Domestic Transfer Credit

The only requirement that can be satisfied with transfer credit from another domestic institution is the calculus requirement. Cognitive Science students must take 30 credits at UVA (the only exception being study abroad, see below) meaning that calculus transfer credit will not contribute credits towards the 30. Students using transfer credit for calculus must take an additional elective at UVA to reach 30 credits. 

In order to use transfer credit to satisfy the calculus requirement:

1. You must make sure you are eligible to take transfer credits according to the College of Arts and Science's criteria.
2. If you are eligible, you must then check the transfer credit database and determine if the course you plan to take has been assigned a UVA equivalent. In order to be eligible, it must be equivalent to a UVA course that can satisfy the calculus requirement (i.e. MATH 1220 or higher)
   1. If the institution or course is not in the database, please obtain a syllabus and send it to cogsci@virginia.edu for evaluation.
3. If the course has an acceptable UVA equivalent, complete the College's Transfer of Credit, Major DocuSign form (if you are already a Cognitive Science major) or Transfer of Credit, Elective form (if you have not yet declared Cognitive Science). Follow the instructions on the College website to complete the form.

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.