Cognitive systems explores how intelligent systems (eg. human beings and autonomous robots) perceive, act upon and learn about their world. It sits at the intersection of computer science, linguistics, philosophy and psychology. It is the study of the systems that enable people to think, of the systems that can help and hinder our thinking, and of the artificial systems in which something like cognition is accomplished. UBC's COGS program provides students with a thorough grounding in the principles and techniques used by intelligent systems (both natural and artificial) to interact with the world around them. Strong, multidisciplinary foundations established through the COGS program provides our students with a unique, multifaceted perspective and prepares our graduates to think flexibly. People with backgrounds in cognitive systems design intelligent computer systems (for example, medical diagnosis systems), or may become psychiatrists or researchers in cognitive neuroscience. The field is useful to researchers who want to know how people take in and interpret information and communicate with language. All students in the COGS programme have a hands-on experience of research.

Program details

Cognitive Systems offers five degrees (or streams) – three offered by the Faculty of Arts and two offered by the Faculty of Science. All courses in the COGS streams are largely composed from those in Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. For students in the BSc Cognition and Brain stream, they should apply through the coordinated admissions process through the Faculty of Science. Students interested in the BSc Computational Intelligence and Design Stream should talk to the advisors in Computer Science.

Skills

Over the course of a four-year degree, this program could help you build the following skills: