Program Overview

Undergraduate Honors Program

The honors program in the Department of Cognitive Science allows highly motivated undergraduate cognitive science majors to receive additional mentoring, professional development, and research supervision. To graduate with honors in the major, students must have a 3.5 major GPA at the time of graduation, and have completed either COGS 308 (Advanced Research Workshop I) or COGS 309 (Advanced Research Workshop II) with a final grade of A.

Program Requirements

• Students must have a 3.5 major GPA at the time of graduation.
• Students must complete either COGS 308 or COGS 309 with a final grade of A.
• Only 5-8 undergraduate students are permitted to enroll in these courses each semester.

Course Details

• COGS 308: Advanced Research Workshop I, usually offered in the fall.
• COGS 309: Advanced Research Workshop II, usually offered in the spring.
• In both courses, students will develop a research topic (theoretical or empirical) and work on it with the input of other workshop members to produce final projects.

Undergraduate Honors Program FAQ

General Questions

• Will honors show up on my diploma? No, departmental honors appear in the graduation program and on your transcript.
• How is the honors program different from a capstone? The capstone is a general education requirement, while the honors program is a departmental requirement.

Program Structure

• Can I do the honors program and the capstone at the same time? Yes, students can work with the 308/309 instructor and their capstone supervisor to figure out how to best use the student's time.
• What happens if I've taken COGS 308 or 309 and earned an A, but don't have a 3.5 GPA when I graduate? You will not be awarded honors in the major.

Course Enrollment

• Do COGS 308 or 309 fulfill any requirements? These courses count as COGS electives (major/minor requirement) or social science breadth requirements.
• Can I take COGS 308 or 309 if I don't want to be in the honors program? Yes, you will receive honors if you meet the requirements.
• Can I take both COGS 308 and 309? Yes.
• When should I take COGS 308 or 309? The optimal time is junior or senior year, after you have acquired a solid background in cognitive science.