Cognitive Science Degree
19 schools compared · Average earnings $47,911/yr
Schools Offering
19
Avg Grad Earnings
$47,911/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
48/100
AI Automation Risk
Moderate
33% task exposure
Best Schools for Cognitive Science
Top 19 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA |
74 72–75 |
$64,559/yr | Moderate | 15.9x |
| 2 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA |
70 69–70 |
$53,962/yr | Moderate | 13.2x |
| 3 | Stanford University Stanford, CA |
65 64–65 |
$105,695/yr | Moderate | 3.2x |
| 4 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA |
64 62–64 |
$84,314/yr | Moderate | 3.1x |
| 5 | University of Georgia Athens, GA |
64 62–65 |
$41,362/yr | Moderate | 12.8x |
| 6 | Tufts University Medford, MA |
61 60–60 |
$75,672/yr | Moderate | 1.8x |
| 7 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA |
61 56–66 |
$39,839/yr | Moderate | 12.9x |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI |
58 59–58 |
$44,698/yr | Moderate | 5.5x |
| 9 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA |
58 59–57 |
$42,342/yr | Moderate | 5.9x |
| 10 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA |
57 52–62 |
$35,384/yr | Moderate | 12.1x |
| 11 | Rice University Houston, TX |
53 51–54 |
$47,459/yr | Moderate | 2.1x |
| 12 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ |
53 53–53 |
$38,132/yr | Moderate | 4.5x |
| 13 | University of California-Merced Merced, CA |
51 49–54 |
$32,419/yr | Moderate | 9.1x |
| 14 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD |
48 47–49 |
$42,602/yr | Moderate | 0.7x |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN |
45 44–46 |
$38,752/yr | Moderate | 0.5x |
| 16 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA |
45 41–50 |
$27,628/yr | Moderate | 7.2x |
| 17 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA |
42 40–43 |
$34,295/yr | Moderate | 0.3x |
| 18 | Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO |
39 37–40 |
$30,996/yr | Moderate | 0.2x |
| 19 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH |
38 36–39 |
$30,198/yr | Moderate | 0.2x |
Highest Earning Cognitive Science Programs
Schools where Cognitive Science graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | $105,695/yr | 65 | Moderate |
| University of Pennsylvania | $84,314/yr | 64 | Moderate |
| Tufts University | $75,672/yr | 61 | Moderate |
| University of California-Berkeley | $64,559/yr | 74 | Moderate |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $53,962/yr | 70 | Moderate |
| Rice University | $47,459/yr | 53 | Moderate |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $44,698/yr | 58 | Moderate |
| Johns Hopkins University | $42,602/yr | 48 | Moderate |
| University of California-Davis | $42,342/yr | 58 | Moderate |
| University of Georgia | $41,362/yr | 64 | Moderate |
Best ROI for Cognitive Science
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Cognitive Science.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | 15.9x | $64,559/yr | 74 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 13.2x | $53,962/yr | 70 |
| University of California-San Diego | 12.9x | $39,839/yr | 61 |
| University of Georgia | 12.8x | $41,362/yr | 64 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz | 12.1x | $35,384/yr | 57 |
| University of California-Merced | 9.1x | $32,419/yr | 51 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | 7.2x | $27,628/yr | 45 |
| University of California-Davis | 5.9x | $42,342/yr | 58 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 5.5x | $44,698/yr | 58 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 4.5x | $38,132/yr | 53 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Cognitive Science graduates earn?
Across 19 schools, Cognitive Science graduates earn an average of $47,911 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $27,628 to $105,695 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Cognitive Science?
Cognitive Science is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 33% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Cognitive Science program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of California-Berkeley ranks #1 for Cognitive Science with a score of 74/100 and graduate earnings of $64,559/yr.
Is a Cognitive Science degree worth it?
On average, Cognitive Science graduates earn 5.9x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.
About This Data
This page aggregates Cognitive Science programs across 19 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.