Cognitive Science Major

Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.

NOTE: This Catalog describes Weinberg College BA requirements that pertain to students who matriculated at Northwestern after spring quarter 2023. Refer to the Archives if you are following BA requirements described in the 2018-2019 through 2022-2023 editions.

Course Title
Major Requirements (14 units)
4 required introductory courses:
Introduction to Cognitive Science
Introduction to Computer Programming
Fundamentals of Computer Programming
Introduction to Statistics and Data Science
Statistical Methods in Psychology
Evaluating Evidence
1 required proseminar
Cognitive Science Proseminar
5 Theme courses, one from each of the five themes listed below.
Theme: Brains & Bodies
Language and the Brain
Sound Patterns in Human Language
Intro to Music Cognition
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Introduction to Neuroscience
Theme: Learning over Lifetimes
Learning, Representation & Reasoning
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Theme: Models & Machines
Introduction to Cognitive Modeling
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Formal Analysis of Words & Sentences
Introduction to Computational Linguistics
Minds and Machines
Philosophy of Mind
Theme: Reasoning & Rhetoric
Meaning
Theory of Knowledge
Political Psychology
Psychology of Thinking
Decision Making
Theme: Collective Cognition
Psychological Anthropology
Presenting Ideas & Data
Culture and Cognition
Redesigning Everyday Organizations
Learning and Thinking in Organizations
Cultural Psychology
4 Electives chosen from the Theme lists above or from the Electives listed below
  • Of the 9 Theme and Elective courses (5 Theme courses plus 4 Electives) at least five must be at the 300-level or above. Other 300- and 400-level courses beyond those listed here may be counted as Electives with consent of the cognitive science adviser.

  • Independent study is strongly recommended. COG_SCI 399-0 or another independent study approved by the cognitive science adviser may count as an Elective course.

  • For students pursuing honors, the second quarter Senior Thesis Seminar (COG_SCI 398-2) may count as an Elective course.

  • At most 3 courses counted toward the cognitive science major may be double-counted toward another major. Courses used to meet major requirements may not be double-counted toward a minor.

Electives

Students following the major requirements in this catalog year may chose any of the elective courses listed below regardless of academic area. Students following requirements in a prior catalog year should refer to that catalog for the required allocation of courses among designated advanced elective areas.

Elective Courses

Course Title
ANTHRO 360-0Language and Culture
ANTHRO 361-0Talk as Social Action
ANTHRO 389-0Ethnographic Methods and Analysis
BIOL_SCI 302-0Fundamentals of Neurobiology
CSD 301-0Anatomy and Physiology of the Vocal Mechanism
CSD 302-0Anatomy and Physiology of the Peripheral Hearing Mechanism
CSD 303-0Brain and Cognition
CSD 306-0Psychoacoustics
CSD 309-0Culture, Language and Learning
CSD 310-0Biological Foundations of Speech and Music
CSD 342-0Language and Cognition in Atypical Development
CSD 373-0Introduction to Learning Disabilities
CSD 376-0Diagnostic & Remedial Approaches for Children With Learning Problems
CSD 382-0Autism Spectrum Disorder
CSD 388-0Attention Deficit Disorder and Related Disorders
CSD 392-0Language Development and Usage
CSD 406-0Medical Aspects of Audiology
CSD 444-0Development and Disorders of Mathematics
CSD 457-0Language Science
COMP_SCI 325-0Artificial Intelligence Programming
COMP_SCI 337-0Natural Language Processing
COMP_SCI 338-0Practicum in Intelligent Information Systems
COMP_SCI 344-0Design of Computer Problem Solvers
COMP_SCI 349-0Machine Learning
COMP_SCI 371-0Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
COMP_SCI 372-0Designing and Constructing Models with Multi-Agent Languages
ECON 330-0Behavioral Economics
LING 300-0Topics in Linguistics
LING 315-0Experimental Approaches to Word Form Processing
LING 316-0Experimental Syntax
LING 317-0Experimental Pragmatics
LING 321-0Bilingualism
LING 330-0Research Methods in Linguistics
LING 341-0Language Typology
LING 342-0Structure of Various Languages
LING 350-0Fundamentals of Laboratory Phonology
LING 360-0Fundamentals of Syntax
LING 370-0Fundamentals of Meaning
LING 371-0Reference
LING 372-0Pragmatics
LING 373-0Implicature
LING 450-1Laboratory Phonology I
LING 460-2Syntactic Analysis II
LRN_SCI 301-0Design of Learning Environments
LRN_SCI 401-0Knowledge Representation for the Learning Sciences
LRN_SCI 425-0Introduction to Design for the Learning Sciences
LRN_SCI 426-0Design of Technological Tools for Thinking and Learning
LRN_SCI 429-0Design of Learning Environments
MUSIC_ED 437-0Psychology of Music Teaching & Learning
NEUROSCI 320-0Animal Behavior
NEUROSCI 360-0Neuroscience of Brain Disorders
NEUROSCI 377-0Neurobiology of Sensation and Perception
PHIL 250-0Elementary Logic II
PHIL 327-0Philosophy of Psychology
PHIL 330-0Practical Reasoning and Choice
PHIL 350-0Advanced Logic
PHIL 351-0Advanced Topics in Philosophical Logic
PHIL 353-0Philosophy of Language
PSYCH 324-0Perception
PSYCH 327-0Brain and Cognition
PSYCH 328-0Brain Damage and the Mind
PSYCH 336-0Consciousness
PSYCH 370-0Cognitive Development
PSYCH 372-0Language and Cognition
PSYCH 374-0Human Memory
PSYCH 461-0Reasoning and Representation
PSYCH 466-0Analogy and Similarity
Also relevant sections of:
Topics In Anthropology
Special Topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Special Topics in Computer Science
Topics in Learning Sciences
Selected Topics in Music Theory
Selected Topics in Music Cognition
Selected Topics in Music Theory
Selected Topics in Music Cognition
Seminar: Special Topics in Philosophy
Seminar in Philosophy of Mind
Advanced Seminar in Cognition or Neuroscience
Special Topics in Cognition
Topics in Brain, Behavior, and Cognition

Honors in Cognitive Science

Majors with strong academic records and an interest in pursuing honors should contact the director of undergraduate studies in early spring of junior year. Qualifying students prepare a thesis proposal under the guidance of a faculty mentor and present the proposal, along with the names of the mentor and a second faculty reader, to the program committee for review. After committee approval of the proposal, students normally enroll in COG_SCI 398-1 Senior Thesis Seminar in fall and COG_SCI 398-2 Senior Thesis Seminar in winter of senior year. With the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, 1 quarter of COG_SCI 399-0 Independent Study may be substituted for one of either COG_SCI 398-1 Senior Thesis Seminar or COG_SCI 398-2 Senior Thesis Seminar.

Students whose projects, theses, and grades meet program criteria are recommended to the college for graduation with honors. For more information consult the director of undergraduate studies and see the section on Honors in Cognitive Science on the Cognitive Science Undergraduate page.