What Research, Internship, and Graduate Study Resources Does UC Berkeley Cognitive Science Offer?

UC Berkeley Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary program that draws on psychology, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and anthropology to study how the mind works. For students asking what support exists beyond coursework, the program's site points to four concrete areas: research resources and affiliated labs, ways to earn credit for research or internships, a summer internship grant and summer minor, and career/graduate-school preparation pages. The sections below cover each, based on the program's own navigation and descriptions.

Research Resources and Labs

The program maintains a Research Resources section and a separate Research Centers and Labs page. These are the entry points for students looking to find faculty-led projects or labs connected to cognitive science.

Because the program draws on over forty affiliated faculty from a variety of departments, research opportunities are distributed across those departments rather than housed in a single lab. The CogSci Affiliated Faculty directory is the practical starting point: identify faculty whose work matches your interests, then use the Research Centers and Labs page to see the organized research groups.

Earning Credit for Research and Internships

The undergraduate navigation includes two dedicated pages:

• Receiving Credit for Research
• Receiving Credit for Internships

These pages exist because the program allows students to convert research or internship work into academic credit, rather than treating it as purely extracurricular. If you are planning either, check these pages before committing, since the requirements and approval process are specific to the program.

Summer Internship Grant and Summer Minor

Two summer-specific opportunities appear in the program's navigation:

• Cogsci Summer Internship Grant — listed under Career, Research, & Graduate Study, this is a funding opportunity tied to summer internships.
• Summer Minor: Cognitive Science and the Future of Tech — a summer minor option, also highlighted on the homepage as one of the program's three main offerings alongside the undergraduate major and graduate designated emphasis.

If you want to combine internship experience with funding, the grant page is the place to start; if you want a shorter, tech-focused credential, the summer minor is the alternative.

Career Exploration and Graduate School Preparation

Under Career, Research, & Graduate Study, the program provides:

• Career Exploration
• Research Resources
• Preparing for Graduate School

For students considering a PhD or master's, the Graduate Designated Emphasis (DE) is the program's graduate-level offering. Its own navigation covers How to Apply to the DE, Curriculum, Graduate Group (Faculty), Program Policies, and Graduate DE Advising — so prospective graduate students can move from eligibility and application through curriculum and advising without leaving the site.

Quick Reference

What to Check Before You Commit

The site lists these resources but does not publish eligibility rules, deadlines, or award amounts on the pages summarized here. Before applying for the summer internship grant, declaring the summer minor, or petitioning for research/internship credit, open the specific page for that program and confirm current requirements and dates. For advising questions, the program lists Advising and Graduate DE Advising as separate contact paths depending on whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student.