Studies & Degrees in Cognitive Studies
Cognitive Studies Study Programs
Cognitive studies, more often called cognitive science, is the scientific study of the mind. It explores cognitive processes such as perception, reasoning, memory, attention, language, decision making and problem solving. In the words of the Yale College catalogue, the goal is to understand how the mind works.
No single discipline can answer that question, so the field is interdisciplinary by design. It draws on psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, economics and neuroscience. Students run behavioural experiments, build computational models of thinking, study brain recordings and scans, and discuss philosophical theories of the mind. The Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California San Diego sums up its teaching in three areas: brain, behaviour and computation.
Qualifications and levels
Cognitive science is taught at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. A bachelor's degree gives the broad base; specialisation and research training come later.
- Bachelor's degree in the United States: Yale University offers the major with a B.S. route that requires empirical research and a B.A. route with a non-empirical senior essay; an introductory survey course is normally taken before admission to the major. UC San Diego offers a B.A. and a B.S., and B.S. students may choose a specialisation such as Neuroscience, Clinical Aspects of Cognition, Language and Culture, Design and Interaction, or Machine Learning and Neural Computation. The University of California, Irvine has a B.S. in Cognitive Sciences, and Northwestern University offers a major and a minor through its Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
- Bachelor's degree in Europe: Aarhus University in Denmark has a bachelor's programme in Cognitive Science. It is taught in English for the 2026 intake, but the university expects to switch the language of instruction to Danish for the 2027 intake, which would change the admission requirements
- Master's degree: the master's programme in Cognitive Science at Aarhus University is a two-year full-time programme taught in English. Applicants need a bachelor's degree comparable to a Danish one of 180 ECTS credits, with 30 ECTS in topics related to cognition and 40 ECTS in statistics and programming. Students learn to build computational and statistical models and to use tools such as functional brain imaging and eye tracking
- Doctorate: a PhD is the research qualification. UC Irvine states that its PhD programme in Cognitive Sciences prepares students for research and teaching careers in academia, industry and government
Whatever the level, expect a good deal of statistics and programming next to psychology and neuroscience. Students who prefer the humanities side can usually take more linguistics and philosophy.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 31 schools for cognitive studies. The United States has 19 of them. Spain and the United Kingdom have two each, and Japan, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia, Canada and France have one each.
The US schools include Yale University, the University of California San Diego, the University of California, Irvine and Northwestern University, all of which teach in English. In France, the École normale supérieure in Paris has a Département d'études cognitives dedicated to training and research on mental abilities. In Denmark, Aarhus University teaches its master's in English.
In continental Europe the language of instruction varies by level and can change, as the Aarhus bachelor's shows. Check the language and the entry requirements on the programme page for the year you plan to start.
Careers
Cognitive science is not a regulated profession, and there are no official employment statistics for its graduates as a group. Where they work depends on the mix of subjects they chose. Aarhus University says that employers in sectors including IT, product design and neuroscience are interested in its bachelor's graduates, and that master's graduates may work with human decision making and consumer cognition, data analysis, and the development and design of information technology, as well as in research.
Many graduates continue to a master's or a doctorate, or move into neighbouring fields such as psychology. For that occupation the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 209,400 jobs in 2025 and projects growth of 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. Working as a psychologist requires its own qualifications, which a cognitive science degree does not replace.
Frequently asked questions
Is cognitive studies the same as psychology?
No. Psychology is one of several disciplines inside cognitive science. A cognitive science degree adds computer science, linguistics, philosophy and neuroscience, and usually more programming and modelling.
Do I need mathematics or programming?
Yes, to some degree. Statistics and programming are part of most programmes; the Aarhus master's, for example, asks applicants for 30 ECTS credits with statistics content and 10 with programming content.
Should I choose a B.A. or a B.S.?
It depends on your plans. At Yale the B.S. requires empirical research and the B.A. a non-empirical senior essay, and at UC San Diego only the B.S. can carry a named specialisation.
Can I study cognitive science in English in Europe?
Yes, especially at master's level. The two-year master's at Aarhus University is taught in English. Bachelor's programmes in English are less common and may change language.