MA Cognitive Science (Humanities)

UCAS code: C851

Duration: 4 years

Delivery: Full-time

School: Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Study abroad

Introducing MA Cognitive Science (Humanities)

Philosophers and scientists have speculated about the nature of the human mind and how language affects it.

Recent developments, across fields such as robotics, brain imaging and speech technology, offer new ways to understand our inner workings.

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary attempt to understand the human mind. It focuses on abilities such as:

reasoning
perception
memory
awareness
emotion
attention
judgement
motor control
language use

Cognitive science brings together and forms connections between these abilities, through methods such as:

computer modelling
linguistic analysis
philosophical reasoning
robotics
neuroimaging
psychological experiments

It brings together scholars from:

linguistics
psychology
philosophy
neuroscience
computer science

Cognitive Science at the University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh played a key role in founding this discipline, by forming connections between the disciplines that contribute to the study of human cognition.

You will learn from researchers who both laid the foundations, and are still making key advances in the field. The programme content is regularly reviewed to make sure you learn about current developments.

Our Cognitive Science (Humanities) programme offers an opportunity to complete a selection of basic courses covering material in:

linguistics
philosophy
psychology
computer science

Our goal is to help you come to a broad understanding of issues, such as the:

relationship between language and thought
relationship between mind and brain
philosophical implications of our ability to look inside the brain and to model its activities in computers and robots

What you will study

Year 1

Two cognitive science courses

You will take at least one general cognitive science course that gives you an overview of:

perception
memory
motor control
language
reasoning

You will also explore methods that include experimental, neural and computational approaches.

Courses will cover logic to help understand the role of reasoning and deduction in the mind.

You will also cover the structure of language to help understand its complexity.

Overall, you will get a background in philosophy including topics such as its history and central concepts of morality and value.

Extra course

Lastly, you will choose another course from across the interconnected disciplines of:

psychology
philosophy
linguistics
informatics

(Revised 12 November 2024 to clarify the number of cognitive science courses taken)

Year 2

You will choose more specific courses in the sub-disciplines such as:

Reasoning and Agents (Informatics)
Knowledge and Reality (Philosophy)
Cross-linguistic Variation: Limits and Theories (Linguistics)

You will also take Year 2 courses from Psychology and Language Sciences.

(Revised 12 November 2024 to remove 'Processing Formal and Natural Languages' from the Year 2 course list and to add a linguistics course)

Year 3

Students meeting the necessary prerequisites can choose from Informatics topics including:

language processing
neural computation
robotics and vision
computational modelling

You can also choose linguistics courses including:

language evolution
language acquisition
speech processing

You have the option of philosophy courses such as:

ontology of mind
theories of mind
theories of truth
ethics

You can also choose psychology courses such as:

memory and perception
attention
development

(Revised 17 September 2024 to revise informatics course topics) (Revised 12 November 2024 to add a note that prerequisites must be met)

Year 4

You will continue to choose from a variety of more advanced courses, as in Year 3.

You will also complete an individual research project.

Programme structure

Find out more about the compulsory and optional courses in this degree programme.

To give you an idea of what you will study on this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme structure (2024/25)

Where you will study

Our facilities

You will be taught in the University's Central Area.

In our Psychology and Linguistics departments, you will have full access to the:

libraries
computer facilities
specialised laboratories

You will also have access to other facilities available across our campuses.

Take a virtual tour

You can take a closer look at the University’s Central Area and explore our facilities on the Virtual Visit site.

Take a virtual tour of the Central Area

Study abroad

Opportunities to study abroad are available in this subject area.

What are my options for going abroad?

Learning and assessment

How will I learn?

Courses are taught through a combination of:

lectures
tutorials
laboratory classes
small-group project work

In Year 4, you will complete individual project work.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed by exams and coursework.

Career opportunities

Cognitive science graduates have excellent employment prospects in fields that will shape our society such as:

economics
entertainment
technology
mobile systems
manufacturing and health

Graduates also have the skills needed for humanities-related areas, such as:

the civil service
marketing and communications
management
finance
journalism
social work
teaching

Entry requirements

Standard entry requirement

The standard entry requirement is:

SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S5 or AABB/ABBBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
A Levels: AAB. (Revised 18/04/2024 to lower entry requirements from AAA.)
IB: 36 points with 665 at HL. (Revised 18/04/2024 to lower entry requirements from 37 (666).)

Minimum entry requirement

The minimum entry requirement for widening access applicants is:

SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
A Levels: ABB.
IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.

More information for widening access applicants

Required subjects

The grades used to meet our entry requirements must include:

SQA: Highers: one from Biology or Human Biology, Chemistry, Computing Science or equivalent, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology at B. Higher Applications of Mathematics is not accepted in place of Higher Mathematics. National 5s: English at C. Mathematics at A or Mathematics and Physics both at B or Higher Mathematics at C.
A Levels: one from Biology or Human Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science or equivalent, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology at B. GCSEs: English at C or 4 and Mathematics at A or 7, or Mathematics and Physics both at B or 6, or Mathematics, Science plus Additional Science (or science double award) at BB or 66.
IB: HL: one of Biology or Human Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science or equivalent, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology at 5. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics at 6 (if not at HL).

Find out more about entry requirements

International applicants

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.

Entry requirements by country

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international student and your school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to the University you may be eligible for admission to this degree programme through our International Foundation Programme.

International Foundation Programme

Mature applicants

We welcome applications from mature students and accept a range of qualifications.

Mature applicant qualifications

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

SQA, GCSE and IB

For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher:

SQA National 5 at C
GCSE at C or 4
Level 2 Certificate at C
IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component.We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 54 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 5 in each component.*

We also accept a wider range of international qualifications and tests.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the degree you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Oxford ELLT, or Trinity ISE test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.

English language requirements

(*Revised 24 May 2024 to change PTE Academic requirement from total 62 with at least 54 in each component, and to clarify that we do not accept PTE Academic online. Revised 29 August 2024 to add Oxford ELLT requirements.)