Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Rice Cognitive Sciences Program?

A. The Rice Cognitive Sciences Program offers a B.A. in cognitive sciences. The program allows Rice undergraduates to pursue an interdisciplinary program of study, drawing upon courses from computer science, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and other fields that address the nature of the mind/brain.

Q. Does Rice have a department of cognitive science?

A. No. The program brings together faculty and courses from a number of traditional departments.

Q. Does the program offer a graduate degree (e.g., a Ph.D.)?

A. No. However, the departments that contribute to the program do offer their own graduate degrees. For more information, contact the relevant department(s) directly.

Q. Who do I contact to receive information about the program?

A. Either the program director or the undergraduate advisor (click here).

Q. What course should I take as an introduction to the cognitive sciences?

A. Because the major is interdisciplinary, there is no single course that introduces the full range of the subject. However, students who are interested in majoring in cognitive sciences should take one or more of the following courses during their first and second years:

Q. What are the requirements for the major?

A. Majors are required to take 5 core courses and 7 additional courses, where 3-4 of the additional courses must be in the same field and constitute an area of concentration in either linguistics, philosophy, psychology, or neuroscience.

Q. Is there a particular order in which I should take the required courses?

A. Apart from the courses that have prerequisites, there is no recommended order. However, in planning which courses to take in a given term, you should bear in mind that most of our courses are offered (at best) once a year and that course conflicts are unavoidable. So don't assume that it is OK to postpone taking a required course on the grounds that you can take it later.

Q. Which neuroscience courses count towards the major?

A. The following neuroscience courses count towards the major:

Note: Many of the neuroscience offerings are graduate-level courses taught at the Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, see the Rice Neuroscience website.

Q. Is it possible for cognitive sciences majors to receive credit for doing research?

A. Yes. You may receive credit for taking CSCI 390 Supervised Research in Cognitive Science). This will require you to locate a faculty supervisor and to complete the research contract prior to starting the course. Majors may apply up to 9 credits of independent research towards the major.

Q. What is the honors program?

A. Students with a 3.5 GPA in cognitive sciences and 3.3 overall may apply to be accepted into the cognitive sciences honors program. Students in the honors program are expected to conduct an independent research project of either one or two semesters under the guidance of a member of the cognitive sciences faculty. Students who wish to enter this program should consult with prospective advisors during their junior year and submit a proposal by the end of the semester proceeding the initiation of the project (typically this means submitting a proposal by the end of the junior year and beginning the project during the fall of the senior year). Proposals will be reviewed by both the supervisor and the program director. Students who undertake a two-semester project will be allowed to continue into the second semester only if their advisor judges that sufficient progress has been made during the first semester. At the end of a project, honors students are expected to submit a detailed final report to both their advisor and the program director and make an oral presentation. For more details, see the program director.

Q. How do the CSCI research courses factor into the "additional courses" requirement of the major?

A. They count towards the area in which the research occurs. For instance, if the course is a project in linguistics and taken under the supervision of a linguistics professor, then it counts as linguistics course.

Q. What kind of paper do I need to write for CSCI 390?

A. The final paper is expected to be a substantial work, though the exact requirement will vary depending on the field of research. (An example: for research in philosophy, a typical paper would be apx. 20-30 pages long.) Students and their advisors should speak to the program director for guidance regarding the requirement.