Cognitive Science
2018-19 General Catalog
273 Social Sciences 2
(831) 459-2002
https://psychology.ucsc.edu
Program Description
Cognitive science focuses on achieving a scientific understanding of how human cognition works. Its subject matter encompasses cognitive functions (such as memory and perception), the structure and use of human language, the evolution of the mind, artificial intelligence, and more.
The cognitive science degree provides a strong grounding in the principles of cognition through courses in cognitive psychology, and, in addition, provides breadth in the interdisciplinary aspects of cognitive science such as anthropology, linguistics, biology, philosophy, and computer science. Graduates will be well prepared for advanced training in research fields of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, technology industries such as human-computer interaction, and health fields, such as the treatment of brain disorders.
The cognitive science major is intended for students wishing to enter doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, or cognitive neuroscience to pursue careers in research; enter the field of public health to work with individuals with neurological disorders or learning disabilities; to enter the field of human-computer interaction design; or pursue other related careers.
The Department of Psychology administers the program and student major advising.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the cognitive science major should demonstrate competency in:
- Application of knowledge with critical thinking skills. Students should be able to use critical thinking to evaluate and interpret evidence, and to apply cognitive science concepts, theories, and research findings to individual, social, and cultural issues.
- Application of research methods with values and integrity. Students should be able to apply basic research methods in cognitive science, with sensitivity to ethical principles.
- Communication skills. Students should be able to demonstrate effective communication skills following professional conventions in cognitive science appropriate to purpose and context.
- Awareness of methodological and theoretical diversity: Students should be able to understand the complexities of cognition using neural, embodied, social, and/or technological approaches.
Preparation for the Major
Students who are not prepared to begin the calculus requirement should take preparatory courses offered by the mathematics and applied mathematics departments, including pre-calculus.
Major Qualification Requirements
Students may petition to declare the cognitive science major once they have completed the lower-division requirements. For students to be admitted to the major, they must have a 2.80 or higher cumulative GPA in the lower-division requirements and receive a C or better in each of the courses. Transfer students may substitute equivalent courses from other institutions. Students not meeting the grade requirements in the lower-division courses may take any of the listed alternatives as substitutions; the department will use the highest grade to compute GPA.
Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 days from the date the notification was mailed. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student, college, and Office of the Registrar of the decision.
Transfer Students
Junior transfer students should express an interest in cognitive science on their UC Santa Cruz application for admission.
It is expected that prospective transfer students will have completed most, if not all, of the lower-division requirements. The lower-division requirements include Math 11A (or equivalent), PSYC 2 (or equivalent) and the computer programming requirement, are required. It is recommended that Psychology 20 is completed prior to transfer, but this is not required. In order to declare the major, transfer students must meet the GPA requirement described in the Major Qualification Requirements section above.
Students who want to fulfill requirements with courses taken at other colleges must petition for the substitution of their transfer courses at an orientation session or at an appointment with the department adviser. Psychology 100, Research Methods in Psychology, must be taken at UCSC. Students planning to transfer to UCSC should check with the advising office of their present college, or refer to www.assist.org.
Transfer students are strongly encouraged to speak with an academic adviser at the Psychology Department office prior to enrolling in classes in order to determine their status and begin the actual declaration of major process.
Requirements for the Cognitive Science Major
The undergraduate degree program in cognitive science is a program offering a course of study leading to the bachelor of science (B.S.) degree. Fifteen courses (77 credits) are required. Because some courses have additional prerequisites, students should read the descriptions of courses carefully, noting the prerequisites for courses of interest to them.
Lower-Division Requirements:
Introduction to Cognition (one of PSYC 20A or 20B)
Statistics (one of PSYC 2, AMS 5 or AMS 7/L)
Calculus (one of AMS 11A, MATH 11A, 19A or 20A)
Computer Programming (one of CMPE 13/L, CMPS 5C, 5J, 5P, 12A)
Upper-Division Requirements:
Students must complete 11 courses toward the major after completing the lower-division requirements. At least eight of these must be upper-division courses (a minimum of 42 credits). These must include Psychology 100, three upper-division core courses and three upper-division cognitive psychology electives, as described below. Students must also complete four interdisciplinary electives in other departments, which may or may not be upper-division. Students must ensure that one of the interdisciplinary electives is an upper-division course.
Psychology 100, Research Methods in Psychology (7 credits)
Core Courses
Students must complete a course from three of the following areas:
Perception (Psychology 120 or 121)
Neuroscience (Psychology 123)
Language (Psychology 125)
Memory (Psychology 129)
Cognitive Psychology Electives
Students must complete three additional upper-division Psychology courses from the following list. One of the core courses that is not used to satisfy the core courses requirement may be used to satisfy this requirement. One of these cognitive electives must be a Cognitive Senior Seminar as designated by the asterisks below.
Any of Psychology 120-138 (i.e., the Cognitive Series)
Psychology 104, Development in Infancy
Psychology 105, Children’s Thinking
Psychology 116, Communication Technologies, Culture, and Human Development
Psychology 119E, The World of Babies *
Psychology 119F, Language Development *
Psychology 119P, Children and Technology *
Psychology 139B, Consciousness *
Psychology 139D, Modeling Human Performance *
Psychology 139F, Psychology and Evolutionary Theory *
Psychology 139G, Conversations *
Psychology 139H, Weird Science *
Psychology 139J, Forgetting*
Psychology 139K, Face Recognition*
Psychology 139L, Illusions*
Psychology 139M, Human-Robot Interaction*
Psychology 179F, The Path to a Science of Dreaming*
Psychology 181, Psychological Data Analysis
Psychology 194B, Advanced Cognitive Research
Psychology 195A, Senior Thesis
Psychology 204-252, graduate cognitive courses, by petition
*denotes Senior Seminar
Interdisciplinary Electives
Students must complete four interdisciplinary electives from lists of courses pre-approved by the Psychology Department, one of which must be upper-division. The electives fall into four groups: Evolution; Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction; Linguistics; Philosophy. Three of the four electives must be selected from the same group. Students are responsible for planning their course of study to complete any necessary prerequisites for electives they wish to take. Possible sequences of interdisciplinary courses, including prerequisites, are given below.
Group 1: Evolution
Anthropology 1, 100, 101, 104, 105, 106, 109, 112, 139 (also listed in Group 3), 173, 174, 175A, 184/L, 194B, 194H, Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 20C, 109, 124/L, 129/L, 140, 141L, 147, 172/L, Biology: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology 80E, 105, 120, 125, Philosophy 127 (also listed in Group 4), 190F (also listed in Group 4)
Group 2: Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Engineering 8, 9, 80A, 80U, 131, 161, 167/L; Computer Science 17, 80B, 80J, 80V, 132, 140; Computational Media 20, 80K, 146, 148; Music 80L
Note: The upper-division School of Engineering courses in this section have additional prerequisites that are not listed here.
Note: The lower-division computer science courses in this section are not being offered at present.
Group 3: Linguistics
Anthropology 139 (also listed in Group 1), Linguistics 50, 53, 80C, 80D, 101, 102, 105, 111 (formerly Linguistics 55), 112 (formerly Linguistics 52), 113, 116, 117, 124, 125, 140, 151, 152, 155, 157, 158
Group 4: Philosophy
Philosophy 9, 11, 80S, 100B (formerly Philosophy 93), 100C (formerly Philosophy 94), 121, 123, 125, 127, (also listed in Group 1), 133, 135, 190 (by petition)
Comprehensive Requirement
UCSC requires that every student satisfy a senior exit/comprehensive requirement prior to graduation. Cognitive Science students will satisfy this requirement by receiving a passing grade in a senior seminar (PSYC 139A-M, or 119E, or 119F, or 119P, or 179F).
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement in cognitive science is satisfied by completing Psychology 100, Research Methods in Psychology, and the Senior Seminar requirement.
Honors
Honors in the cognitive science major are awarded to graduating seniors whose UCSC GPA is a 3.6 or higher in psychology courses (1-189).
Highest honors in the major are reserved for students who meet the honors criteria as well as successful completion of a senior thesis, or whose UCSC GPA is a 3.9 or higher in psychology courses (1-189).
Cognitive Science Course Planners
Following are two recommended academic plans for students to complete the Cognitive Science major. Plan 1 assumes typical curriculum selections. Plan 2 assumes the maximum number of prerequisites.
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Plan One |
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Year |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
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1st |
MATH 2 |
MATH 3 |
Calculus |
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PSYC 20 |
Programming |
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2nd |
Interdisciplinary |
PSYC 2 |
PSYC 100 |
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Interdisciplinary |
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3rd |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
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Interdisciplinary |
Interdisciplinary |
Interdisciplinary |
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|
Cognitive |
|
|
|
|
4th |
Interdisciplinary |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
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Plan Two |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Year |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
|
1st |
MATH 2 |
MATH 3 |
Calculus |
|
PSYC 20 |
Programming |
||
|
2nd |
Interdisciplinary |
PSYC 2 |
PSYC 100 |
|
Interdisciplinary |
Interdisciplinary |
||
|
3rd |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
|
Interdisciplinary |
Cognitive |
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4th |
Cognitive elective |
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|
Cognitive elective |
Interdisciplinary |
Interdisciplinary |
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Interdisciplinary |
Interdisciplinary |
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Transfer Plan
|
Year |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
|
3rd |
PSYC 20 |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
| PSYC 100 | Interdisciplinary elective |
Interdisciplinary |
|
|
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
Cognitive |
|
|
4th |
Interdisciplinary |
Cognitive |
Interdisciplinary |
Revised: 07/15/18
