Health Professions - CGS

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Health Professions

Cognitive Science Career Pathways

What are Health Professions?

Health professions include a wide range of careers that focus on improving human health. They study, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness, injury, and physical or mental impairments. Health professions also include non-patient-facing and non-clinical roles—such as hospital administration, health policy, research, informatics, and program management—that support, improve, and coordinate healthcare systems.

Cognitive Science in Practice

Cognitive science plays an important role across health professions by helping explain how people perceive, think, make decisions, and respond to health information and care environments. In patient-facing care, cognitive science informs how providers communicate, build trust, support behavior change, and understand cognitive and emotional factors that affect health outcomes. In non-clinical health roles, it contributes to areas such as health administration, public health, health informatics, and patient experience design by improving how systems are structured, how information is communicated, and how care is delivered.

Health Professions for Cognitive Science Majors

Explore sub-fields of health professions that are fit for cognitive science majors. Click on the hyperlinked sample job posts to see real job postings that detail the position's responsibilities and qualifications. 

  • Medical and Nursing Professions
  • About Medical and Nursing Professions
    Medical and nursing professions involve direct, patient-facing work focused on diagnosing, treating, and managing health conditions. These roles require clinical training and often licensure, and they center on hands-on care, assessment, and treatment planning.

    Sample Job Posts
    • Audiologist
    • Physical Therapist
    • Nurse Practitioner

    Other Sample Job Titles
    Physician, Physician Assistant, Registered Nurse, Dentist, Pharmacist, Occupational Therapist, Registered Dietician, Speech Language Pathologist, Optometrist, Genetic Counselor
  • Allied Health

  • About Allied Health
    Allied health professions support diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation through specialized technical, therapeutic, or supportive services. These roles often work closely with clinical providers and play a critical role in care delivery and patient outcomes.

    Sample Job Posts
    • MRI Technician
    • Histotechnologist
    • Respiratory Care Therapist

    Other Sample Job Titles
    Pharmacy Technician, Dental Hygienist, Phlebotomist, Medical Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, Sonographer, Radiology Technician, Optician, Cytologist, Perfusionist, Pathologist Assistant, Medical Lab Technician

  • Health Administration, Informatics, and Management
  • About Health Administration, Informatics, and Management 
    These professions focus on the organization, coordination, and improvement of healthcare systems rather than direct patient care. Roles in this sub-field ensure healthcare services are accessible, efficient, ethical, and data-informed.

    Sample Job Posts
    • Staffing Coordinator
    • Provider Relations Specialist
    • Health Services Coordinator

    Other Sample Job Titles
    Scheduler, Patient Representative, Patient Health Benefits Coordinator, Referral Specialist, Health Information Manager, Patient Coder

How to Prepare for a Career in Health

Do your Research

The steps you take to prepare for a career in health depend on what kind of position you want to pursue. For an overview on how to conduct research on your professions of interest, look at our Work Research section on the right. Here are some other starting points:

 

Supplement Your Bachelor's Degree

Consider the following course, double major, minor, and experiential recommendations during your academic journey

  • Cognitive Science Major Course Recommendations
  • Group A: Cognitive Science Topical
    PSC 100 — Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
    PSC 130 — Human Learning & Memory (also Group F)
    PSC 131 — Perception (also Group F)
    PSC 132 — Language & Cognition (also Group F)
    PSC 133 — Neuroeconomics/Reinforcement Learning & Decision Making (also Group C)
    PSC 135 — Cognitive Neuroscience (also Group C, F)
    PSC 145 — Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (also Group C)
    NPB 133 — Genes & The Brain
    NPB 173 — Neurobiology of Brain Disorders (also Group C)
    PHI 104 — Evolution of Mind (also Group D)

    Group C: Neuroscience
    PSC 101 — Intro to Biological Psychology (also Group F)
    PSC 121 — Physiological Psychology (also Group F)
    PSC 123 — Hormones & Behavior
    PSC 124 — Comparative Neuroanatomy (also Group F, G)
    NPB 100 — Neurobiology
    NPB 110B — Foundation 2: Neurobiology
    NPB 143 — Neurobiology & Pathophysiology of Mental Illness
    NPB 161— Development Neurobiology
    NPB 162 — Neural Mechanisms of Behavior
    NPB 165 — Neurobiology of Speech Perception
    NPB 168 — Neurobiology of Addictive Drugs

    Group F: Psychology
    PSC 113 — Developmental Psychobiology (also Group G)
    PSC 140 — Developmental Psychology
    PSC 141 — Cognitive Development

    Group G: Breadth (CGS AB)
    HDE 100C — Adult & Aging
    HDE 163 — Cognitive Neuropsychology in Adulthood & Aging
    PSC 148 — Developmental Disorders

    Pre-Health Prerequisites
    Please meet with a Health Professions Advisor to identify coursework required for your chosen profession. The subjects typically consist of biology/biological sciences, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology.
  • Double Major Recommendations
  • There is no "ideal" major that will prepare you for a career in the health professions. Students can choose any major and apply for medical school, as long as they meet the pre-requisites for the health professional school they apply to. That being said, the following majors are common choices among students interested in health professions:

    Biological Sciences
    Human Biology
    Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
    Philosophy Pre-Med Emphasis
    Psychology BS Bio
    Science & Technology Studies
  • Minor Recommendations
  • Global Disease Biology
    Medical Humanities
    Neuroscience
    Psychology
    Public Health Sciences
  • Work Experience and Internship Recommendations
  • It is highly recommended that all undergraduate students engage in part-time work, internships, volunteering, and other extracurricular opportunities. ANY experience is RELEVANT experience.

    General Experiential Education Recommendations for Cognitive Science Students

    Health Professions Specific Recommendations
    • Check out Health Related Experiences through the Career Center
    • Volunteer for the C.O.N.N.E.C.T.E.D. clinic
    • Join a student-run clinic through the UC Davis School of Medicine
    • Volunteer as a camp counselor for a summer camp program for youth with cancer or another illness. Start with these organizations - Camp Okizu, Camp Kesem at UC Davis, Camp Go Beyond
    • Apply for the UC Davis Sports Medicine Internship Program
    • Complete the UC Davis Fire Department EMT Certification Program
  • Campus Organization Recommendations
  • See this comprehensive list from Health Professions Advising on Health-Related Student Organizations

    Best Buddies UC Davis Chapter
    Best Buddies at UC Davis is a chapter of the global nonprofit Best Buddies International, which promotes social and economic inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We envision a world in which programs like Best Buddies are no longer needed because people with IDD are completely included in their communities.

    UC Davis Mental Health Initiative
    MHI aims to engage students in destigmatization and education efforts, prompt attendees to organize around mental health issues, and offer them the opportunity for self-reflection and healing through mental health discourse.

Graduate School for Health Professions

Graduation cap decorated with white and yellow flowers and blue stickers, seen from behind

What is Graduate School? What is a Graduate Degree?

Understand what graduate school is with this page from the Pre-Grad Advising Office. Pre-Grad Advisors are available to meet with students to discuss if graduate school is right for you .

Do I Need Graduate School for Health Professions?

For many health professions, graduate or professional school is required. Careers such as physician, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, dentist, speech-language pathologist, nurse practitioner, and psychologist all require advanced education, clinical training, and licensure after completing a bachelor’s degree.

Other health-related careers may only require a certification program, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree. Some allied health and healthcare administration roles can be entered directly after undergraduate study, while others may benefit from graduate education later for advancement into leadership, specialization, or management.

Because requirements vary widely across professions, it is important to research the specific pathway you are interested in early and meet with Health Professions Advising to understand prerequisite coursework, clinical experience expectations, entrance exams, and application timelines.

Masked clinician with headlamp and gloves leaning over patient, photo

Exploring Health Careers

Find out what kind of post-bacc education is needed for different health careers by Health Professions Advising (HPA). HPA Advisors are available to meet with students to discuss and plan out your specific career pathway.