College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Cognitive Science

15 Ranked Colleges
59 Degrees Awarded
$42,664 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 2,776 people earned their degree in cognitive science, making the major the 172nd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, cognitive science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,216 and had an average of $16,566 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 59 cognitive science graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in cognitive science. That schools that top this list have a program in cognitive science in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Cognitive Science Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Cognitive Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major”.

Top 15 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Cognitive Science

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Troy, New York. It awarded 7 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full RPI Cognitive Science Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized school located in Houghton, Michigan that handed out 5 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Michigan Technological University Cognitive Science Report

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Stanford Cognitive Science Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Dallas. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 masters’s cognitive science degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at The University of Texas at Dallas

5

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Merced landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Merced Cognitive Science Report

6
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #6, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified masters’s cognitive science students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at MIT

7
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s cognitive science students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Johns Hopkins University Cognitive Science Report

8
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

With a ranking of #8, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 2 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Brown

9

With a ranking of #9, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University

10

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 2 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at UCSD

11

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 2 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at University of California - Irvine

12

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at UMN Twin Cities

13
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 32 masters’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Vanderbilt University

13
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Northwestern

13

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Cognitive Science Major ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 140 degrees to qualified masters’s cognitive science students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Cognitive Science Report

Switch to a Similar Major

Interdisciplinary Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Interdisciplinary Studies

Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution

Mathematics & Computer Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Mathematics & Computer Science

Gerontology
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Gerontology

Medieval Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Medieval Studies

Science, Technology & Society
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Science, Technology & Society

Behavioral Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Behavioral Science

Nutrition Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Nutrition Science

Holocaust Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Holocaust Studies

Multicultural & Diversity Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Multicultural & Diversity Studies

Human Biology
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Human Biology

Maritime Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Maritime Studies

Human Computer Interaction
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Human Computer Interaction

Sustainability Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Sustainability Science

Earth Systems Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Earth Systems Science

History and Political Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for History and Political Science

Data Science
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Data Science

Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options