Cognitive Science Major Related Careers
The following careers are directly or indirectly related to the study of this major. Click the job title to learn more about it. To search for more career options, visit OnetOnline.org.
Cognitive Science
Cognitive science explores the nature of intelligent systems. At its core, the program focuses on theories of mind and action.
The field is inherently interdisciplinary with contributions from computer science, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, biology, anthropology, and other fields. Both natural intelligence, whether human or animal, and artificial intelligence fall within the scope of inquiry. The field deals with aspects of complex cognition, computational models of thought processing, knowledge representation, dynamics of real-world engagement, and emergent behavior of large-scale interacting systems.
Goals of the Cognitive Science program include a better understanding of mind and cognitive skills and the development of intelligent systems designed to augment human capacities in constructive ways. The program is structured to give students fundamental skills applicable in a wide variety of information-related careers: psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, information processing, medical analysis, data representation and information retrieval, education, scientific research, human-computer interaction, multimedia, knowledge management, and information policy. The skills also have wide applicability in technical and expository writing, mathematical analysis, experimental techniques, and computer programming.
The Cognitive Science program offers both B.A. and B.S. degrees. Students considering a major in cognitive science should consult with the program advisor during the freshman year.
For detailed information about degree requirements, visit the most recent College of Arts & Sciences Academic Bulletin.
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Academic information
University Division's Explore Programs tool is the place to go for academic information about any IUB major, minor, or certificate.
Open in Explore Programs- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
- Mental Health Counselors
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
- Art Therapists
- Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Social Science Research Assistants
- Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary
- Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary
- Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Career Interests
John Holland developed a theoretical framework consisting of six general themes that describe broad areas interest relating to self and the working world. If you are interested in discovering your career interests, visit our Learn more about yourself page to learn about the Strong Interest Inventory.
This major consists of the following themes:
- Investigative
- Enterprising
- Conventional
Cognitive Science Major Related Skills
Below is a sampling of skills related to this major mapped from the Skillscan Driver Assessment. The SkillScan assessment provides a simple 3-step process to help you learn about your strengths and weaknesses, the skills you enjoy and want to use in a career and those skills needing development. Consider taking the SkillScan assessment to better understand your skills as it relates to majors at IU.
Analytical
- Solve Problems
- Analyze
- Compute
- Manage Data or Records
Communication
- Speak to Groups
- Speak or Interact
- Write
- Persuade
Creative
- Conceptualize
- Demonstrate Foresight
Career Guides
Our unique IU Career Guides offers the A-Zs of each field’s preferred educational backgrounds, as well as employment opportunities and insider tips, industry-related interview questions, and a lot more. Below are related career guides for this major.