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2024 Best Cognitive Science Schools in California

10 Colleges in California
1,765 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded
Cognitive Science is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #238 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for cognitive science students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,765 degrees in cognitive science to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Cognitive Science School

Best Cognitive Science Schools in California The cognitive science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Cognitive Science rankings. For our Best Overall Cognitive Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Cognitive Science Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Cognitive Science
Master's Degrees in Cognitive Science
Doctor's Degrees in Cognitive Science

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Cognitive Science Schools in California list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Cognitive Science in California

The schools below may not offer all types of cognitive science degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Cognitive Science

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
77 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

Stanford University is a great option for students interested in a degree in cognitive science. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 77 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from Stanford University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
265 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in cognitive science. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 265 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
708 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

University of California - San Diego is a great choice for students interested in a degree in cognitive science. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 708 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - San Diego

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
208 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

University of California - Los Angeles is a good decision for students interested in a degree in cognitive science. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 208 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Los Angeles

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
60 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 60 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of Southern California

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
184 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. This university ranks 13th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 184 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Davis

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
26.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 23 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Irvine

8
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Oxy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 25th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 14 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Oxy in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from Occidental College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
140 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 19th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 140 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Santa Cruz

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
67 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded

UC Merced is a moderately-sized public university located in the rural area of Merced. This university ranks 55th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 67 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Merced in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Merced

Best Cognitive Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Cognitive Science Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Oregon 587 10

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One of 2 majors within the Cognitive Science area of study, Cognitive Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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