What Courses and Enrollment Policies Does UC Berkeley Cognitive Science Offer?

Updated

UC Berkeley Cognitive Science (cogsci.berkeley.edu) publishes its course offerings and enrollment rules through two main course pages — Cog Sci Courses by Term and a Comprehensive Course List — plus a set of enrollment policies, an elective petition form, and sample program plans. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing on psychology, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and anthropology, and it offers an undergraduate major, a graduate designated emphasis, and a summer minor. The sections below cover what each course and policy resource is for, and how to use them.

Course Listings: Two Ways to Find Classes

The program separates "what's offered now" from "what exists in the catalog," so you use a different page depending on your question.

Resource Use it when you want to What it gives you
Cog Sci Courses by Term See which Cog Sci courses are running in a specific semester A term-by-term schedule view
Comprehensive Course List See the full set of courses associated with the program A single consolidated list across terms

If you are planning a specific semester, start with Courses by Term. If you are mapping out the major over multiple years or checking whether a course counts, use the Comprehensive Course List.

Enrollment Policies and the Elective Petition

The program maintains a dedicated CogSci Enrollment Policies page. This is where you check the rules that govern getting into Cog Sci courses — for example, enrollment restrictions, priority, or procedures that differ from standard campus registration.

If a course you want to count toward the major is not automatically on the approved list, the program provides an Elective Petition Form. You submit this to request that a course be accepted as an elective. In practice, this means:

  1. Confirm the course is not already covered by the Comprehensive Course List.
  2. Complete the Elective Petition Form.
  3. Submit it for review according to the instructions on the form.

The petition is the mechanism for handling courses that sit outside the standard offering but are still relevant to your program.

Planning Your Path: Sample Program Plans

The site publishes Sample Program Plans. These are templates showing how a Cog Sci course sequence can be laid out over time. They are useful as a starting structure rather than a fixed requirement — you can compare your own progress against them and adjust for your situation.

Related planning resources on the site include:

  • Major Map — a visual overview of the major's structure.
  • Study Abroad — how overseas coursework fits in.
  • Receiving Credit for Research and Receiving Credit for Internships — how to get academic credit for research or internship work.
  • Enrolling in Community College Courses — rules for taking classes elsewhere and transferring them in.

Beyond the Major: Other Course-Related Programs

The same course and enrollment framework supports the program's other offerings:

  • Undergraduate Major in Cognitive Science — the main degree path, with its own degree requirements and declaration process.
  • Graduate Designated Emphasis — a graduate-level credential with its own curriculum, application process, and program policies.
  • Summer Minor: Cognitive Science and the Future of Tech — a summer option combining Cog Sci with technology topics.

Each of these has its own requirements page, so check the one matching your status before assuming a course or policy applies to you.

Where to Start

  • To see current classes: Cog Sci Courses by Term.
  • To see everything offered: Comprehensive Course List.
  • To understand the rules: CogSci Enrollment Policies.
  • To get a non-listed course approved: Elective Petition Form.
  • To plan a sequence: Sample Program Plans.

The program office is at 101 Stephens Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-2306, and advising services are listed separately for undergraduate and graduate students.