Advising for Psychology Major and Minor

Major Requirements

Psychology offers a Bachelor of Arts (40 credits) and a Bachelor of Science (48 credits, requiring two additional natural sciences laboratory courses). The psychology major consists of four categories of courses, including Category I: Core Requirements (16 credits), Category II: Sub-disciplines in Psychology (12 credits), Category III: Topics and Applications (4 credits), and Category IV: Electives (8 credits). All must be completed with a minimum grade of C.

Category I Courses: Core Requirements (16 credits)

Students are required to enroll in PSY 150, PSY 300 and PSY 301, and a capstone course (i.e., PSY 411, PSY 480 – PSY 485, PSY 499). PSY 150, PSY 300, and PSY 301 are offered every semester.

·       PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology

·       PSY 300 First Semester Behavioral Methods and Statistics + Laboratory

·       PSY 301 Behavioral Methods and Statistics

Capstone courses are offered on a rotating basis in fall and spring terms, with the exception of PSY 499.

·       PSY 411 Practicum in Applied Psychology

·       PSY 483 Capstone- Psychology of Health & Well-being

·       PSY 480 Capstone- Cognitive Psychology

·       PSY 484 Capstone- Developmental Psychology

·       PSY 481 Capstone- Sociocultural Psychology

·       PSY 485 Capstone- Personality Psychology

·       PSY 482 Capstone- Biopsychology

·       PSY 499 Capstone- Psychological Research

Category II Courses: Sub-disciplines of Psychology (12 credits)

Students are required to complete a minimum of one 4-credit course from Group A, B, and C below. Courses are offered annually or biennially.

Group A

·       PSY 206 Cognitive Psychology

·       PSY 252 BIOPSY I: Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience w/ Lab

·       PSY 314 Memory and Mind

·       PSY 352 BIOPSY II: Sensation and Perception w/ Lab

Group B

·       PSY 160 Cultural Psychology

·       PSY 242 Psychology of Intergroup Relations

·       PSY 281 Lifespan Development

·       PSY 308 Social Psychology

·       PSY 344 Social and Personality Development

·       PSY 353 Cognitive Development

Group C

·       PSY 202 Health Psychology

·       PSY 211 Abnormal Psychology

·       PSY 309 Personality Psychology

·       PSY 356 Psychology of Well-being

Category III: Topics and Applications

Students are required to complete one 4-credit course from the options below. Courses are offered on a rotating basis annually or biennially. Advanced Topics courses (i.e., PSY 380-385) are offered in conjunction with their matching 400-level capstone course.

·       PSY 310 Community Psychology

·       PSY 383 Adv. Topics- Psychology of Health & Well-being

·       PSY 313 Psychology of Sustainability

·       PSY 384 Adv. Topics- Developmental Psychology

·       PSY 357 Psychology of Mindfulness

·       PSY 385 Adv. Topics- Personality Psychology

·       PSY 361 Psychology of Gender

·       PSY 416 Cognitive Science

·       PSY 380 Adv. Topics- Cognitive Psychology

·       PSY 445 Children and Violence

·       PSY 381 Adv. Topics- Sociocultural Psychology

·       PSY 444 Mind of the Artist

·       PSY 382 Adv. Topics- Biopsychology

·       PSY 452 Behavioral Endocrinology

Category IV: Electives (8 credits)

Students are required to complete an additional 8 credits with a minimum of 4 credits coming from upper division courses. Electives may be chosen from within psychology (except for Category 1 and Professional Development courses) or from approved courses outside the major listed below.

·       PSY courses (except for Category 1 and Professional Development courses)

·       EXMB 335 Psychosocial Factors in Exercise Science

·       PHIL 314 Philosophy of Mind

·       PHIL 310 Philosophy of Science

·       SOCWK 300 Micro Social Work Practice

·       SOCWK 325 Counseling and Interviewing Techniques

Professional Development Courses

The following courses are recommended for any student interested in pursuing a graduate or professional degree. While these courses DO NOT count towards upper division credits for the major or minor, they can be applied towards the core baccalaureate requirements. 

• PSY 351 Directed Research

• PSY 448 Mentoring in Psychology 

• PSY 449 Directed Research and Community Outreach

• PSY 475 Internship Experience

Minor Requirements

The Psychology minor must complete the following courses with a grade of "C" or better:

Required Courses (8 credits)

Students are required to complete PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology as well as a general or discipline-based statistics course, which include MATH 207 General Elementary Statistics, PH 200 Epidemiology, SOC 301 Social Statistics, or equivalent coursework (see your minor advisor for additional information).

Elective Courses (12 credits required)

Students are able to select from any of the courses within psychology, with the exception of those designated as advanced topics (PSY 380 – PSY 385) or capstone (PSY 411, PSY 480 – PSY 485, PSY 499). Up to 4 credits of the minor may be selected from the list of approved courses outside psychology (see Category IV options above). A minimum of 4 credits from electives must come from upper division courses. Students interested in pursuing a general minor in psychology are strongly encouraged to meet with a faculty member in the psychology department to serve as their minor advisor.

Annual Class Planning Guide

This planning guide shows the predicted offerings for certain courses in this program. Use the guide to help you think about future terms. For a list of classes currently offered and how they fulfill core requirements, please see BoxerOnline and cross-reference this page as needed. Meet with your advisor and/or reach out to the department if you have questions. 

Course offerings may change and capstone courses are scheduled on a rotating basis.The list below presents the frequency of offering for the department based on the categories listed above.

• Courses offered each Fall and Spring term

  • Category I: PSY 150, PSY 300, PSY 301
     

  • Category II:

    • Group B- PSY 281

    • Group C- PSY 211
       

• Courses offered annually in either Fall, Winter, or Spring term

  • Category I: 2-4 sections from PSY 411, PSY 480-485, rotating

  • Category II: 

    • Group A- PSY 206 or PSY 314, PSY 252 or PSY 352

    • Group B- PSY 242 or PSY 308, PSY 344 or PSY 353

    • Group C- PSY 309, PSY 356
       

  • Category III: PSY 313, PSY 357, PSY 444
     

• Courses offered on rotation:

  • Category III: PSY 202, PSY 310, PSY 361, PSY 416, PSY 444, PSY 452

Course Recommendations for 2-Year Plan towards Graduation 

This schedule is recommended for students who are recent transfers from other institutions as well as those students who want to have a double major that includes psychology, or have changed their major to psychology after their sophomore year. Meet with your advisor and/or reach out to the department if you have questions.