Cognitive Science, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
The Major Programs
The Cognitive Science major is designed to provide a broad interdisciplinary approach to the study of mind that includes courses from different departments and attracts students with a variety of interests. It emphasizes a multifaceted approach to the study of the mind integrating concepts and techniques from psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, neurology, philosophy and other relevant fields.
For students interested in the liberal arts the Cognitive Science major can be pursued as a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) program. Alternatively, it can be pursued as a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program for students with a stronger interest in the mathematical, neurological and computational foundations of the discipline. The main objective of both programs is to give the student a broad grounding in the integrated sciences of the mind and to connect approaches from different fields. Students must complete a number of core courses for the degree, as well as a number of specialty courses on such wide-ranging topics as logic for artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, animal cognition and the psychology of music.
Career Pathways
A degree in Cognitive Science provides broad intellectual foundations useful for careers in a variety of areas, including teaching, business, social work/counseling and the information technology industry. Undergraduate education in cognitive science also prepares the student for graduate study in appropriate subfields of psychology, linguistics, philosophy and informatics. It is also suitable training for pre-medicine, pre-law, and pre-management students.
Major Advisors
Staff advisors are located in Young Hall. To contact a major advisor, email cogsciadvising@ucdavis.edu, schedule an academic advising appointment, or join Drop-In Advising (no appointment needed).
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Cognitive Science Bachelor of Arts is 72.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Cognitive Science | ||
| CGS 001/PHI 010 | Introduction to Cognitive Science | 4 |
| Linguistics | ||
| LIN 001 | Introduction to Linguistics | 4 |
| or LIN 001Y | Introduction to Linguistics | |
| Philosophy | ||
| PHI 012 | Introduction to Symbolic Logic | 4 |
| PHI 013G | Minds, Brains, & Computers with Discussion | 4 |
| Psychology | ||
| PSC 001 | General Psychology | 4 |
| or PSC 001V | General Psychology | |
| or PSC 001Y | General Psychology | |
| Statistics | ||
| STA 013 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| or STA 013Y | Elementary Statistics | |
| or STA 100 | Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences | |
| Research Methods | ||
| PSC 041 | Research Methods in Psychology (recommended to take Statistics before Research Methods) | 4 |
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 28 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| Important: Each course may only be used to satisfy one Cognitive Science major requirement; the same course cannot be used for multiple groups. | ||
| PSC 100 | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | 4 |
| or PSC 100Y | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | |
| PHI 112 | Intermediate Symbolic Logic | 4 |
| Group A: Cognitive Science Topical Courses | 4 | |
| Group B: Computation | ||
| Choose one from Group B: | 4 | |
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Logic, Probability, & Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Computational Social Science | ||
| Simulating Communication Processes | ||
| Concentration Areas: 16 units from your choice of two groups from Groups B-F | 16 | |
| CGS Electives: 12 additional units from Groups B-G | 12 | |
| Group C: Neuroscience | ||
| Neuroeconomics/Reinforcement Learning & Decision Making | ||
| Physiological Psychology | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biological Foundations of the Mind | ||
| Advanced Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Group D: Linguistics | ||
| Linguistic Analysis I: Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology | ||
| Linguistic Analysis II: Morphology, Syntax, Semantics | ||
| Introduction to Syntactic Theory | ||
| Semantics | ||
| Introduction to Psycholinguistics | ||
| Language Development | ||
| Group E: Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy on Mind | ||
| The Evolution of Mind | ||
| Knowledge & the A Priori | ||
| Formal Epistemology | ||
| Group F: Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Biological Psychology | ||
| Human Learning & Memory | ||
| Perception | ||
| Language & Cognition | ||
| Psychology of Music | ||
| Neurobiology of Learning & Memory | ||
| Developmental Psychology | ||
or PSC 140V | Developmental Psychology | |
or PSC 140Y | Developmental Psychology | |
| Cognitive Development | ||
or HDE 101 | Cognitive Development | |
| Group G: Breadth Electives 2 | ||
| Communication Theories | ||
| Communication Theories | ||
| Language Use in Conversation | ||
| Educational Psychology: General | ||
| Language Development | ||
| Adulthood & Aging | ||
| Technology Use, Health, & Aging | ||
| Cognitive Neuropsychology in Adulthood & Aging | ||
| Phonetics | ||
| Morphology | ||
| Languages of the World | ||
| Language Universals & Typology | ||
| Multilingualism | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Intermediate Symbolic Logic | ||
| Theory of Action | ||
| Rationality | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Theory of Reference | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Truth & Meaning | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Semantics & Pragmatics | ||
| Developmental Psychobiology | ||
| Comparative Neuroanatomy | ||
| Social & Personality Development | ||
or HDE 102 | Social & Personality Development | |
| Developmental Disorders | ||
| Social Cognition | ||
| Applied Statistical Methods: Analysis of Variance | ||
| Applied Statistical Methods: Regression Analysis | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 44 | |
| Total Units | 72 | |
- 1
For a list of approved CGS Topical Courses, please see the major worksheet.
- 2
These breadth electives allow students to expand their methodological/analytical toolkit and/or see how their core cognitive science classes intersect with broader interdisciplinary topics.