{"id":2662,"date":"2020-11-24T08:53:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T08:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/?p=2662"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:13:50","slug":"what-is-cognitive-science-jobs-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/what-is-cognitive-science-jobs-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Cognitive Science? Jobs &#038; Careers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Cognitive science has become an increasingly popular major to study,<\/strong> <strong>and it isn&#8217;t surprising because the field touches multiple exciting areas such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Big Data<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Interaction design<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neuroscience<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Linguistics<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article answers the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What is Cognitive Science?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What jobs are there for those who have taken a cognitive science major? <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How can you steer your education towards a specific career?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Note!<\/strong> This article is based on my personal experience from studying Cognitive Science for my Bachelor&#8217;s degree at the University of Gothenburg. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The reason why I&#8217;m writing this article is that<\/em> I wish there had been<em> one like this when I started studying. So, I want to provide it for others now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many students want to study Cognitive Science, primarily from a pure point of personal interest in the field. However, that can make it difficult to know how to use the education for a future career. And that&#8217;s where this post comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The topics that will be covered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article is aimed at students or future students of cognitive science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Firstly, I&#8217;ll start with an introduction to cognitive science as a field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Secondly, I&#8217;ll explain what you can do with a degree in CogSci after graduation, and what salary to expect. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lastly, I&#8217;ll give some tips on how you can utilize your education to the fullest. Such as: what can you do to optimize your chances of employment?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll also give some tips on further studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Article structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1. What is cognitive science?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2. What can you work with after graduation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3. Is the salary good?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">4. How can you handle the breadth of the discipline? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">5. What master&#8217;s programs can you do after?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note!<\/em> Different universities have different niches for their CogSci programs depending on the faculty&#8217;s specialty. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Artificial intelligence &amp; data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neuroscience &amp; biology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interaction design &amp; human-computer interaction. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, read carefully about the specific program you&#8217;re thinking of applying to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about how well it fits with your personal interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Cognitive Science?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Cognitive Science is a broad, interdisciplinary field and it takes in knowledge from multiple subjects such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Data science<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Psychology<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Linguistics<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Philosophy<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neuroscience<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anthropology. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In its essence, the field is about investigating the minds of humans and other intelligent animals, as well as intelligent man-made machines. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further, it&#8217;s about understanding how thought, memory, and natural intelligence work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>To give you a clearer picture, here are some topics I studied:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Psychology: <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why do we behave as we do? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does the brain process information (perception, attention, language, memory, and more)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Linguistics: <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Can we think thoughts\/have intelligence without knowing any words or languages?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do children learn a language?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do we teach AI machines how to learn a language?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neuroscience:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How do memory, emotions, and learning work biologically in the brain?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does neuron (our brain cells) activity lead to thoughts? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do we have free will?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Philosophy: <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is consciousness? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can an AI have consciousness? What if they learn to think, &#8220;feel&#8221;, and interact as we do? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do we know that we perceive the world as it is?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data science: <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How can we create smart machines (AI) that have the intelligence we have?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can we recreate our brains in machines?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Some of these fields cross paths and lead to topics such as <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interaction design and human-computer interaction <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human factors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Big data and decision making<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Game design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teaching<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the field is so broad, there are a lot of different niches a student can specialize in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most programs in cognitive science allow for many elective courses so that a student can dive into a specific area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jobs for Cognitive Scientists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After an education in cognitive science, it&#8217;s common to work with things concerning humans and technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Examples of jobs &amp; career paths for cognitive scientists:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interaction Designer &amp; UX\/UI Designer <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Software Testing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Technical Writer\/Technical Communicator<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Artificial Intelligence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Web Developer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Software Developer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Big Data Scientist<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data Analytics <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cognitive Science Salary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The majority of jobs and careers that a degree in cognitive science can lead to pay quite well, since they are often in the IT sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note that salaries vary by country, region, job, and company type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, there isn&#8217;t one single specific salary number. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, you can look up the average salary in your country for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>UX Designers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Software Developers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data Analysts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Technical Writers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tailor your Cognitive Science Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Most importantly, to keep in mind: Cognitive science is a very broad field. This is why it&#8217;s important to tailor your education towards your own interests and the career path you hope to embark on in the future. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, my recommendation is to take advantage of elective courses if your program has them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about what type of work you&#8217;d like to do in the future and act accordingly. Things like these are good to have figured out as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are for example, interested in UX\/UI design, then it&#8217;s a good idea to choose more courses in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interaction design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human-computer interaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graphic design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Front-end development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re interested in, for example, development, then you should choose more courses in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Programming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data Science<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mathematics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s also a good idea to get an internship or a relevant part-time or seasonal job <em>before<\/em> finishing your studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This will increase your chances of employment after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Master&#8217;s Programs for Cognitive Science<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can be a good idea to continue with a master&#8217;s degree after a bachelor&#8217;s in cognitive science in order to develop a niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>So<\/strong>, <strong>here are a few examples of master&#8217;s degrees:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Interaction Design<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chalmers.se\/en\/education\/programmes\/masters-info\/pages\/interaction-design-and-technologies.aspx\">Chalmers University<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human-Computer Interaction<\/strong><strong>(HCI)<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/social\/program\/THCIM\/\">KTH<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Psychology &amp; Neuroscience<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mind-and-brain.de\/master\/tracks-areas-of-specialization\/\">Berlin School of Mind and Brain)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IT-Project Management<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data Science<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Design<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Web development<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: <a href=\"https:\/\/lnu.se\/en\/programme\/social-media-and-web-technologies-master-programme\/vaxjo-international-autumn\/\">Linneaus University<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-dark-gray-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#f3f3f3\">Do you have a question? <br>You can comment down below or contact me through <br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wendy.design\/\">Instagram<\/a> or email: wendyzhou.design@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cognitive science has become an increasingly popular major to study, but what is cognitive science, and what career opportunities are there?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cognitive-science","entry","has-media"],"gutentor_comment":0,"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career.png",1560,960,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career-300x185.png",300,185,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career-768x473.png",768,473,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career-1024x630.png",1024,630,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career-1536x945.png",1536,945,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career.png",1560,960,false],"ocean-thumb-m":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career.png",600,369,false],"ocean-thumb-ml":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career.png",731,450,false],"ocean-thumb-l":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Cognitive-science-Jobs-Salary-and-Career.png",1138,700,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Wendy Zhou","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/author\/wendy1111live-se\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Cognitive science has become an increasingly popular major to study, but what is cognitive science, and what career opportunities are there?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2662"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8782,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions\/8782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}