The Cognitive Science major at UC San Diego explores how the mind works through an interdisciplinary blend of psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, linguistics, and anthropology. Students learn how humans think, learn, and interact with technology while gaining skills in research, data analysis, and computational modeling. The program offers multiple specialized tracks, allowing students to focus on areas such as machine learning, human‑computer interaction, clinical cognition, or language and culture. With a strong research environment and hands‑on opportunities, the major prepares students for careers in technology, research, healthcare, and design.
Majors
- Cognitive Science Bachelor of Arts
- Cognitive Science Bachelor of Science
Specializations (Bachelor of Science)
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Aspects of Cognition
- Language and Culture
- Design and Interaction
- Machine Learning and Neural Computation
- Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience
Program Highlights
- UC San Diego established the first Cognitive Science Department in the world in 1986
- Cognitive Science Honors Program available to students when eligibility criteria are met
- Learn more about the Cognitive Science major in 8-minutes
Cognitive Science
This page is intended to give some highlights about the program. If you are interested in learning more about the major and its curriculum, visit the department website.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Co-curricular Programs
Learn how to make the most of your experience at UC San Diego within the context of your major.
Research
Conduct research in your field of student with one of the many research programs available. Research opportunities in this major include, but are not limited to:
California Louis Stoke Alliance for Maximizing Potential (CAMP)
- Available during Spring or Summer (10 weeks)
- Open to juniors and seniors
- Stipend, course credit, and housing available
- Available during Summer
- Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors
- Stipend Available
- Available during Summer
- Open to first-years, sophomores, juniors, and non-graduating seniors
- Stipend Available
For more details, eligibility, and to explore more programs, visit our Undergraduate Research website.
Internships
UC San Diego offers strong internship pathways for undergraduates through the Academic Internship Program (AIP) and the Research Experience and Applied Learning (REAL) Portal. AIP enables students to earn academic credit while gaining professional experience in fields across all majors, supported by faculty mentorship and an academic component. The REAL Portal serves as a centralized hub for finding research, internships, service learning, and other hands‑on opportunities on and off campus. Together, these resources help students explore career interests, build professional skills, and connect academic learning with real‑world experience.
Find a Program
- Academic Internship Program: https://aip.ucsd.edu
- REAL Portal: https://real.ucsd.edu
Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to explore study abroad opportunities. Studying abroad allows students to experience the culture and history of another country and gain a global perspective, all while earning academic credit toward their degree.
Learn more about study abroad opportunities for Cognitive Science.
Student Organizations
With over 600 student organizations, students are able to connect with other students who share similar interests. And, if you can't find something that interests you, it's easy to create a new one with just a few other students. Explore UC San Diego student organizations.
Be sure to check out these organizations related to your major:
What can I do with this major?
Learn about how you can apply your major to various opportunities after you graduate. The information below is based on recent surveys from alumni in this (or similar) majors and is not an exhaustive list.
- Recent Employers - Top 10 employers alumni reported working for.
- Job Types - Industries and types of jobs that alumni reported.
- Skills - Common skills and skills specific to the major that alumni reported gaining from this major.
- Graduate Programs - The types of graduate programs alumni reported going to (if applicable)
Recent Employers
- University of California
- Amazon
- Apple
- ServiceNow
- Microsoft
- Qualcomm
- IBM
- Dexcom
- Stanford University
Job Types
- Software Developers and QA Testers
- Research Assistants
- Commercial and Industrial Designers
- Teaching Assistants
- User Interface/User Experience Developers
- Technical Data Analysts
- Product and Marketing Specialists
- Web Developers
- Interface Designers
- User Experience Engineers
Graduate Programs
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Electical
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Artificial Intelligence
- Bioinformatics
- Data Science
- Education
- Operations Research
Skills
Common
- Research
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Excel
- Leadership
- Communications
- Customer Service
- Teaching
- Teamwork
Specific
- User Experience
- Python
- Data Analysis
- Marketing
- User Interface
- User Experience (UX) Design
- Java
- JavaScript
- Machine Learning
- Software Engineering