Psychology Major

All psychology majors are assigned faculty advisors. Students are encouraged to consult their advisors early in their programs to plan appropriate course selections. Consultation with an advisor is particularly recommended for students who are planning to attend graduate school in psychology.

The B.A. degree in psychology consists of a minimum of 50 quarter hours and a maximum of 72 quarter hours, including at least four psychology courses at the 300 level or above. All majors must also complete the requirements described below.

Required Courses in Psychology

The following courses are required for the psychology major:

A selection of courses from the following five areas is also required:

1. Biological (at least one course from the following)

• PSY 201 - Sensation and Perception
• PSY 203 - Learning
• PSY 312 - Physiological Psychology
• PSY 314 - Comparative Psychology
• PSY 327 - Human Psychophysiology
• PSY 380 - Psychology of Health and Illness
• PSY 490 - Selected Seminars in Biological Psychology

2. Cognitive (at least one course from the following)

• PSY 304 - Human Learning and Cognitive Processes
• PSY 305 - Human Memory
• PSY 307 - Psycholinguistics
• PSY 308 - Human Judgment and Decision Making
• PSY 490 - Selected Seminars in Cognitive Psychology

3. Developmental (at least two courses from the following)

• PSY 273 - Child and Adolescent Psychology
• PSY 315 - Behavior Genetics and Individual Differences
• PSY 374 - Psychology of Adulthood and Aging
• PSY 376 - Psychological Disorders of Childhood
• PSY 378 - Psychology of Gender
• PSY 470 - Prenatal Influences on Development
• PSY 490 - Selected Seminars in Developmental Psychology

4. Clinical (at least two courses from the following)

• PSY 233 - Psychology of Personality
• PSY 332 - Abnormal Psychology
• PSY 341 - Tests and Measurements
• PSY 351 - Introduction to Clinical and Counseling Psychology
• PSY 430 - Psychoactive Drugs: Therapeutic Agents and Drugs of Abuse
• PSY 490 - Selected Seminars in Clinical Psychology

5. Social-Organizational (at least two courses from the following)

• PSY 261 - Survey of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• PSY 310 - Motivation
• PSY 336 - Social Psychology
• PSY 337 - Social Psychology of Justice
• PSY 361 - Advanced Organizational Psychology
• PSY 362 - Personnel Psychology
• PSY 490 - Selected Seminars in Social-Organizational Psychology

All psychology majors must complete at least four psychology courses at the 300 level or above.

The following courses are recommended for students who plan to attend graduate school in psychology: PSY 233, PSY 273, PSY 304, PSY 312, PSY 321, PSY 332, PSY 336, and PSY 418.

Required Courses outside of Psychology

All psychology majors are required to complete selected coursework in departments other than psychology.

1. Natural Sciences - Psychology majors must complete three courses in one of the following natural science areas:

• Biological Sciences and/or Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Environmental and Plant Biology
• Geography
• Geology
• Physics

Courses that will fulfill this requirement are listed under the Natural Sciences Area Requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences section of the University Catalog and in the Arts and Sciences Natural Sciences portion of the students' DARS. Courses taken to fulfill the extradepartmental requirements simultaneously apply to the College of Arts and Sciences Natural Science area requirement. Students who are planning to attend graduate school in psychology are encouraged to complete three courses in Biological Sciences and/or Microbiology (BIOL, BIOS, MICR).

2. Mathematics or Computer Science - Psychology majors must also take two courses in either mathematics or computer science. Students may select any two courses in Mathematics numbered 113 and above (except 251), or any two courses in Computer Science numbered 200 or above.