Cognitive Science
at Yale University

Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field devoted to exploring the nature of cognitive processes such as perception, reasoning, memory, attention, language, imagery, motor control, and problem–solving. The goal of cognitive science is to understand (1) the representations and processes in our minds that underwrite these capacities, (2) how they are acquired, and how they develop, and (3) how they are implemented in underlying hardware (biological or otherwise). Stated more simply, the goal of cognitive science is to understand how the mind works.

Cognitive science is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor. Yale’s Cognitive Science faculty includes members whose primary affiliations are in the Departments of Anthropology, Computer Science, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, and Psychology as well as faculty primarily affiliated with the Yale Child Study Center, the Yale School of Engineering, Haskins Laboratories, Yale’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, the Institution for Social & Policy Studies, Yale Law School, Yale School of Management, the Yale School of Medicine, and the John B. Pierce Laboratory.

The Cognitive Science program at Yale includes an undergraduate major, a graduate student discussion group, a colloquium series directed primarily at faculty and advanced graduate students, and various campus events.

The undergraduate major is open to students by application only. Applications are due at the end of Fall semester of the applicant’s Sophomore year. Application forms to the major, and a list of frequently asked questions about the major can be found here.

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