Grad school ยท Interdisciplinary studies
Cognitive Science graduate programs: earnings and debt by school
15 colleges award master's degrees in cognitive science.
Official field: Cognitive Science. Admission figures such as LSAT, MCAT or GRE scores are not part of this federal data, so check each school.
| Degree level | Programs | Typical earnings 1 yr after | Typical median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master's | 15 | n/a | n/a |
| Doctoral | 16 | n/a | n/a |
Is it worth it? Debt vs first-year pay
Each dot is one master's program. Dots above the dashed line have graduates earning more in their first year than the program's median debt.
Master's programs in cognitive science
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | 24 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Stanford UniversityStanford, CA | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-IrvineIrvine, CA | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-MercedMerced, CA | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Doctoral programs in cognitive science
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Tufts UniversityMedford, MA | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-IrvineIrvine, CA | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-MercedMerced, CA | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Undergraduate: Cognitive Science major
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study file, data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. One-year figures: graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Four-year figures: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. More on the data.