Comp Sci and Cog Sci Majors??

College Search & Selection
1

I’m looking for schools with both strong Computer Science and Cognitive Science programs. I’m looking to double-major in these, or major in one with a concentration in the other.

So far, I am definitely applying to Princeton, UPenn, Boston U, and Northwestern.

I need more target and safety schools that are strong in these majors.

I know a lot of schools have AI programs too, but I slightly prefer if they have two distinct programs in comp and cog sci so I have the option of dropping one and just focusing on the other if I want to in the future.

Any suggestions???

2

As a reach, Swarthmore.

3

Tufts Cognitive and Brain Science Program integrates the two

http://ase.tufts.edu/psychology/undergraduate/concCognitive.htm

Tufts doea a lot of interdisciplinary applied research in this area

http://www.centerforabcs.org/

There is also a CS major that is strong in AI/Machine Learning and Human/Computer Interaction

4

Doing a double major in Computer Science and Cognitive Science is going to be tough, and I’m not really sure it’s worth it. If it was me, I’d go for something like the following (disregarding the issue of whether Yale would actually accept me) -

http://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/subjects-of-instruction/computer-science-psychology/

5

@suzyshai, Should you become interested in LACs, Vassar was the first institution in the world to grant an undergraduate degree in cognitive science.

6

Northeastern has a combined CS and Cognitive Psychology degree:
http://catalog.northeastern.edu/undergraduate/computer-information-science/computer-information-science-combined-majors/computer-science-cognitive-psychology-bs/#programrequirementstext

There are individual majors for both as well should you choose to switch.

7

UBC Vancouver offers Cognitive Systems, where you could do a Comp Sci track. It’s a huge program–they discourage CogSys students from attempting a second major or even a minor. The major includes several comprehensive CogSys courses, incorporating all of the correlating disciplines, so it’s more than just accumulating credits in a variety of subjects.

8

University of Toronto also has a large, comprehensive Cognitive Science major with a computer science stream. Students are required to do a second major with it.

9

I’m going to agree with @simba9 in saying that you definitely don’t need to limit yourself to colleges with cognitive science and computer science majors.

Most colleges have computer science majors, so that’s not a problem.

Cognitive science is largely an interdisciplinary major that includes coursework from several departments/fields. Psychology, computer science, linguistics, and neuroscience are usually most heavily represented, but sometimes students also take classes in anthropology, philosophy, and other fields. Even if you look at Vassar’s (deservedly vaunted) cognitive science program, most of the courses are ones that are readily found in other majors, and the concentration is all made of courses you actually DO take in other departments.

So you don’t necessarily need a university with a cognitive science program; you could simply supplement your CS major with a lot of the coursework that you would take in a cognitive science major offered through other departments. Most of it will be offered at any college with psychology coursework; having a linguistics and/or neuroscience program would be a sweet bonus.

But as additional suggestions:

Stanford has a major in Symbolic Systems, which is essentially a different name for the same thing: https://symsys.stanford.edu/

Carnegie Mellon is a good choice, too: They have strong computer science and strong psychology with a BS in cognitive science housed in the psychology department. They also have linguistics and neuroscience AND majors like Decision Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction which will probably also be interesting to you.

RPI has both as well.

Depending on your stats, Lehigh University, Occidental College, Case Western, University of Rochester and University of Richmond may be high matches or straight up matches for you, and they all have both majors.

Villanova, Marquette, Syracuse, and Beloit may be good low matches or safeties. Hampshire College is probably a safety, and they have a School of Cognitive Science.

And if Canadian schools are a consideration, the University of Waterloo has an excellent CS program and also has cognitive science.