Cognitive Science (Major) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

Bachelor of Arts major in cognitive science, the study of the mind and its processes including consciousness, language, learning, information processing and decision making, drawing on linguistics, psychology, computing science and philosophy.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Department: Cognitive Science | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

Core lower division: Exploring the Mind, Foundations in Cognitive Science, Introduction to Linguistics, Knowledge and Reality, Introduction to Psychology, and Discrete Mathematics I, plus courses from three of five disciplines (linguistics, psychology, computing science, philosophy, neuroscience/mathematics). Upper division options include Consciousness, Formal Methods, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics and Philosophy of Machine Learning. Requires at least 33 upper division units and 45 upper division units for the BA overall.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

This course provides a basic integrative overview of how cognitive science aspires to integrate the empirical findings, theories, and methods of psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computing science and philosophy. Prerequisite: Open to all students. Students with credit for COGS 200 may not take COGS 100 for further credit. Breadth-Humanities/Sciences. Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Tue, 1:30–2:20 p.m. Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m. Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html

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