Cognitive Science, BA
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Cognitive Science
Program Overview
Cognitive science is the scientific study of the mind from multiple disciplinary points of view. By incorporating insights from fields such as cognitive neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science, it develops theories of cognition that go beyond the borders of any one discipline. At Case Western Reserve University, the program focuses on cognitive capacities that mark human beings as distinctive. The major is highly flexible and will provide students with the opportunity to integrate a wide variety of approaches and apply them to the study of the human mind.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize and/or describe concepts, theories and research methods in cognitive science.
- Summarize and interpret findings from different areas of cognitive science.
- Apply concepts/theories/methods to a new example.
- Show evidence that students can extend existing empirical work (by proposing a solution to a problem/designing a way of testing a theory or claim/predicting how a phenomenon would pattern in a new context).
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
In addition to meeting general education requirements, cognitive science majors must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in cognitive science and approved related coursework: 15 credit hours in the foundation component and 15 credit hours of elective coursework. The foundation courses provide all students with a common basis for further study.
Students must also fulfill a “significant work” graduation requirement by uploading their Experience Portfolio to a designated Box folder.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| COGS 101 | Introduction to Cognitive Science | 3 |
| COGS 102 | Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| COGS 201 | Human Cognition in Evolution and Development | 3 |
| COGS 202 | Cognition and Culture | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences | ||
| Quantitative Methods in Psychology | ||
| Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences | ||
| Electives a | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- a
At least three of the five electives are required to be at the 200- or 300-level.
Departmental Honors
The honors program in the Department of Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University allows highly motivated undergraduate cognitive science majors to receive additional mentoring, professional development, and research supervision. To graduate with honors in the major, students must have a 3.5 major GPA at the time of graduation, and have completed either COGS 308, COGS 309, or COGS 399H with a letter grade of "A".