Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) with a major in Psychology
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences – Department of Psychology and Philosophy
The General Education Requirement
All students must satisfy a general education requirement consisting of ten (10) courses outside of the major department. The General Education Domain III-B (Perspectives on the Contemporary World) requirement is satisfied through the completion of the Psychology major.
Course Prerequisites
Courses may have specified conditions for enrollment, such as prior completion of less advanced courses, permission of the instructor, or appropriate placement test scores. PSYC 101 General Psychology or PSYC 200 Psychology of Development is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses except where otherwise noted. Students should refer to course descriptions in the department listings for prerequisite requirements.
Minimum Grade Requirements
The Psychology Department requires that all Psychology majors achieve a minimum grade of C- (1.70) in PSYC 101 General Psychology as well as a minimum grade of C- (1.70) in the mathematics requirement before enrolling in PSYC 291 Research I: Descriptive and Correlational Methods. These courses provide the essential foundation for subsequent psychology courses, and a basic grasp of the concepts introduced in these courses is critical. Finally, a minimum grade of C- (1.70) is required in each of the two (2) capstone courses that the student.
Writing Intensive Requirement for 300-Level Psychology Courses
Writing intensive courses involve writing paper(s) that require application and/or integration of the course’s content. Such writing should follow elements of APA style (e.g. page format, citation style, referencing). At a minimum, the course will include one of the following based on instructor discretion.
- A single multi-page paper that includes multiple iterations with instructor feedback;
- Two or more multi-page papers;
- A paper with a minimum of five-pages.
Requirements for Major in Psychology
Core Department Courses (5):
- PSYC 101 General Psychology
- PSYC 291 Research I: Descriptive and Correlational Research Methods
- PSYC 391 Research II: Quasi-Experimental and Experimental Research Methods
Two (2) of the following four (4) 400-level Capstone courses:
- PSYC 450 Empirical Research Thesis in Psychology
- PSYC 460 History and Systems in Psychology
- PSYC 480 Psychology Seminar
- PSYC 495 Internship in Psychology
Required Major-related core courses (2):
- PHIL 102 Introduction to Ethics: Why Be Moral? or
- PHIL 105 Introduction to Political and Social Philosophy or
- PHIL 118 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
- STAT 117 Introduction to Statistics or
- STAA 127 Statistics for the Social Sciences
Each of these major-related core courses also may be used to meet general education requirements.
Concentration in General Psychology (UPSG)
Eight (8) Psychology Courses:
Domain Courses (5):
All Psychology majors are required to complete one (1) course in each of the following five (5) domains of psychological knowledge:
Biological Domain
Choose one (1) of the following:
- NEUR 225 Biopsychology
- PSYC 245 Health Psychology
- PSYC 280 Sensation and Perception
Clinical and Counseling Domain
Choose one (1) of the following:
- PSYC 217 Introduction to Counseling
- PSYC 222 Psychopathology
Developmental Domain
Choose one (1) of the following:
- PSYC 201 Child Development
- PSYC 212 Adolescent Development
- PSYC 231 Adult Development
Learning and Cognition Domain
Choose one (1) of the following:
- PSYC 236 Psychology of Learning
- PSYC 263 Cognitive Psychology
- PSYC 271 Applied Behavior Analysis
Sociocultural Domain
Choose one (1) of the following:
- PSYC 224 Social Psychology
- PSYC 259 Cultural Psychology
- PSYC 286 Psychology of Women
Upper-Level Electives (3):
- All majors will complete three (3) additional upper-level courses from Psychology courses at the 300- and/or 400-level or from Neuroscience at the 300-level. The choice of upper-level courses is up to the student. It is recommended that students consult with their advisors in the selection of upper-level course options.
Effective as of the 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog