Cognitive Science

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Cognitive Science Program
Sycamore Hall 0014

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Library
625 North Jordan Avenue
Phone: 855-0576
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625 North Jordan Avenue
Phone: 855-0576

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Phone: 812-855-0100

Description of Major

Cognitive Sciences explores the nature of mind and intelligence systems. The core of cognitive science is the pursuit of formal theories of mind and information. The field is inherently interdisciplinary, and individuals who work in this field combine information and expertise from a variety of disciplines including computer science, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics and other fields. Both natural intelligence in humans and artificial intelligence in computers will explicitly be within the domain of inquiry explored thoroughly. The field involves aspects of complex cognition, computational models of thought processes, knowledge representation, and the emergent behavior of large-scale interacting systems. Cognitive Science seeks a better understanding of the mind, the process and tools of teaching and learning, of mental abilities, and of the development of intelligent devices that can augment human capabilities in constructive ways. The cognitive science program provides a solid grounding in the formal tools needed to understand and create cognitive science research while fostering depth of knowledge in particular areas of interest to students. Students complete four core cognitive science courses; concentrate in a particular area by completing three courses in one of the following areas: cognition, computation, informatics, language, logic, neuroscience, or philosophical foundations; fulfill a breadth requirement by taking three courses from at least two different departments outside of their concentration area; and complete a senior seminar course. Students who pursue the Bachelor of Science need to complete an additional core course, six credit hours of research, and demonstrate computational proficiency.

Skills & Knowledge Developed in this Field of Study

Ability to: communicate clearly and effectively through spoken and written word, critically evaluate evidence and data, program and use computers, conduct mathematical analyses, and apply conceptual, analytical, and interpersonal skills to a variety of situations. Each student�s chosen concentration will further develop knowledge in a specific subject area.

Minors and Second Majors that Expand Career Options with this Major

Biology, business, computer science, foreign languages, informatics, Liberal Arts & Management (LAMP) Certificate, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, teaching certification, telecommunications, speech and hearing sciences.

Career Options

Careers Specific to the Bachelor's Degree

The skills acquired by cognitive science students are applicable in many career fields, particularly those associated with the information industry including telecommunications, information processing, medical analysis, data representation and retrieval, education, scientific research, and multimedia design. Cognitive science graduates can apply their skills to positions in human factors engineering and computer-human interactions (designing and programming devices, software, instructions, and information resources so that they are easily understood and used by people), computer-human interactions (designing and programming computer systems to be used by people), artificial intelligence (creating computer systems that demonstrate what appears to be intelligent behavior in a particular domain), human performance testing (evaluating intelligence and mental abilities), education (applying cognitive science techniques to aiding students' acquisition and retention of class material), and neurological testing.

Other Career Possibilities with a Bachelor's Degree

Marketing representative, technical writer, computer programmer, consultant, intelligence analyst.

Careers that Normally Require a Graduate Degree

Career options in any of the previously mentioned fields will usually be enhanced with an advanced degree. Because cognitive science related jobs often require significant amounts of technical training and knowledge, many individuals seeking these positions will have a graduate degree. Thus, a master or doctoral degree will certainly make a person more competitive in this job market. Many management and industrial research positions and all college level academic research and teaching positions will require a graduate degree.

Employment Opportunities

Job Outlook

Due to the sharp rise in technology oriented industries, the number of career positions available in cognitive science has grown enormously, and this trend should continue.

Salary Information

The typical starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor degree in cognitive science is in the range of $35,000 - $40,000. With a master or doctorate degree, starting salaries range from $40,000 to as high as $80,000.

Potential Career Growth

Career growth potential is excellent in terms of salary as well as advancement in many diversified fields and geographical locations.

Placement Statistics for IU Graduates with this Major

Approximately 50 percent of our alumni choose to pursue a graduate degree immediately after completing their bachelor degree. Other alumni have found full-time employment in software engineering, consulting, education, marketing, sales, system administration, digital library administration, and other technical fields, as well as full-time research assistant positions.

High School Preparation

Students interested in cognitive science should take advantage of opportunities in high school that will develop the following skills: analytical thinking, problem solving, writing, mathematical reasoning, and technical skills.

Special Opportunities

Students interested in cognitive science are encouraged to become involved with the Student Organization for Cognitive Science (SOCS). SOCS sponsors events on campus and weekly discussions on topics related to cognitive science. For more information about SOCS, students should send e-mail to iusocs@indiana.edu. Cognitive science students are encouraged to complement their studies with research and/or internship experiences. Students may obtain cognitive science course credit for these experiences and should contact the cognitive science undergraduate advisor for more information.

Noted Alumni

The first alumni to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science entered the work force in 1999, followed by the Bachelor of Science alumni in 2002. Our alumni are young, bright and just beginning to start their careers. In the coming years this list will undoubtedly include many prominent names.