Cognitive Scienceat University of California-Los Angeles
Graduates earn $53,962/yr in their first year — about 13.0% above the national Cognitive Science average. Base-case 10-year earnings $670K; scenarios range from $624K to $677K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UCLA
UCLA's Cognitive Science program leverages the university's robust research environment, drawing on strengths in psychology, computer science, and neuroscience. This interdisciplinary foundation provides you with a unique blend of analytical and problem-solving skills, highly valued in today's complex job market. The Los Angeles ecosystem, with its mix of tech, entertainment, and healthcare, offers diverse avenues for graduates, from contributing to user experience design at startups to data analysis roles or advanced research. Your moderate AI risk profile reflects that your expertise lies in understanding, developing, and ethically shaping intelligent systems, rather than performing tasks easily automated. To truly capitalize on this program, actively pursue internships that align with your specific interests, whether in computational modeling, neuroimaging, or human-computer interaction, to build practical experience and professional networks.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UCLA's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Cognitive Science
How UCLA stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UCLA
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UCLA, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Cognitive Science at UCLA
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Cognitive Science at University of California-Los Angeles?
A score of 64/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Cognitive Science field.
What makes University of California-Los Angeles's Cognitive Science program stand out?
Ranked #2 of 19 programs nationally, University of California-Los Angeles lands in the top 25%. The ranking reflects a combination of graduate earnings, return on investment, and job market alignment.