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The Founding College of the University of Toronto
Plastic Skull & Brain

Cognitive Science

“Learn to question what you think…”
Jesse Berlin, Cognitive Science Alumnus

Our program seeks an understanding of perception, language, reasoning and consciousness by drawing on work in computer science, linguistics, human biology, philosophy and psychology.

Outside all the boxes

Our students are encouraged to excel in the field’s sub-disciplines, but are also rewarded for thinking outside of these disciplinary boxes to synthesize their learning and enrich their understanding. As alumnus Jesse Berlin observed, “Cognitive Science is about the hard problems of tomorrow and today. It's where you learn to question not only what you think and how you think, but also what thinking is. It's utterly fascinating."

Overhead view of several students with laptops

Diverse Curriculum

In addition to dedicated Cognitive Science courses, our curriculum comprises a blend of mind-related courses in Computer Science, Human Biology, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology.

Several microscopes on a black table

Flexible Programs

Cog Sci is offered as either an arts or science major, each with a choice of streams tailored to your intellectual and career interests. Arts streams include Perception and Attention, Language and Cognition or Thinking and Reasoning; Science streams include Computational Cognition or Cognition and the Brain.

Aerial view of students wearing graduation caps

An Expanding Field

The Cognitive Science program is fast-growing -- enrolment is up 76 per cent since 2009! We strive to enhance scholarship and travel opportunities for students and to foster outreach programming such as our biennial undergraduate conference, “Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Mind.”

News

Faculty
Announcements
Cognitive Science
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Can Mekik has joined UC's Cognitive Science program.
Headshot of Can Mekik
Faculty
Cognitive Science
UC professor Yang Xu and a team of researchers are using computer science to explore the knowledge foundation of word meaning in child language development and the evolution of word meanings across languages.
Headshot of Yang Xu

Student Initiatives

Robot with Human face and exposed Components in skull

All of our students are entitled to membership with CASA (Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence Students’ Association). CASA aims to bring together anyone in the U of T community interested in the study of the mind.

Robot hands playing piano

The University of Toronto Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Mind (UTism) is a biennial conference offered by CASA to explore an array of topics in cognitive science and related disciplines.