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Getting started in Cognitive Science: Fall 2024 Entering Frosh

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Students are admitted to UCSC with a "proposed major" in most cases, and later petition to officially declare the major. Admission to UCSC does not guarantee acceptance into a particular major. Students must be declared in a major by the end of the second year (or equivalent), so learning about and preparing for a major is a primary goal for first-year students.

Importance of an early start:

This is a course-intensive and/or sequential program, and students who intend to pursue this major must begin taking classes for the major in their first year at UCSC. Students interested in pursuing the cognitive science major should complete PSYC 20, the statistics requirement, the calculus mathematics requirement, and the computer programming requirement. These classes should be taken for a letter grade. 

Qualification requirements and/or prerequisites for the major:

Review Major Qualification Requirements in the General Catalog.

Frosh who intend to pursue this major should do the following things prior to the beginning of fall term...

Complete the Math Preparation and placement process. You can review your math skills for free to prepare you for placement or your next course. It takes up to three business days for ALEKS PPL placement to be posted in your student record. Completing the assessment by August 5 will ensure your placement is posted before enrollment begins for fall.

...and should take these courses their first term:

Prerequisites for Calculus if not met through Math Placement or AP/IB Exam scores.

Special enrollment procedures:

Enroll in classes during your online enrollment appointment time.

Sample Academic Plan:

Review our sample plan on the Psychology Department website or the Sample Academic Plan in the General Catalog.

Other Information:
  • Students who are not prepared to begin calculus should take preparatory courses offered by the mathematics and applied mathematics and statistics departments, including precalculus.
  • It is recommended to complete the calculus requirement in your first year since this is required to declare the major, and may be used as a prerequisite for PSYC 2, PSYC 10 and PSYC 100.
  • PSYC 10 is recommended in order to take upper division Psychology courses in the Developmental subfield (PSYC 101-119A-Z).
  • Students considering Cognitive Science as a major should consult with a major advisor or peer advisor as early as possible.

Links to Review:

Program Description (Catalog)

Department Website

Psychology Advising

Advisor Contact Information:

Psychology Undergraduate Advising Team

psyadv@ucsc.edu

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