PSYC 1100 - General Psychology 1

PSYC 1101/1103 (enhanced) - General Psychology 2

STAT 1000Q - Introduction to Statistics 1

STAT 1100Q - Elementary Concepts of Statistics

COGS 2201 - Foundations of Cognitive Science

ANTH 3250 - Cognitive Anthropology

LING 2010Q - The Science of Linguistics

SLHS 2204 - Speech and Language Acquisition

Possible Career Opportunities

COMMON CAREER PATHS:

UConn students who major in Cognitive Science often pursue careers with a focus on the process and content of thought. Common examples include but are not limited to careers in: 

- Cybersecurity
- Data science
- Education
- Healthcare
- Human resources
- Law
- Policy analysis
- Project management
- Research
- Social work or counseling
- Software development
- Web development 

COMMON AREAS OF GRADUATE STUDY:

Cognitive Science majors who go on to pursue graduate studies pursue a wide variety of master’s, and/or doctoral degrees based on their interests. Common examples include but are not limited to degrees in: 

- Computer science
- Law
- Linguistics
- Neuroscience
- Psychological sciences
- UX/UI design 

ADDITIONAL CAREER RESOURCES:

For additional examples of careers and graduate studies that UConn alumni have pursued, visit the UConn alumni search on LinkedIn or the Cognitive Science program website. 

For further insight beyond the journeys of UConn alumni, visit Zippia.