Domestic Transfer Credit

For the Cognitive Science major, transfer credit from another domestic institution can only be used to satisfy the calculus requirement and will not count toward your thirty major hours. 

You must make sure you meet the College of Arts and Science's criteria mapped out in their guidelines on the Request for Transfer of Credit Form found here. If you are eligible, you must then check the transfer credit database and determine if the equivalent course you plan to take is listed. If it is, enter the U.Va. equivalent on the form below the host institution information before submitting it to cogsci@virginia.edu for program approval.  If the institution is not in the database, you will need to attach a description of the course, the total number of hours, and a syllabi (if available) before submitting it to the program for approval. Once a decision has been made, the program coordinator will email you the decision and if approved--submit it directly to the College transfer credit evaluator.

Education Abroad Credit

If you are interested in studying abroad, you should begin by reviewing the Education Abroad Getting Started page to learn more about the process.

In general, courses taken abroad will count as Cognitive Science elective credit and will not fulfill area requirements unless the program is designated as “direct credit.” This designation means that classes will transfer into UVA as if they were taken on grounds. COGS majors are limited to two education abroad courses which usually translate into 6-8 hours of transfer credit. Use our five area approved courses on the COGS website (neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and computer science) as subject guidelines for choosing study abroad courses. All study abroad courses are ultimately approved by our Director of Undergraduate studies.

The process for seeking approval for COGS credit is:

1. Indicate what type of program you are planning to apply to and indicate what type of credit the program offers. If they are direct credit—you should list not only the education abroad prefix and number—but also the UVA one. Be sure and check that the UVA equivalent course is approved for COGS. We recommend that students select 3-4 course options for approval since the courses offered may change.
2. Submit the course numbers, titles, descriptions, and syllabi links to cogsci@virginia.edu that you would like to have reviewed.
3. After courses are reviewed and you have been notified of the approvals, email your completed College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad Transfer Credit Approval Form to cogsci@virginia.edu. Once approved, you will be emailed, and the signed form attached so it can be submitted for final approval.

Research Credit

Majors participating in lab research that is sufficiently relevant to Cognitive Science may receive credit towards their 120 credits required for graduation by enrolling in COGS 3960: Cognitive Science Research. This course may be taken any semester. Although participation in research is encouraged for all majors, research course credit does not count toward fulfilling the requirement of 30 credit hours for the major. For research opportunities in related fields, please look at the Research & DMP page.