Psychology

Psychology
Academic Bulletin

Area of Study: Social and Behavioral Science
Programs: Major (BA & BS) and Minor
Major/Minor Exclusion: A student minoring in Psychology may not major in Neuroscience.

When advising a student interested in Psychology, please note the following:

Entering students may take any 100-level course; however care should be exercised regarding enrollment in Psych 110, which can be a challenging course for first-semester, first-year students. Psych 110 is recommended for students who have demonstrated success in AP/IB/college-level courses (earning a 4 or 5 on AP exams, transfer credit for Science/Math). There are an increased number of seats being held for first-year students in the other 100-level courses and suggest that advisors steer students to those courses.

Psychology 110 is required for both the major and the minor. This course may be taken at any point in the students college career. It can benefit students who take the MCAT to take Psych 110 the semester prior to the MCAT.

In addition to PSYCH 110, students need to complete an additional 2 (for minors) or 3 (for majors) courses at the 100-level. Specifically, students need to complete at least one course each in the following three categories: 150s, 160s, 170s. Minors need to take one course each in two of these categories.

Psych 206 is required for minors and majors; Psych 207 is required for majors. It is best if the student begins the Statistics and Research Design sequence (206/207) in the Sophomore year. It is fine for students to take psych 110 the Sophomore year along with 206 or 207.

Three upper level courses (300 or 400) are required for majors, one of which must be designated as a Structures of Power and Privilege (SPP) course.

Students may begin independent studies (PSYCH 590) as early as their sophomore year. To explore available opportunities, students are encouraged to review faculty research areas on the Psychology Department website and directly contact professors whose work aligns with their interests.

Internships are usually taken Junior or Senior year. Psychology 540 is a corequisite for all psychology internships. The Internship Seminar “counts” as an upper-level course.

Academic Advisor: Students seeking an advisor may either contact a faculty member directly or reach out to the department chair. To ensure an equitable advising process, the department collects faculty availability through a standardized form. Please note that, in the interest of fairness and workload distribution, some faculty members may not be available to accept new advisees at one time.

Junior Seminar:  A department-wide Junior Seminar information event is held every March. This is widely advertised and students should make every effort to attend. Following this event they receive a Junior Seminar preference form that needs to be completed. The chair will make assignments to Junior Seminars based on the students’ expressed preferences. The Junior Seminar instructor will then reach out and grant signature consent.

Senior Comp: Students can complete any of the  options (2 semester comp Fall and Spring, 1 semester comp taken in senior year either fall or spring). In rare cases, we do “off-cycle” comps where students start in the Spring of their Junior year and finish in the Fall…e.g., if they wish to graduate early. A department-wide Senior Comprehensive Project information session is held every March. This event is widely advertised and students are expected to make every effort to attend. Following the session, students receive a Senior Comp preference form, which must be completed. The department chair will then assign students t Senior Comprehensive Projects based on the preference expressed. Assigned faculty members will subsequently reach out to grant signature consent for project enrollment.

Suggested Course Sequence for a Major in Psychology

Required courses for a Minor in Psychology:

Minor Requirements: 20 credits, including
Psych 110 (some students might want to avoid this in the first semester; consider taking it in the sophomore or later year)
Psych 206
One course from each of two Core Area categories (150s, 160s, 170s) NOTE: This is a good place to start the minor
One course from those numbered in the 300s or 400s
NOTE: For students who are transferring in one or more of these courses, please make sure they understand that if they receive 3 credits (instead of 4) per course, they still will need a total of 20 credits in Psychology to earn the minor.