Major in Psychology

The B.A. in Psychology (35 credits)

All psychology B.A. majors are required to complete the courses listed among the four areas in the requirements section. This system is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the field, a strong foundation in research methodology, the ability to understand research and apply it to theory and practice, and the opportunity to explore areas of the field in depth.

Requirements

Foundations of Psychological Sciences 1 (16 credits)

PSY 101 - General Psychology
PSY 205 - Statistics for Psychology (4 credits)
PSY 202 - Abnormal Psychology
PSY 220 - Lifespan Human Development
PSY 250 - Biological Bases of Behavior

Foundations of Psychological Sciences 2 (6 Credits)

PSY 304 - Social Psychology for Majors
PSY 308 - Cognitive Processes

Psychological Science-Methods 3a (3 credits) and Lab (1 credit) = total 4 credits

Choose one of the following with its corresponding lab section:

PSY 390 - Research Methods in Developmental Psychology, PSY 380 - Research Methods Lab in Developmental Psychology
PSY 391 - Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, PSY 381 - Research Methods Lab in Social and Personality Psychology
PSY 392 - Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology, PSY 382 - Research Methods Lab in Cognitive Psychology
PSY 393 - Research Methods in Physiological Psychology, PSY 383 - Research Methods Lab in Physiological Psychology
PSY 395 - Research Methods in Child Development, PSY 385 - Research Methods Lab in Child Development
PSY 396 - Research Methods in Social Relationships, PSY 386 - Research Methods Lab in Social Relationships

Psychological Science-Depth 3b (3 credits)

Choose one of the following:

PSY 452 - Health Psychology
PSY 453 - Young Adult Health Risk Behaviors
PSY 458 - Affective Neuroscience
PSY 459 - Positive Psychology
PSY 460 - Psychology of Individual Differences
PSY 472 - Moral Psychology
PSY 477 - World of the Psychopath
PSY 478 - Emotion

Advanced Electives (6 credits)

Choose two additional Psychology courses at the 300 or 400 level.

Total Credits: 35

University Studies Departmental Requirements

Students majoring in Psychology will meet their departmentally-determined University Studies requirements as follows:

Cluster 1C - Intermediate Writing

Satisfied by: PSY 39X (Any of the research methods courses)

Cluster 4A - Human Questions and Contexts

Satisfied by: PSY 101 - General Psychology

Cluster 5A - Capstone Study

Satisfied by: Any depth course (Psychological Science-Depth 3b above)

Cluster 5B - Learning Through Engagement

Satisfied by: PSY 38X (Any of the research methods lab courses)

Additional Information

Students should plan to complete General Psychology, Statistics for Psychology, and three other classes from the Foundations 1 and 2 areas by the end of the sophomore year.
PSY 377, 407, and 417 are electives that introduce students to some applied aspects of psychology as part of the department's Pre-Professional Certificate in Mental Health.
Students interested in research who are considering eventual graduate education in psychology may apply to pursue an undergraduate Psychology Thesis or Independent Study. Both options are available for students interested in pursuing clinical research as well.

The B.S. in Psychology (41 credits)

Requirements

All of the following requirements for the B.A. in Psychology are also requirements for the B.S.

Foundations I (16 credits)
Foundations II (6 credits)
Psychological Science - Methods (4 credits)
Psychological Science - Depth (3 credits)
Advanced Electives (6 credits)

In addition, students must complete one course from each of the two clusters: Psychological Science and Advanced Data Analysis.

Psychological Science Cluster (3 credits)

One course from this list:

PSY 410* – Cognitive Health and Aging
PSY 411 – Psychology and the Law
PSY 413 – Culture and Emotion
PSY 415 – Current Topics in Neuroscience: The Brain in the Media
PSY 418 – Behavior Modification

No course can be double-counted as both an Advanced Elective and a Psychological Science cluster requirement.

* If you take PSY 301 and/or PSY 410 for the AGH minor, they cannot also count as electives for your PSY major. No course at the 300- or 400-level can be double-counted for both a major and a minor or for two different majors.

Advanced Data Analysis Cluster (3 credits)

One course from this list:

PSY 405 – Survey and Measure Development
PSY 412 – Advanced Topics in Psychological Statistics
PSY 502 – Statistical Methods in Psychology
PSY 506 – Advanced Research Design

A requirement is not considered fulfilled unless the student earns a C- or better in the course. To remain in good standing in the major, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher in their PSY courses.

Note that the CAS-BS requirements are different from the CAS-BA requirements:

6 credits in Social Sciences other than PSY (rather than 9)
6 credits in Humanities (rather than 9)
8 credits in STEM/Quantitative Science (in addition to the 3 credits in MTH and the 6 credits in Natural Science required for both the BA and the BS)
No Foreign Language