What is the career in the field of cognitive science?



What is cognitive science?



Cognitive science is the study of the mind- its inner workings and complexities. Through different disciplines (including psychology, neuroscience and philosophy) it tries to offer multi-faceted explanations of individual and social behaviour.



How it works?



Cognitive scientists try to understand cognitive processes such as memory, language, human reasoning, creativity. They look at how these processes affect our ability to experience the world around us



This study can be applied towards understanding and developing education tools, better virtual user interfaces, and even artificial intelligence.



What are the job prospects?



The interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science provides students with the opportunity to pursue careers ranging from science to technology to law. Today, cognitive science is playing a crucial role in developing artificial intelligence and machine-learning, Cognitive scientists apply their knowledge of the human mind to develop machines that can mirror human functions.



Some of the other avenues open to students of cognitive science are software development user experience / user interface design game design, data science and data analysis, communications and mobile systems, medical technology and analysis.



Students can also work in other fields that value good writing and analytic thought along with technical and research skills. These include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation law, technical writing, science communication and public engagement, and marketing and consumer behaviour.



What to study



Many universities in India and abroad offer undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses in Cognitive Science.



Where:




  • Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur: Minor in Cognitive Science; Master of Science (M.S.) in Cognitive Science

  • Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad: Master of Science in Cognitive Science

  • Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru: Postgraduate courses in Cognitive Science

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the U.S.: Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Brain and Cognitive Science

  • Yale University, the U.S.: Undergraduate programme in Cognitive Science

  • University of Pennsylvania, the U.S.: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) in Cognitive Neuroscience; Computation and Cognition; and Language and Mind.



 



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