Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science

at State University of New York - Oswego USA

Our interdisciplinary degree integrates concepts and methods from computer science, graphic design and the social sciences. Drawing upon these concepts and methods, you will learn user-centered design approaches as you create information and communication technologies such as websites, mobile apps, computer games and software design.

Choose between two tracks designed to focus solely on HCI influences or a professional track infused with business courses.

To integrate research results from a wide range of disciplines into a more complete understanding of the mind, the programs draw on methods associated with psychology, computer science (artificial intelligence), linguistics, philosophy, anthropology and biology. You’ll start building a solid foundation in the field through two introductory courses that focus on the core values of cognitive science and the seminal ideas associated with contributing disciplines and the brain, mind and consciousness. In addition to learning more about yourself, you will be better equipped for success in our technologically vibrant society.

Enroll in our BA degree program and select a set of three upper-division courses from a broad range of options — including Neural Networks, Cognitive Musicology, Computational Linguistics, Cognitive Neuroscience, Evolutionary Psychology and Artificial Intelligence. Or choose our more tightly focused BS degree program and pursue additional coursework in psychology and computer science. Use your nine-semester-hour learning agreement to explore a particular aspect of the field in depth — and develop your own interest into a wealth of focused knowledge.

State-of-the-art facilities in the Shineman Center include workspaces configured for class-based, small-group and individual activities. Our labs provide a great learning, testing and training ground for future success.

Offered jointly by the Atmospheric and Geological Sciences Department and Chemistry Department, this program covers topics ranging from the chemical makeup of Venus to the search for oil on Earth. Courses cover general, historical and structural geology; mineralogy; petrology; and physical chemistry.

You can perform research with professors around the country, or learn firsthand about field-based research and much more in our Geology Field Program.

Facilities include four full-sized laboratories, a seismograph for recording worldwide earthquakes and a geology computer lab in the Shineman Center.

Our program provides a foundation in the principles of geology and its related sciences with four laboratories, a seismograph and field experiences. A newer track on environmental earth sciences integrates a set of cross-disciplinary environmental science experiences from biological sciences, chemistry, meteorology and physics.

Oswego is ideally located for field studies of Lake Ontario, carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower Paleozoic age, Precambrian rocks of the Adirondacks, Pleistocene glacial features and the pollution of rivers and ground waters. Field trips may include southeastern Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay, Ithaca, Whitaker State Park, and the Catskill Mountains.

You also can perform research with professors around the country, or learn firsthand about field-based research and much more in our Geology Field Program. Build your resume through internships and co-op opportunities, and complete an independent research project under the direction of a faculty adviser. Study geology abroad through through regular coursework or research placements.

The graphic design and digital media program consists of courses in studio, thesis, history, theory and practice. Candidates choose to focus in a specific medium such as the web, interactive or print, or to focus on a specific production type such as promotional, informational or illustrative. The curriculum is structured into two tracks, offering students with an undergraduate degree in a related area of study the opportunity to develop a specialization, and offering students from outside of the discipline the opportunity for general study within design to complement an undergraduate degree.

The program combines interdisciplinary courses from the departments of anthropology, art, economics, English and creative writing, history, music, philosophy, political science and sociology. With guidance from your faculty advisor, the program can be tailored to your interests, and culminates with a senior seminar concentrating on some aspect or period of American life.

Because of the interdisciplinary approach, students can intern in a variety of fields ranging from museums to publishers to government agencies. The city of Oswego’s rich history as a center for trade, commerce and military defense makes SUNY Oswego the perfect place to study this topic. Oswego historic attractions include Fort Ontario, a key installation in early wars; the Safe Haven Museum, commemorating a one-of-its-kind shelter for Jewish and other refugees fleeing Europe during World War II; and connections with the Underground Railroad.

You'll learn about the creation and production of media, the interrelated nature of media industries and the skills necessary to write, produce and distribute media messages. Explore a variety of areas including audio and video production, broadcast journalism, copywriting and media management. Our updated curriculum includes a variety of offerings in integrated media design and social media.

Many hands-on opportunities in front of or behind the camera, in control rooms and on the radio — including with some of the best campus facilities anywhere — make Oswego's broadcasting program a launchpad for countless successful careers.

In addition to campus radio (WNYO) and TV organizations (WTOP), you can seek an internship or co-op opportunity and gain valuable experience, Oswego students have interned at major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, ESPN), regional radio (including on-campus National Public Radio affiliate WRVO) and television stations, state and federal agencies and not-for-profit civic and cultural groups. Our Hollywood POV program takes you to the West Coast media capital to learn about, and connect with alumni working in, major entertainment and news operations. You can also help organize the annual Dr. Lewis B. O'Donnell Media Summit, which brings prominent names in the industry to campus.

Our program is accredited by the American Chemical Society and is ranked in the top three in the number of certified degrees award in New York. Graduates of SUNY Oswego’s chemistry programs have gone on to study at prestigious graduate schools, and have received national recognition as chemists, researchers and educators. Outstanding labs in the Shineman Center, professors who are knowledgeable yet student-focused, active student organizations and internships at home and overseas provide a first-class chemistry experience.

Join the student affiliate of the American Chemical Society, which offers free tutoring and other services, and has often been cited as one of the most outstanding in the country. Excel and you may qualify for the chemistry honors program, which emphasizes independent study and research, or even the national honor societies Sigma Xi and Phi Kappa Phi. You can present your work at Sigma Xi and other conferences. A large network of internships and co-op opportunities are among the ingredients for future success.

Facilities and equipment in the Shineman Center include a scanning electron microscope, 300 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, scintillation counter, analytical chromatographs, preparative gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and many computing facilities.

Faculty expertise ranges across all aspects of computing, including security, databases, concurrency, parallelism, distribution, networking, enterprise systems, simulation, cognitive science, user-interface design, artificial intelligence, embedded systems and robotics.

Join the Computer Science Association, which sponsors guest speakers, conducts programming contests, arranges tours of companies that hire graduates and provides opportunities for advanced students to tutor and mentor first-year students. Pursue an internship in a company or institution, and gain software development experience in finance, defense, manufacturing, government or other fields.

State-of-the-art facilities in the Shineman Center include workspaces configured for class-based, small-group and individual activities. Our labs provide a great learning, testing and training ground for future success.

Your examination of public communication will include the study of public speaking and the principles of persuasion, argumentation and rhetoric. You’ll actively participate in class discussions on topics such as the ways individuals differ in their communication of gender and culture. 

Students apply practical outcomes of their education through a service learning requirement that is part of their degree program. We strongly encourage internships, co-ops, independent studies and other opportunities to apply your campus learning experiences. If you excel, you may be eligible to join the department’s honor society, Lambda Pi Eta.

Student media The Oswegonian, WTOP-TV and WNYO-FM, as well as on-campus National Public Radio affiliate WRVO, provide opportunities to put your communication skills into action through performance, promotion and running social media accounts.