Major
Cognitive science is the cross-disciplinary study of how the mind works, with a focus on perception, reasoning, memory, attention, language, decision-making, motor control, and problem solving. It draws on tools and ideas from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, economics, computer science, and philosophy. The major requirements are designed to provide breadth in the affiliated disciplines and depth in the student’s chosen area of specialization.
A major in Cognitive Science consists of seven required courses and four electives in a chosen area of specialization culminating in the senior capstone. The minimum number of courses is 13 and the minimum number of points is 39.
Major Requirements:
1. Required courses (7 classes)
- COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science
- One cognition-focused course in each of four areas: psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics. Courses must be chosen from the approved list in each area; please see the approved lists below.
- Two courses in a fifth area: mathematical and computational methods. Courses must be chosen from the approved list and not be redundant; please see the approved lists below.
2. Area of Specialization and Electives (4 classes)
Students choose an area of specialization and four electives to build expertise in that area.
- Sample specializations: aesthetics, cognitive development, cognitive linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, consciousness, decision science, human-computer interaction, intelligence, learning, memory, natural language processing, neuroeconomics, perception, and social cognition. Please see below for lists of possible electives for these specializations.
- The choice of specialization is flexible; the sample specializations are just examples. This is an opportunity for students to be creative; a student who has ideas about a new specialization that they would like to pursue may do so with the approval of the program director.
- There must be at least one faculty member affiliated with the program who has expertise in the student’s chosen area so that they can ensure that the student’s electives will provide sufficient preparation for the senior project.
3. Senior Capstone (2 - 4 classes)
Students may fulfill the Senior Capstone requirement in two ways: either with a year-long senior project, or by taking two additional advanced courses.
- The senior project is a year-long project in a student’s area of specialization under the supervision of a chosen advisor. The project could be an experiment or a paper. Please note that a student who wishes to do a senior project is responsible for finding an advisor for the project, though the program director may be able to suggest faculty members whom the student might contact.
- Students who do senior projects must register for both COGS UN3903 Senior Project (3 points) and COGS UN3901 Senior Project Seminar (1 point) in the fall and COGS UN3904 Senior Project (3 points) and COGS UN3902 Senior Project Seminar (1 point) in the spring (8 points total).
- The Senior Project Seminar is an opportunity for students to present their projects to each other.
- While a year-long project is recommended, students may also satisfy the senior capstone requirement by taking two advanced courses, at least one of which must include a significant paper or project. The courses must be chosen in consultation with the program director and must be related to the student’s area of specialization. Both courses should be at the 3000-level or above.
The area of specialization, electives, and capstone must form a coherent course of study and must be approved by the program director.
The Cognitive Science Major Requirements Checklist may be helpful as you progress through the major.
Courses approved to count for area requirements
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
|
PSYC BC2107 |
Psychology of Learning |
|
PSYC BC2110 |
Perception |
| PSYC BC2115 | Cognitive Psychology |
| PSYC BC2129 | Developmental Psychology |
|
PSYC UN2210 |
Cognition: Basic Processes |
| PSYC UN2220 | Cognition: Memory and Stress |
| PSYC UN2270 | Perception and Cognition in Social Life |
| PSYC UN2280 | Developmental Psychology |
| PSYC UN2430 | Cognitive Neuroscience* |
| PSYC BC3394 |
Metacognition |
*Please note that PSYC UN2430 Cognitive Neuroscience may be used to fulfill either the Neuroscience requirement or the Psychology requirement, but not both.
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| NSBV BC1001 | Introduction to Neuroscience |
| NSBV BC2008 | Adaptive or Arrested Development of the Adolescent Brain |
| PSYC UN2430 | Cognitive Neuroscience* |
| PSYC UN2435 | Social Neuroscience |
| PSYC UN2450 |
Behavioral Neuroscience |
| PSYC UN2481 | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| NSBV BC3381 | Visual Neuroscience |
*Please note that PSYC UN2430 Cognitive Neuroscience may be used to fulfill either the Neuroscience requirement or the Psychology requirement, but not both.
| Course Number |
Course Name |
|---|---|
| PHIL UN2655 | Cognitive Science and Philosophy |
| PHIL UN3252 | Philosophy of Language and Mind |
| PHIL UN3651 | Philosophy of Mind |
| PHIL UN3655 | Topics in Cognitive Science and Philosophy |
| COGS UN3952 | Philosophy of Computing |
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| LING UN3101 | Introduction to Linguistics |
Logic and Decision Theory
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| ECON GU4850 | Cognitive Mechanisms and Economic Behavior |
| PHIL UN1401 |
Introduction to Logic |
|
PHIL UN3411 |
Symbolic Logic |
|
PHIL GU4561 |
Probability and Decision Theory |
| PSYC UN2235 |
Thinking and Decision Making |
Statistics
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
|
ECON BC1007 |
Math Methods for Economics |
| ECON BC2411 | Statistics for Economics |
| PSYC BC1101 |
Statistics |
| PSYC UN1610 |
Statistics for Behavioral Scientists |
|
STAT UN1001 |
Introduction to Statistical Reasoning |
| STAT UN1101 |
Introduction to Statistics |
|
STAT UN1201 |
Calculus-Based Introduction to Statistics |
Computer Science
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
|
COMS BC1016 |
Introduction to Computational Thinking |
| COMS W1001 |
Introduction to Information Science |
|
COMS W1002 |
Computing in Context |
|
COMS W1004 |
Introduction to Computer Science (JAVA) |
| COMS W1007 |
Honors Introduction to Computer Science |
| COMS W3134 |
Data Structures in JAVA |
| COMS W3136 |
Data Structures in C/C++ |
|
COMS W3137 |
Data Structures and Algorithms |
|
ENGI E1006 |
Introduction to Computing for Engineering & Applied Science |
|
STEM BC2223 |
Computer Programming for Behavioral Sciences |
Sample Specializations
Four of the following:
|
MUSI UN2320 |
Introduction to Music Cognition |
|
SOAR AV4000 |
Sounds: Music, Math, and Mind |
| PHIL GU4055 |
Aesthetics: Modern Survey |
| PSYC GU4239 |
Cognitive Neuroscience in Narrative Film |
| MUSI GU4325 |
Topics in Music Cognition *prerequisite: MUSI UN2320 |
| CLEN GU4728 | Literature in the Age of AI |
Four of the following:
| PSYC BC2115 | Cognitive Psychology |
| PSYC BC2129 | Developmental Psychology |
| PSYC UN2481 | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| PSYC BC3369 |
Language Development |
|
PSYC GU4202 |
Theories of Change in Human Development |
|
PSYC GU4222 |
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging |
| PSYC GU4498 | Behavioral Epigenetics |
Four of the following:
|
ANTH UN1009 |
Introduction to Language and Culture |
|
LING UN3103 |
Language, Brain and Mind |
|
PSYC BC3164 |
Perception and Language |
|
PHIL UN3252 |
Philosophy of Language and Mind |
|
PSYC BC3369 |
Language Development |
|
LING GU4202 |
Cognitive Linguistics |
|
LING GU4206 |
Advanced Grammar and Grammars |
|
PSYC GU4244 |
Language & Mind |
|
LING GU4376 |
Phonetics and Phonology |
Four of the Following:
| PSYC UN2481 |
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| NSBV BC3405 | The Neuroscience of Psychological Trauma |
| PSYC GU4225 | Consciousness and Attention |
| PSYC GU4239 | Cognitive Neuroscience in Narrative Film |
| PSYC GU4415 | Methods & Issues: Cognitive Neuroscience |
| PSYC GU4498 | Behavioral Epigenetics |
4 of the following:
| PSYC BC2115 | Cognitive Psychology |
| PSYC BC2129 | Developmental Psychology |
| PSYC UN2220 | Cognition: Memory and Stress |
| PSYC BC3164 | Perception and Language |
| PSYC BC3394 | Metacognition |
| PSYC GU4225 | Consciousness and Attention |
| PSYC GU4672 | Moral Psychology |
| PSYC UN2210 | Cognition: Basic Processes |
| PHIL UN3651 | Philosophy of Mind |
| PSYC GU4225 | Consciousness and Attention |
| PSYC GU4244 | Language and Mind |
4 of the following:
|
PSYC BC2141 |
Abnormal Psychology* |
|
|
|
PSYC BC2178 |
Forensic Psychology |
|
|
|
PSYC UN2235 |
Thinking and Decision Making |
|
|
|
PSYC UN2620 |
Abnormal Behavior* |
|
|
|
PSYC GU4202 |
Theories of Change in Human Development |
|
|
|
PSYC GU4241 |
Mentalizing: How we read people |
|
|
|
PSYC GU4430 |
Learning and the Brain |
|
|
|
COGS GU4800 |
Resource-Constrained Decision Making |
|
|
|
*Please note that PSYC BC2141 Abnormal Psychology and PSYC UN2620 Abornmal Behavior are redundant and only one may be counted towards Cognitive Science major requirements. |
|
||
4 of the following:
| PSYC UN3270 | Computational Approaches to Human Vision |
| PSYC BC3399 | Humans and Machines |
| COMS W4170 | User Interface Design |
| IEME E4200 | Human-Centered Design and Innovation |
| PSYC GU4236 | Machine Intelligence |
| COMS E6178 | Human-Computer Interaction |
4 of the following:
| PSYC GU4236 | Machine Intelligence |
| COMS W4701 | Artificial Intelligence |
| COMS W4705 | Natural Language Processing |
| COMS W4771 | Machine Learning |
| PSYC GR6080 | Neural Networks and Deep Learning |
| PSYC BC2107 | Psychology of Learning |
| COMS W4705 | Natural Language Processing |
| COMS W4771 | Machine Learning |
| PSYC GR6080 | Neural Networks and Deep Learning |
| PSYC BC2107 | Psychology of Learning |
| PSYC UN2220 | Cognition, Memory, and Stress |
| PSYC UN3445 | Memory and the Brain |
| PSYC UN3455 | Neurobiology of Working Memory |
4 of the following:
| LING UN3103 | Language, Brain and Mind |
| PHIL UN3252 | Philosophy of Language and Mind |
| PSYC GU4236 | Machine Intelligence |
| PSYC GU4242 | Evolution of Language |
| COMS W4705 | Natural Language Processing |
1. Either:
| ECON BC3035 | Intermediate Microeconomics |
Or:
| ECON UN3211 | Intermediate Microeconomics |
2. Either
| ECON GU4020 | Economics of Uncertainty and Information |
Or:
| ECON GU4415 | Game Theory |
3. Two from the following list:
| PSYC UN2235 | Thinking and Decision Making |
| ECON BC3048 | Introduction to Behavioral Economics |
| PSYC GU4287 | Decision Architecture |
| ECON GU4840 | Behavioral Economics |
| ECON GU4850 | Cognitive Mechanisms and Economic Behavior |
| ECON GU4860 | Behavioral Finance |
4.
| PSYC GU4289 | The Games People Play: Psychology of Strategic Decisions |
4 of the following:
| PSYC BC2110 | Perception |
| PSYC BC3164 | Perception and Language |
| NSBV BC3381 | Visual Neuroscience: From the Eyeball to the Mind’s Eye |
| NSBV BC3389 | Hallucinations, illusions, dreaming and imagination |
| PSYC GU4225 | Consciousness and Attention |
| PSYC GU4280 | Core Knowledge |
| ANTH UN2004 | Social and Cultural Theory |
| PSYC UN2435 | Social Neuroscience |
| PSYC UN2630 | Social Psychology |
| PSYC UN2640 | Introduction to Social Cognition |
Policies and Procedures
- You should take COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science before choosing your specialization.
- After you have taken COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science and after you have declared your major, please submit the Specialization and Electives Form. After you complete the form your response will be emailed to you. Please forward that email to the program director for your school, and copy Maia Bernstein at mbernste@barnard.edu. The program director will respond with either approval or suggestions for alternatives, and copy Maia so she can keep track of what’s been approved.
- You may need to submit the Specialization and Electives Form several times as your interests solidify and you find out which courses are offered each semester: that is fine! Just please re-submit the form if and when your plans change, and please email the form to the program director and Maia every time you submit. (The reason we ask you to use the form instead of just emailing is that the form feeds to a google sheet, which makes it much easier for us to keep track of what’s been approved).
- If you want to count a course from another institution (transfer, study abroad, or summer course at another institution) for one of the five area requirements (psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, and mathematical and computational methods) then please submit the Transfer and Study Abroad Credit Approval Form; please then email the syllabus for the course as a PDF attachment to Maia Bernstein at mbernste@barnard.edu.
- Please note that the course must have already been approved by your school (BC, CC, or GS) to count towards your degree requirements before it can be considered for your Cognitive Science major requirements.
- Please note that a maximum of four transfer courses may be counted towards the Cognitive Science major.
- If you want to count a course from another institution as an elective, then please list it on your Specialization and Electives Form AND attach a PDF of the syllabus for the course when you email the form to the program director.
- Please submit the Capstone Requirements Form in March of your junior year to tell us your plans for your senior capstone requirement: either the details of your senior project, or the two additional advanced courses you plan to take. After you complete the form your response will be emailed to you. Please forward that email to the program director for your school, and copy Maia Bernstein at mbernste@barnard.edu. The program director will reply to let you know if your plan is approved.
- If you are doing a senior project, you must register for your advisor’s section of COGS UN3903 Senior Project (fall) and COGS UN3904 Senior Project (spring). If your advisor cannot be the instructor of record for some reason (for instance, if your advisor is at the medical school), then you may register for the program director’s section.
- If you are doing a senior project you must also register for COGS UN3901 Senior Project Seminar (fall) and COGS UN3902 Senior Project Seminar (spring).
- Please submit the Major Requirements Form for the first time in October of your senior year so that we can confirm you’re on track to graduate.
- Please submit the Major Requirements Form a SECOND TIME in February of your senior year, after your last semester registration is finalized. You may have taken multiple courses which could count towards the same requirement and we’ll need to know exactly which course you want to count for which requirement when we certify you for graduation. Please note that the courses that you list on the form to count towards your major are the courses we will include when we calculate your major GPA (which is taken into consideration for recommendations on Departmental Honors).
Please note:
- Courses taken pass/fail may not count towards Cognitive Science major requirements.
- While some courses listed under the sample specializations are also on the lists of courses approved to count for area requirements, no course may be double counted: if you’re using a course to fulfill an area requirement then you cannot also count that course as an elective.