Undergraduate Program

Coursework

The Cognitive Science major reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, allowing students to study the mind and brain from multiple perspectives.  The major draws upon courses not only within the Cognitive Science Department, but also in several other departments, including Psychological and Brain Sciences, Computer Science, and Philosophy.

Courses are divided into five areas of concentration:

Cognitive Science majors distribute their coursework across all five areas, with special emphasis on two areas chosen as focal areas, providing both breadth and depth of knowledge.

Examples of courses falling into each of the areas of concentration can be seen by following the links above.

Here is a list of Fall 2012 courses that fulfill requirements for the major (PDF).

Research

Students in the department also have many opportunities to become involved in research and hence to learn firsthand about how Cognitive Science research is carried out.

What can you do with a major in Cognitive Science?

Cognitive Science majors at Johns Hopkins go on to graduate school, medical school, law school, business school, or directly into jobs in a variety of fields. 

The major provides excellent preparation for Ph.D. programs not only in Cognitive Science, but also (depending on the choice of focal areas) in Psychology, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Neuropsychology, or Speech Pathology.  Many of our former majors have obtained Ph.D.’s in these fields.

The Cognitive Science major also integrates well with the pre-med curriculum, and many majors go on to medical school.  Our former majors include M.D.’s with specializations in Neurology, Psychiatry, Neuro-Radiology, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine.

Either before or after additional study our majors pursue careers in a wide range of settings, including academia, health care, information technology, law, technical writing and publishing, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.