Cognitive science is the study of intelligent systems, including the human mind. An interdisciplinary science, it combines results from biology, computer science, linguistics, mathematics, neuroscience, philosophy and psychology to the study of language processing, perception, action, learning, concept formation, inference and other activities of the mind, with applications for information technology and the study of artificial intelligence.

Penn has a long and prominent tradition in cognitive science. Our program, for research as well as education, has placed a special focus on formal and computational methods, which bring about a certain level of rigor, concreteness, and precision. The College of Arts and Sciences offers the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Cognitive Science, as well as a minor in Cognitive Science. For advising information about either of these programs, please contact the advisors to the College major, Dr. Charles Yang or Dr. Russell Richie. Cognitive Science Advising will be a mixture of in-person and online. Dr. Yang’s advising hours can be found on his website and Dr. Richie’s advising hours can be found on his website.

For general program information, please contact Program Manager Jessica Marcus: jmarcus@upenn.edu.

The cognitive science program works closely with MindCORE, the Mind Center for Outreach, Research, and Education.