The program in psychology has been planned with the idea that all students, regardless of major, will have to solve significant psychological problems in their relations with others, at home and at work, in their personal decisions, and in their efforts to understand the problems and processes of society. The program serves students intending to do professional work in the field; liberal arts majors who are interested in psychology as part of a liberal arts education; and students of other social sciences or in a professional field such as business, education, medicine, or the ministry who seek a working knowledge of psychological principles.
Psychology B.A./B.S.
Requirements
The major in psychology requires a minimum of 60 credits in the field. Students must complete the required courses in statistics before taking any 400-level course or any course with statistics as a prerequisite.
All students majoring in psychology, especially those that are considering graduate work in psychology, are encouraged to plan their program with an adviser from the Department of Psychology no later than the beginning of their first term of junior standing.
All psychology majors are strongly encouraged to participate in the advising process, which includes a Group Orientation session, peer mentoring, and faculty advising. Information about the psychology advising program is available on the Psychology Department website.
It is recommended that freshmen not enroll in psychology courses unless they have a B average (3.00 GPA) or above in high school.
In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, the student must meet the following requirements for major:
Courses
| Stat 243 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| Stat 244 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics II | 4 |
| Psy 200 | Psychology as a Natural Science | 4 |
| Psy 204 | Psychology as a Social Science | 4 |
| | Psychology elective 200-level or above above (including 399-409) | 4 |
| Psy 321 | Research Methods in Psychology | 4 |
| Psy 410-498 | | 16 |
| | Additional upper division psychology courses (300-or 400-level, excluding 401-409) | 20 |
Total Credit Hours: 60
All majors are encouraged to begin their work in statistics as soon as possible in preparation for Psy 321, which is a prerequisite for many of the upper-division courses. Besides taking courses in a range of subjects in psychology, majors are also encouraged to take courses in human diversity.
All courses submitted to satisfy the requirements for a major in psychology, including the mandatory math courses, must be passed with a grade of C- or above. Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will not be accepted toward fulfilling department major requirements.
Students considering graduate work in psychology should be especially well prepared in mathematics and should take experimental psychology (Psy 454). They should consider participating in research with a faculty member. They are encouraged to develop breadth by pursuing interests in diverse fields outside psychology before beginning the greater specialization of graduate work.