May 01, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Catalog

Cognitive Science, B.S. Four-Year Course Plan


All General Education course options can be found here.  

Please Note: This four-year plan serves as a general guide and assumes that all prerequisite requirements have been met prior to each course. Students may need to complete additional prerequisite coursework (MATH 005 , WRI 001 ) based on placement results or prior preparation. Be sure to consult with your academic advisor to create a personalized plan that aligns with your individual progress and goals.

First Year

Fall Spring
COGS 001: Introduction to Cognitive Science   Major Introductory Course
WRI 010: College Reading and Composition   Major One Additional Quantitative Reasoning Course
MATH 011: Calculus I   Major Science Introductory
SPRK 001: Spark Seminar  or  SPRK 010: Spark Seminar   Lower or Upper Division Elective

Second Year

Fall Spring
Major Introductory Course Major Statistical Methods
Major Computing Requirement General Education: Area A–Life and Physical Science
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past
Lower or Upper Division Elective Lower or Upper Division Elective

Third Year

Fall Spring
Major One Additional Major Core Course COGS 105: Research Methods for Cognitive Scientists  
Major Upper Division COGS Major Upper Division COGS
Major Upper Division COGS General Education: Upper Division Writing in the Discipline
Lower or Upper Division Elective Lower or Upper Division Elective

Fourth Year

Fall  Spring
Major Upper Division COGS, PHIL, POLI, PSY, GASP, MGMT, ECON, BIO or CSE Major Upper Division COGS
Lower or Upper Division Elective General Education: Upper Division Culminating Experience
Lower or Upper Division Elective Lower or Upper Division Elective

The four-year plans presented in this sample plan demonstrate the recommended sequencing and timing  of the required and elective components within each major, the assumption each course listed is worth 4 semester units (unless otherwise noted), and that lower and upper division common course GE requirements are maximized in sharing with your major, concentration, and Intellectual Experience Badges.

Completing the 120 units necessary for graduation; should your plan not have a minimum of 120 units planned to be completed, you must add the necessary courses to ensure you complete a minimum of 120 units.

Completing the 120 units necessary for graduation; should your plan not have a minimum of 120 units planned to be completed, you must add the necessary courses to ensure you complete a minimum of 120 units.

All students are expected to work with their academic advisor to find their best pathway through the degree requirements of their chosen program. 

Students must complete three courses in Approaches to Knowledge Area B: Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past GE. One course must be Approaches to Knowledge Area B: Social Science GE. Students must complete the remaining two courses from at least two of the other three Approaches to Knowledge Area B areas: Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, & Societies and Cultures of the Past.