The Cognitive Science Program at Northwestern offers a major as a part of the Weinberg School of Arts and Aciences. Cognitive Science is also an excellent minor for any student who wants to know something about human mental processing from a broader perspective than one particular discipline.
Skills developed Students in Cognitive Science learn to communicate clearly and effectively, to critically evaluate evidence and data, to conduct statistical analyses, to program and use computers, and to apply conceptual, analytical, and interpersonal skills across many situations. Each student’s chosen concentration will further develop knowledge in a specific subject area.
Career options A distinctive advantage of an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science is career flexibility. The skills acquired by Cognitive Science students are applicable in many fields, including information processing and multimedia design, medical analysis, telecommunications, data representation and retrieval, and scientific writing. Cognitive Science provides an excellent basis for further study in medicine, business, law, or policy, as well as for a career in scientific research.
Program description The Cognitive Science Program provides a solid grounding in the knowledge and tools needed to understand human thinking. At the same time, the Program fosters depth of knowledge in particular areas of interest to students. Students complete three core Cognitive Science courses and three courses on analytical methods and tools, and then concentrate in a particular area. In the following sections, we provide suggested Concentrations for students in areas such as Language Development, Neuroscience, and Language and Cognition (See list below). In addition, students with specialized interests can work with faculty to design their own concentration within the Cognitive Science major. Some students double major in Cognitive Science and another related field or broaden their academic background in another field by minoring in Cognitive Science.
After Northwestern Many students choose a cognitive science major in preparation for further education at the graduate level. Training in cognitive Science will provide the student with a solid foundation for graduate-level work in areas such as psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, or neuroscience. Other students choose a cognitive science major because its interdisciplinary scope leaves the student well positioned for careers in areas such as medicine or business. Finally, some students choose cognitive science in order to pursue such opportunities as education, computer-based design, and interface technology.