A Cognitive and Brain Science degree provides an excellent preparation for careers in the sciences, computer fields, health professions, law, and education.

Upon completing an interdisciplinary major in Cognitive and Brain Science, students will be able to:

• Understand core cognitive and brain concepts and processes such as evidence, hypothetical constructs, operational definitions, and inferences.
• Critically examine theories and empirical findings in at least two subfields of cognitive science (cognitive psychology, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, computational [computer] cognition, linguistics).
• Compare, contrast, and synthesize empirical and theoretical perspectives related to the study of the mind using evidence-based reasoning.
• Read and critically evaluate original journal articles related to cognitive and brain science topics.
• Apply theoretical models of cognition to real life settings and skills (e.g., complex decision making by individuals and groups)
• Become familiar with American Psychological Association (APA) ethics guidelines.
• Gain experience with submitting research proposals to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
• Initiate, design, implement, control, and analyze original empirical research studies on relevant cognitive and brain science issues.
• Show competence in basic quantitative and analytic methods used for scientific investigation in psychology. This involves learning the assumptions and use of these basic statistical analyses: probability, tests of frequency, correlation, t-tests, ANOVA.
• Gain oral and visual communication skills for reporting empirical research findings.
• Develop writing, graphic, and verbal skills to communicate empirical data in an appropriate scientific format (APA format being the preferred mode).