Program Overview

Overview of the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science

The Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science is designed for undergraduate students who wish to extend the breadth of their studies to include the cognitive sciences. This certificate program prepares students admirably well for many of the fields that are targeted as the major growth fields of the 21st century: telecommunications, information processing, medical analysis, data retrieval, education, and multimedia.

Admission Criteria

• This program is available to students currently enrolled at CU Boulder in a degree program.
• Undergraduate students should apply for admission to the program, planning enough time to complete the program required courses.
• Applications are accepted year round.
• Earning the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science involves meeting the Course Requirements, earning at least a grade of B.

Application Process

To apply for the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science, students must follow these steps:

1. Download and complete the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science Program Application Form.
2. Submit an Unofficial Transcript with the application forms.
3. Download and complete the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science Plan of Study/Progress Report.
4. The ICS Academic Program Director will approve the enrollment on the basis of the unofficial transcript, the Application Form, and Plan of Study.

Requirements and Courses

• Students desiring to complete the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science are required to major in one of the cognitive science core disciplines: ATLAS Institute, Computer Science, Information Science, Integrative Physiology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology and Neuroscience, School of Education, and Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences.
• To earn the Certificate, students must take at least six courses for a minimum of 18 credit hours.
  • The program requirements include two core courses, each in a different core discipline of cognitive science.
  • In addition, there are two advanced skills sequences, each of which involves a different core discipline of cognitive science.
• Additional credit hours may be required as prerequisites to classes chosen to fulfill the Certificate Plan of Study, but these courses usually also fulfill degree requirements.

Program Completion

To complete the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science, students must follow these steps:

1. Submit an Unofficial Transcript to the Academic Program Director.
2. Complete the Undergraduate Certificate in Cognitive Science Plan of Study/Progress Report that was filled out during the application process.
3. The Academic Program Director will review the transcript to confirm that requirements were met. Once approved, the Institute of Cognitive Science will contact the Registrar's Office to include the Certificate on the student's official transcript. Certificates are awarded at the end of the academic year.