The Cognitive Science minor is designed to introduce students to cognitive science topics as addressed in several different disciplines, such as biology, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology, while allowing them to pursue a more in-depth study of cognitive science topics within specific areas of their own choice.

The minor consists of two parts. In the first part, students complete background courses and satisfy a computer programming experience requirement. In the second part, they select courses from three clusters of upper-division courses that have been organized to reflect different aspects of cognitive science. Students take five courses from three clusters, with no more than three courses from any one cluster.