Cognitive science programs focus on the study of the mind. Students in these programs study the ways that people see, think, learn, and remember. These programs are highly interdisciplinary. Students take courses from many areas, including psychology, neuroscience, and computer science.
In cognitive science, cognition is any "mental operation." For example, how does a baby learn to recognize its parents? Is it true that men and women use different methods to navigate through an unfamiliar neighborhood? Can a computer learn to improve its ability to play a game like chess? Does the sense of humor reside in some part of the brain? These are some of the questions that students of cognitive science are investigating.
In cognitive science you branch out to all ways of looking at thinking, learning, and memory. Philosophers used to speculate about cognition by contemplating their own thought processes. But nowadays, when you do research in this field, you use scientific methods. For example, you can use an MRI scan to observe what parts of the brain are active during certain mental tasks or emotional states. You can monitor eye movements to learn how people take in visual cues. You can do complex analysis of spoken words or movements (for example, mouse clicks) to detect patterns.
Math is an important tool in scientific research. Thus, you study statistics so that you can analyze data. You learn how to create a hypothesis and test it with experiments. You also study what research has discovered about how the brain, nerves, and sensory organs work. You may study a foreign language and explore how we use words and syntax to represent our thoughts and perceptions. You may study computer science, both as an aid to research and as a model of cognition.
You can study this subject as an undergraduate. About 10 colleges offer a bachelor's degree in cognitive science. The program usually takes four years of full-time study beyond high school. With this degree you are unlikely to find work in this field, however; even research assistants often have graduate degrees. But the program may prepare you for graduate school or (with the addition of some courses) medical or veterinary school. You may also prepare for grad school in this field by studying another branch of psychology as an undergraduate.
It is significant that there are more doctoral programs than master's programs available in this field. If you want to do research or teach in college, the doctorate is your best preparation. It typically takes about five years beyond high school. Some of that time may be divided between study and other duties, such as assisting in research or in teaching. A master's degree takes about two years beyond the bachelor's.
The major purpose of the doctoral program is to teach you how to do research. So you add to your knowledge of statistics and research design (which you should have studied as an undergraduate). In addition, you do an original research project that results in a dissertation.