BSc (Hons) Cognitive Science (Including Placement Year)

What mental processes happen in the brain when making a decision? What changes in the brain correspond with changes in behaviour? How does the brain work? By studying cognitive science, you will not only understand how we think, feel and act, but why.

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of the mind and its processes. Studying the mental and computational abilities that make up the human mind, you will learn how nervous systems represent, process and transform information. Combining a range of modules from psychology, mathematical sciences, computer science, linguistics and philosophy, it is the study of perceptions, language, memory, attention, reasoning and emotion.

On our BSc Cognitive Science degree you experiment, explore and research why we think, feel and act the way we do. You cover core areas of psychology, mathematics and computer science including:

• Critical reasoning and logical argument
• Linear mathematics
• Understanding data in linguistics
• Memory attention and language
• Statistics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Knowledge and Reality

Our Department of Psychology provides one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying the human mind in the UK. You have the freedom and the facilities to study, experiment, explore and research why we think, feel and act the way we do. We’re committed to giving you the best access to state-of-the-art equipment, in our purpose built psychology facilities with dedicated labs, suites and classrooms.

Placement year

You can also undertake a placement year in which you gain relevant work experience within an external business, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre.

Your future

The discipline of psychology is increasingly requiring coding and analytical skills, as using big data, web scraping and corpus studies is featuring in modern day research. Cognitive Science will give you the skills required for a broad range of careers, from the IT industry, data science, data journalism, to trades and professions that rely on computing systems such as the media, communications, finance, energy and medicine.

Some of our recent psychology graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies, including:

• East of England Strategic Health Authority
• The Crown Prosecution Service
• M&G Investments
• NHS Investments
• NHS Suffolk
• Accenture
• The BBC