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Academics > Undergraduate >
Psychology Major Requirements While the psychology department recommends that you take certain courses at specified times during your academic program, most of the choices are left up to you. It is therefore crucial that you understand the general principles underlying our requirements, so that you can plan well. Of course, you should ask your adviser for assistance regularly. After you read the general principles below, you may download checklists that summarize the psychology and core curriculum requirements for both the B.A. and B.S. degrees.
This course is, with few exceptions, a prerequisite for other departmental courses.
You are required to take four of these courses — two in each area; the choices are listed on the checklists. If you take more than the required four courses, the extras will count as psychology electives. All of these courses require Introductory Psychology as a prerequisite. You should begin your Area A and B courses as soon as you complete Introductory Psychology.
The statistics lecture course sometimes has a lab component that is taken together with the lecture course. Both the Introductory Psychology course and your Core Category 1 Math course are prerequisites for this course. The laboratory courses (see below) require the statistics course, so don't procrastinate. And don't be intimidated by the course name; there is plenty of help during the course if you need it. Most students begin statistics in their sophomore year.
Both B.A. and B.S. students are required to take two lab courses. Most laboratories are coordinated to the subject matter of the Area A and B courses. For example, there is a Social Psychology Laboratory matching the lecture course on Social Psychology. Laboratories are taken after their matching lecture course, but do not have to be taken in the subsequent semester. In laboratory or research courses, you learn the research methods that are specific to a given area of psychology. Some important things to know about these courses: • They are small and fill up fast, so always register early. • They are demanding, so be prepared to work hard. They are also very rewarding, for students discover the process of actually doing research, not just reading about it. • Most of these courses require the statistics course as well as a preliminary course, e.g., in Area A and B. • Not all labs are offered every semester, so plan ahead. • Don't wait until the senior year to start your labs. • You may substitute one directed study course (see below) for one lab.
The B.S. degree (only) requires a set of three nonpsychology courses that are related to the student's interest in a particular field of psychology. This set is chosen by the student, but must be pre-approved by the psychology department to fulfill this requirement. This is described in more detail in the section titled Psychology-Related Course Requirements for B.S. Degree.
Directed study courses allow a student to work individually with a professor or in a professor's laboratory on a research project, receiving four credits for each semester of work. One directed study course may substitute for a lab, and may, with permission of the experiential adviser, also fulfill the experiential education requirement. Otherwise, a directed study is counted as a psychology elective course. You may do a directed study more than once, but only one would count for a lab requirement. A person may arrange a directed study course any time, but note that permission of the professor is required and the initiative lies with the student to approach a professor for these courses before the term begins
One seminar is required. Designed for juniors and seniors, the seminars allow small-class discussions and examination of selected topics in psychology. If you take more than one seminar, the second seminar will count as an elective.
B.A. students take three psychology electives, and B.S. students take five. All psychology courses that are not being counted for Introductory Psychology, Statistics, Area A/B, Lab or Seminar are considered psychology electives. You may start taking electives anytime, provided you have completed any prerequisites for the course. (Note: Some electives have no prerequisites.) It is important to consult the undergraduate catalog to see what the prerequisites are for each elective. Examples of psychology elective courses are Psychopharmacology; Researching Consciousness; Psychology of Women; Food, Behavior and Eating Disorders; Psychology of Prejudice; Nonverbal Communication; Psychology and the Law; Child Language; Industrial/Organizational Psychology; Biological Bases of Mental Illness; and Behavior Therapies.
The Arts and Sciences experiential education requirement is described in an online document available from the dean's office. To fulfill this requirement, psychology majors (but not minors in psychology) need to complete one from the following list of experientially based psychology courses. (Other courses may be added to this list.) You must make an appointment with associate professor Perrin Cohen, the psychology experiential education adviser, to discuss your options and to get pre-approval for any course that you plan to take to fulfill this requirement. Continue reading about the undergraduate program: • General Information About the Curriculum • Psychology Major Requirements • Psychology Minor Requirements • Education Program for Psychology Majors • Psychology-Related Course Requirements for B.S. Degree • Forensic Psychology | pdf | Word | • Premed Curriculum (opens new window) • Extracurricular Opportunities
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Introductory Psychology (PSY U101)