Symbolic Systems Program

The Symbolic Systems Program or SymSys is a unique degree program at Stanford University for undergraduates and graduate students. It is an interdisciplinary degree encompassing the following:


 * Computer Science
 * Linguistics
 * Mathematics
 * Philosophy
 * Psychology
 * Statistics

It is separate to Cognitive Science in that it is more expansive in scope.

Notable Stanford Graduates from the Program
Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, who graduated on 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in symbolic systems and cognitive science.

Marissa Mayer, from CEO of Yahoo from 2012 to 2017, who graduated in 1997 with BS in symbolic systems.

Mike Krieger, the co-founder and former CTO of Instagram, who graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in the SymSys program. Krieger, in the same year that he was to be awarded his bachelor's degree, won the Barwise Award for Distinguished Contribution to Symbolic Systems.

Barwise Award for Distinguished Contributions to Symbolic Systems
Inaugurated in 2001, the K. Jon Barwise Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Symbolic Systems Program was created in honor of the late Kenneth Jon Barwise, Professor in the Department of Philosophy, who served as the first faculty director of Symbolic Systems and a member of the program's founding committee.

The Symbolic Systems Distinguished Teaching Award
Inaugurated in 2021, the award recognizes the contributions to the teaching of Symbolic Systems. With support from the School of Humanities and Sciences, the award recipients each receive a certificate and a monetary award.