Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Major

Goals for the Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Major

The major is designed with two goals in mind:

• Provide students with a broad intellectual grounding in an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the mind. This goal is met by a group of required core courses which introduce students to techniques for studying language and cognition as well as background in the philosophical underpinnings of the cognitive and linguistic sciences
• Supply substantive training in one of the component disciplines (psychology, linguistics, computer science, or philosophy) through course work within a concentration area chosen by the student. The concentration will enable the student to strengthen and deepen their understanding of the mind within a single domain

Student Outcomes

Upon completing the major, students will be able to

• Read and analyze cognitive science literature across disciplines
• Recognize and evaluate important ways in which the mind has been perceived by philosophers, scientists and others over time.
• Solve problems in cognitive and linguistic sciences using formal symbolic systems
• Recognize and describe the different research methodologies of various disciplines
• Apply the research methodologies employed in their concentration discipline

Requirements for the Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Major

Students majoring in cognitive and linguistic sciences must take a minimum of nine units for the major, including four core units, one from each of the categories below, and a minimum of four electives in a concentration. It is recommended, but not required, that the ninth course be in a different concentration. In addition to the courses eligible for the major, which are listed below, NEUR 100 can count as a ninth course in the major. Students may consult the MIT catalog for additional offerings in the major, but students are encouraged to take courses for the major at Wellesley College.

Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Core Requirements

Students must fulfill the following four core requirements:

1. One course in Linguistics: Consult individual concentrations for requirement
2. One course in Formal Systems: Consult individual concentrations for requirement
3. PHIL 215
4. CLSC 300/PSYC 300

Honors in Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences

The only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis and passing an oral examination. To be admitted to the thesis program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100 level; the department may petition on their behalf if their GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. See Academic Distinctions.