As a Cognitive Science major, you will learn to bring a variety of different perspectives together. You will become familiar with some of the oldest questions in philosophy and the most recent findings in the sciences. Questions you will encounter include:
- What is the relationship between philosophy, psychology, computer science and linguistics?
- What is the relationship between the mind and the brain?
- How does the technology used to study the brain work, and what assumptions must we make to use it?
- How can we best explain human abilities like language, reasoning, problem-solving and memory?
- What is the connection between language and thinking?
- How can we best understand various cognitive disorders?
- How does human cognition differ from the cognition of other animals, such as the great apes?
- To what extent is cognition innate, and to what extent is it acquired through experience?
Career Options for Cognitive Science Majors
Whatever profession you choose, you will be able to perform better if you understand how the mind works:
- If you want to go into psychology, psychiatry or counselling, Cognitive Science supplies a broad understanding of the theories of psychology as well as skills in computer modelling techniques to supplement psychology’s experimental approach.
- If you plan to teach, cognitive science can help you understand how people learn so you can work on developing better teaching methods.
- If you plan to go into law, you’ll be more effective in court if you have some insight into how juries make decisions.
- If you want to become a Business Manager or Human Resources Consultant, cognitive science will provide a scientific basis for understanding how people use language and perform intellectual tasks.
Since cognitive science integrates the knowledge and methods of a number of disciplines, the skills acquired can be applied to most of the fields and professions related to the four disciplines, including: telecommunications, information and language processing, artificial intelligence, cognition software development, medical analysis, speech pathology, data retrieval, human-computer interaction, therapy and education.
Find out more about career pathways with a Cognitive Science degree at the Career Centre.
A Sample of Career Paths of Cognitive Science Graduates
Previous cognitive science graduates have found careers in research laboratories, community and mental health organizations, hospitals, clinics, non-profit organizations, governments, universities, colleges, newspapers and magazine publishing. Others have gone on to earn graduate degrees in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience and law.
Please also check out our Alumni page for information on what some of our recent graduates are doing.