Cognitive Science Concentration

Director: Dr. Charles L. Folk
Office: 252 Tolentine Hall
Tel. (610) 519-7464
Website: http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/cogsci/index.htm

Cognitive Science is a basic and applied science with the primary goal of explaining intelligent behavior, whether exhibited by humans, animals, or machines. The purpose of the Cognitive Science Program is to offer an interdisciplinary course of study related to intelligent systems emphasizing the perspectives of psychology, computer science, philosophy, and biology. The program offers both a concentration and a minor to students in all of the University’s undergraduate colleges.

Requirements for Concentration: The concentration requires seven courses, a five course proscribed core, and two electives.

Requirements for Minor: The Minor requires Two five courses. Note: Course selections for the minor must include approved courses in three of the following five disciplines: Psychology (PSY), Computer Science (CSC), Philosophy (PHI), Biology (BIO), and Electrical/Computer Engineering (ECE).

Category A:
PHI 4610 Philosophy of Mind
PSY 4500 Cognitive Psychology
CSC 4500 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
or
CSC 4510 Machine Learning

Category B:
CSC 1051 Algorithms and Data Structures I
or
ECE 2620 Algorithms and Data Structures
CGS 5900 Cognitive Science Seminar

Category C:
BIO 3011 Animal Behavior
BIO 4605 Neurobiology
BIO 6409 Senior Thesis (with Cognitive Science Program Approval)
BIO 6509 Directed Research (with Cognitive Science Program approval)
BIO 7921 Sensory Biology
CSC 4170 Theory of Computation
CSC 4380 Information Visualization
CSC 4730 Human-Computer Interaction
CSC 5900
and
CSC 5930 Special Topics (with Cognitive Science Program approval)
CSC 5993 Independent Study (with Cognitive Science Program approval)
ECE 3420 Expert Systems Programming
ECE 5545 Introduction to Neural Networks
HON 6002 Senior Thesis II ( with Cognitive Science Program approval)
PHI 2010 Logic and Critical Thinking
PHI 2990 Topics in Philosophy (with Cognitive Science Program approval)
PHI 2710 Theories of Knowledge
PHI 4200 Philosophy of Language
PHI 4990 Independent Study & Research
(with Cognitive Science Program approval)
PHI 5000 Advanced SEMINAR in philosophy
(with cognitive science program appoval)
PSY 2300 Perception
PSY 2800 Human Factors
PSY 3000 Special Topics (with Cognitive Science Program approval)
PSY 4050 Research Methods
PSY 4200 Physiological Psychology
PSY 5100 Animal Learning and Cognition
PSY 5900 Undergraduate Research
(with Cognitive Science Program approval)

Note: Cognitive Science students who do not have the prerequisites for an approved course should apply through the Cognitive Science Program to have the prerequisites waived. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis by the course instructor or, in some instances, by the Director of the Cognitive Science Program after considering the particular student’s background. In the case of courses that are required by the Cognitive Science Program, it is expected that the prerequisites will be able to be waived for Cognitive Science students. A waiver of prerequisites is also possible in other courses.

See the website address above for more information.