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Many fields of study seek to understand intelligence. Neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and technology majors all take courses to further their understanding of human—and artificial—intelligence.
However, only a bachelor of science in cognitive science takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of intelligence, allowing students to expand their knowledge through coursework in all of these areas.
What is a Degree in Cognitive Science?
What factors lead to intelligence? Does intelligence come from the structure and usage of the brain, is it a byproduct of one’s upbringing, is it improved or hampered by language, and can it be replicated? Cognitive science increasingly examines these questions not only through theory, but also through experiments, computational models, and brain-based evidence that connect behavior, language, perception, and learning.
These are the questions that cognitive science majors seek to answer through their studies and into their careers as intelligence researchers. Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary program that approaches the study of language through coursework in each subject that’s interested in researching the topic. Because the field blends insights from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, and computer science, students learn to compare multiple explanations for how people think, communicate, remember, and solve problems.
In a cognitive science program, students engage in courses across multiple disciplines, studying intelligence from scientific, psychological, technical, linguistic, and cultural angles. Working with a faculty advisor, students select courses in each of these areas in order to pursue their own investigations in intelligence research. That flexibility can be especially useful in 2025 and 2026, when employers and graduate programs increasingly value people who can combine analytical reasoning, research design, data interpretation, and communication skills.
Graduates can move on to work in a very diverse set of careers, working in psychologist, neuroscientist, speech-language pathologist, anthropologist, and educator roles—typically after earning one or more graduate degrees.
Recent labor data support that range: BLS projects 6 percent growth for psychologists from 2024 to 2034, with about 12,900 openings per year on average, while speech-language pathologists are projected to grow 15 percent, with about 13,300 openings per year on average.
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What Courses Would I Take For a Major in Cognitive Science?
- Discourse Analysis
- Language and Thought
- Machine Learning
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cognitive Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Brain Imaging
- Brain Dysfunction and Repair
- Principles of Learning Theory
What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Cognitive Science?
Artificial intelligence is no longer something out of a science fiction movie. The technology we use every day—such as Google’s search algorithm—uses machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to serve and rank search results. Google now also uses AI-generated features in Search, including AI Overviews, showing how closely everyday technology is tied to advances in language, reasoning, and human-computer interaction
Artificial intelligence is a big business and the wave of the future of entertainment, computing, and convenience, and cognitive science professionals will be in high demand to help advance this technology. For this reason, the future looks bright for cognitive science graduates. That outlook is strongest for graduates who pair cognitive science with technical or quantitative training: BLS projects data scientist employment to grow 34 percent from 2024 to 2034, with about 23,400 openings per year on average and a median annual wage of $112,590 in May 2024.
How Long does it take?
A bachelors in Cognitive Science will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.
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Best Jobs for Cognitive Science Degrees
A bachelor’s degree in cognitive science can lead to a number of careers, though many students pursue graduate degrees in a specialty field to broaden their career options.
Graduates go on to work as neuroscientists, psychologists, special education teachers and professors, artificial intelligence programmers, intelligence researchers, behavioral analysts, linguists, and lawyers, among others.
How to save time and money
Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your Cognitive Science degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:
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