Cognitive Science

Undergraduate Programs

Description

Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary inquiry concerned with understanding the nature and development of such intelligent capacities as perception, language, reasoning, learning and problem-solving, whether these capacities are realized in biological or artificial systems. Such inquiry is by its very nature interdisciplinary, integrating methodological, theoretical and practical foci of Biology, Computer Science, Philosophy and Psychology into a single course of study.

The structure of the major insures students have a solid grounding in each of the four disciplines as well as a specific concentration in one area that draws on the interdisciplinary foundation. Graduates of the program will be prepared for a variety of post-baccalaureate options.

  • They will be prepared for any of the careers open to graduates with degrees in one of the participating disciplines.
  • They will be prepared for graduate study in traditional programs in Biology, Computer Science, Psychology or Philosophy
  • They will also be prepared for study in one of the many recently developed graduate Cognitive Science programs as well as graduate study in related programs such as cognition, brain, and behavior, cognitive neuroscience, biopsychology and human-computer interaction.

Those who choose to study the law, a path frequently chosen by philosophy majors, will be well suited for legal practice concerned with the variety of legal complexities associated with the development of new technology. 

Majors

 Program Locations Major / Total Credits
Cognitive Science BS Biology BS - Bachelor of Science
  • Mankato
 82 / 120
Cognitive Science BS Computer Science BS - Bachelor of Science
  • Mankato
 83 / 120
Cognitive Science BS Philosophy BS - Bachelor of Science
  • Mankato
 83 / 120
Cognitive Science BS Psychology BS - Bachelor of Science
  • Mankato
 83 / 120

Policies & Faculty

Policies

Admission to the major is granted by the Cognitive Science Program. Minimum admission requirements are:

  • a minimum of 32 earned semester hours.
  • a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

Contact the Cognitive Science Program Director or the Program Advisors in one of the four participating departments. 

Grading Policy. All coursework applied towards the major must be taken for a letter grade except for courses offered only as P/N. A minimum grade of “C-” is required in all courses which are to be applied towards the major. In addition, a minimum grade of “C-” is required for all prerequisite courses where dictated by individual department polices. Grades of “D” are not accepted by the program for Prerequisites to the major, major common core and major restricted elective courses. 

Contact Information

227 Armstrong Hall
Department of Philosophy
College of Arts and Humanities

(507) 389-2012
http://cset.mnsu.edu/cogsci/

Faculty

Director
  • Richard Liebendorfer, PhD
Advisor: Philosophy
  • Richard Liebendorfer, PhD
Advisor: Biology
  • David Sharlin, PhD
Advisor: Computer Science
  • Rebecca Bates, PhD
Advisor: Psychology
  • Moses Langley, PhD
Faculty