What is Cognitive Science?
Cognitive Science is the interdisciplinary study of how minds work. Drawing on concepts and methods from a range of related fields — including linguistics, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and computer science — Cognitive Science seeks to understand the internal processes of not only the human mind, but also other computational minds, including those that we engineer in artificial intelligence. Watch the video: What Is Cog Sci?
Cognitive Science at Michigan and Beyond
At the University of Michigan, CogSci students choose to focus on one of four tracks. Each CogSci student’s studies and path looks different depending on the track they choose as well as the experiences they focus on outside of their CogSci major.
Declaring the Cognitive Science Major
If you’re currently enrolled as an undergraduate student in the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, you may declare a major in Cognitive Science by following the steps below:
Register for and complete the first 3 weeks of COGSCI 200 - Intro to Cognitive Science with a C- or better. COGSCI 200 is the only required prerequisite course to the major. However, some courses on the track lists have additional prerequisites.
Review the Cognitive Science Curriculum and meet with an academic advisor or peer facilitator.
Make an advising appointment with a Cognitive Science Academic Advisor to declare.
*Students enrolled in other colleges will need to apply for a Joint Degree or apply to LSA via Cross-Campus Transfer
Transfer Students
We welcome transfer students to pursue a major in Cognitive Science! Please visit our Transfer Students page for more information.
First-Year Applicants to U-M
We’re excited about your interest in Cognitive Science at the University of Michigan! Follow these steps to become a CogSci Wolverine.
Explore
Is the University of Michigan the school for you? The Office of Admissions has an abundance of resources to help you decide if the University of Michigan is your ultimate destination.
Is CogSci the major for you? We’d be happy to connect with you via Zoom! Contact us at Weinberg-Institute@umich.edu.
Apply
The Cognitive Science major is housed in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. You can find details on applying as a freshman to LSA through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Be Admitted and Commit to U of M!
Enroll in CogSci 200
- Declare Cognitive Science!
Students enrolled in CogSci 200 should make an advising appointment with a Cognitive Science Academic Advisor to declare.
Pursuing the Cognitive Science Graduate Certificate
If you’re currently enrolled as a graduate student at U-M and are interested in the CogSci graduate certificate program, please visit this page for more information.
