Major and Minor in Psychology
Requirements for the Major:
To graduate with a major in psychology, a student must: (a) complete nine courses (as specified below), each with a grade of C- or better, (b) earn at least a C average (2.0) in all psychology courses selected to fulfill those major course requirements, and (c) take a comprehensive major exam in the senior year (described below). Although strongly discouraged, courses taken Pass-NoPass may count towards the major in Psychology, as long as the grade originally earned in the class is “C-” or better. In order to graduate with a major, a student must earn at least a C average (2.0) in all courses selected to fulfill the major requirements, whether or not these grades are listed with a Pass on the transcript.
- Psychology 110: Introduction to Psychological Science
- Psychology 221: Research Methods and Statistics I
- Psychology 222: Research Methods and Statistics II
- Menu A (2 of the following 4 courses):
- Psychology 255: Social Psychology
- Psychology 330: Motivation & Emotion
- Psychology 350: Psychopathology & Clinical Science
- Psychology 375: Personality
- Menu B (2 of the following 5 courses):
- Psychology 310: Sensation and Perception
- Psychology 320: Learning
- Psychology 360: Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology 370: Neuroscience: Brain to Behavior
- Psychology 385: Comparative Psychology
- 1 additional Psychology course
- The Senior Studies Requirement may be completed in either of the following ways:
- 1 400-level Psychology course
- Senior thesis
Senior Majors’ Exam
In the senior year, each major is required to take a comprehensive major exam. Its purpose is to provide an additional source of feedback to the Department of Psychology and to the individual student about the educational experience in psychology. Graduation with a major in psychology requires taking the exam at the scheduled time. Individual and group scores are reviewed annually by psychology department faculty for use in program evaluation. Each graduating senior receives an individual score report for self-evaluation.
Requirements for the Minor
To graduate with a minor in psychology, a student must: (a) complete six courses (as specified below), each with a grade of C- or better, and (b) earn at least a C average (2.0) in all psychology courses selected to fulfill the minor requirements outlined below. Although strongly discouraged, courses taken Pass-NoPass may count towards the minor in Psychology, as long as the grade originally earned in the class is “C-” or better. In order to graduate with a minor, a student must earn at least a C average (2.0) in all courses selected to fulfill the minor requirements, whether or not these grades are listed with a Pass on the transcript.
- Psychology 110: Introduction to Psychological Science
- Psychology 221: Research Methods and Statistics I
- Psychology 222: Research Methods and Statistics II
- Menu A (1 of the following 4 courses):
- Psychology 255: Social Psychology
- Psychology 330: Motivation & Emotion
- Psychology 350: Psychopathology & Clinical Science
- Psychology 375: Personality
- Menu B (1 of the following 5 courses)::
- Psychology 310: Sensation and Perception
- Psychology 320: Learning
- Psychology 360: Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology 370: Neuroscience: Brain to Behavior
- PSYC 385: Comparative Psychology
- 1 additional Psychology course
Additional Information on Curricular Planning:
In addition to the requirements outlined here, the department asks students to consider the following issues:
Science and Mathematics
Success in psychology is enhanced by substantial exposure to scientific and quantitative material. Therefore, psychology majors (especially those considering graduate work) are encouraged to take courses in other sciences and in mathematics.
Research
Psychology majors—especially those considering graduate study in psychology—are strongly encouraged to seek out additional research experiences. On-campus research opportunities include assisting a faculty member with his or her research, developing a research project in collaboration with a faculty member, and designing an independent project and conducting it under faculty supervision. ourse credit may be granted for working in research labs (0.25 or 0.50-credit practicum projects), or for student-designed or collaborative research under the heading of a research project (one semester for 1.0 credit) or senior thesis (two semesters for a total of 2.0 credits). Such projects sometimes result in student-faculty coauthored publications. Off-campus research opportunities are made available to students through research internships.
Internships
Off-campus internships in social service agencies, hospitals, research labs and other applied educational, organizational, or legal settings allow students to cultivate skills in counseling, teaching, research and other areas in preparation for later professional training or employment.
Career Preparation
If you're interested in...
- Helping Professions: be sure to take PSYC 350 & 375. Also consider PSYC 210, 255, 330, 425, 455
- Education: be sure to take PSYC 210. Also consider PSYC 320, 360, 425
- Health Professions: consider taking PSYC 310, 320, 350, 370L, 385
- Business: consider taking PSYC 255, 345, 360
- Law: consider taking PSYC 205 & 255”
Common Double Majors
- Art
- Biology
- Economics/Business/Finance
- Education
- English
- History
- Music
- Neuroscience
- Politics
- Sociology/Anthropology
- Spanish
- Theater