Cognitive Systems Ulm University

Overview

What are Cognitive Systems?

Cognition involves the processing and analysis of information within a system to control its behavior. Cognition summarizes the combination of perceptual processes, mental processes and (motor-driven) actions that occur unconsciously or consciously. Using the example of humans, such processes can be studied in detail. Our cognitive abilities allow us, for example, to interact with objects and people in our environment and to react flexibly to external influences, to develop creative solutions to problems and to acquire new knowledge. We do this by using different senses, drawing on experiences from similar contexts, and by our ability to learn, reason, and plan actions. Systems that collectively provide such cognitive performance are referred to as cognitive systems. These can be realized in an organism as well as implemented in the form of a technical artifact. We call the latter cognitive technical systems.

What can I do with an MSc degree in Cognitive Systems from Ulm University?

The profile of this course of study qualifies graduates for work in scientific research as well as in industrial areas with career fields where the seamless interaction of humans and technology plays a central role. Cognitive systems are extremely important to information technology in intelligent systems development and to scientific investigations of human-machine interaction with a focus on human capabilities and system’s adaptability to user preferences. Such domains and contexts reach into the automobile industry, medical technology, design and evaluation of intelligent systems components, and to all high-tech fields in general. Other potential career paths include research and development in cognitive ergonomics, multimedia, e-learning, interface design or, for instance, prosthetics. Specific tasks in such fields include the conception and development of hardware and software solutions or the implementation of improvements on the basis of market research or in the context of usability engineering. In all, Cognitive Systems combines several disciplines: cognitive science (the study of minds’ processes), computation (the technology utilized by computers and technology), and intelligent systems development (design and realization of intelligent systems with capabilities of learning, reasoning, and memory).