Majors

To complete a major, students must take a minimum of ten* courses in psychology. Only two courses may be taken at other institutions. Included among the ten courses are the following required core: PS 101, PS 102, PS 202, and a Statistics Research Methods II course: PS 303, PS 304, PS 305B, PS 314, PS 320, PS 325, PS 330, and PS 365*.

PS 101 is not waived for AP or IB psychology credit.

*Students in the Class of 2024 and beyond are also required to take PS 365 as part of the core, bringing the total number of required courses in psychology to eleven.

For students in the Class of 2019 and beyond: the Research Methods II course must be completed by the end of the junior year.

In addition to the Core, students must take three breadth elective courses, with at least one course from Group 1 and at least one course from Group 2.

Group 1: Perception/Cognition/Neuroscience

PS 212A - Themes in Contemporary Psychology
PS 212B - Themes in Contemporary Psychology
PS 213 - Hormones and Behavior
PS 218 - Cognition
PS 219 - Health Psychology
PS 221 - Clinical Psychopharmacology
PS 223 - Evolutionary Psychology
PS 225 - Perception
PS 231 - Neuropsychology
PS 232 - Introduction to Cognitive Science
PS 233 - Cognitive Neuroscience
NS 101 - Neuroscience: Mind and Behavior

Group 2: Social/Developmental/Clinical/Applied

PS 204 - Educational Psychology
PS 205 - Social Psychology
PS 206 - Developmental Psychology
PS 207 - Introduction to Child Development
PS 208 - Adolescent Development
PS 209 - Adult Development
PS 210 - Personality
PS 211 - Applied Psychology
PS 212A - Themes in Contemporary Psychology
PS 212B - Themes in Contemporary Psychology
PS 214 - Psychological Disorders
PS 234 - Developmental Disabilities and Autism

Additional elective courses:

PS 251 - Special Seminar Series in Psychology
PS 275 - Exploratory Research Experience in Psychology

Students must take three 300-level courses, at least two of which must come from the following list of content-specific courses.

*If taken to fulfill the Experimental Methods II requirement, a different course must be chosen to fulfill the 300-level requirement.

*PS 303 - Research Methods 2: Intermediate Statistics
*PS 304 - Research Methods 2: Physiological Psychology
*PS 305B - Research Methods 2: Cognitive Development
PS 307 - Advanced Personality
PS 312A - Advanced Study of Major Issues of Psychology
PS 312B - Advanced Study of Major Issues of Psychology
PS 313 - Psychology of Gender
*PS 314 - Research Methods 2: Psychology of Reading
PS 315 - Clinical Psychology
PS 317 - Psychological Testing
PS 318H - Advanced Statistics in Psychology
*PS 320 - Research Methods 2: Social Psychology
PS 321 - Motivation and Emotion
PS 322 - Positive Psychology
PS 323 - Psycholinguistics
*PS 325 - Research Methods 2: Perception
PS 328 - Seminar in Clinical Psychology: Anxiety and Its Disorders
*PS 330 - Research Methods 2: Memory
PS 331 - Psychology of Women
PS 332 - Seminar in Cross-Cultural Psychology
PS 333 - Sleep and Dreams
PS 334 - Psychology of Religion
PS 335 - Psychology of Race
PS 336 - Music Cognition
PS 337 - Cross-Cultural Development
PS 338 - Language Development
PS 341 - Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience: Left Brain/Right Brain

Additional elective courses (may count as one of the 300-level requirement courses):

PS 329 - Clinical Psychology Field Experience
PS 371 - Independent Study in Psychology
PS 373 - Research Independent Study in Psychology
PS 375 - Senior Research Project I
PS 376 - Senior Research Project II
PS 378 - Senior Seminar
PS 399 - Professional Internship in Psychology (this experience may count toward the 300-level requirement only if taken for 3 or 4 credits)

Additional elective courses:
PS 351 - Special Advanced Seminar Series in Psychology

As they consider the choice of electives, students should consult the Psychology Department Web site and their advisors for information about potential pathways of interest through the major (Clinical, Developmental, Neuropsychology/Cognitive Neuroscience, Social/Personality).

A maximum of 5 credits taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis may count toward the major, including PS 102, PS 329, and PS 399. None of the required core courses or any 300-level psychology courses except PS 102, PS 329, and PS 399 fulfilling the major may be taken on an S/U basis. The grade-point average for the courses presented toward the major must meet the minimum of 2.000. Of these courses, only one course may have been completed with a grade of D.

The grade-point average for the ten courses presented toward the major must meet the minimum requirement of 2.000. Of these courses, only one may have been completed with a grade of D.

In conjunction with the relevant department, the Psychology Department offers a major in neuroscience.

WRITING REQUIREMENT IN THE MAJOR: Students fulfill the writing requirement in the Psychology major by completing a minimum of two (2) writing enhanced (WE) courses and one writing intensive (WI) course within the major.

Upon completion of the major, psychology students should be able to:
•Demonstrate competency in the various forms of writing within psychology ranging from lab-based empirical reports to more conceptual papers and reviews.
•Appreciate the differences between scientific writing and other forms of writing.
•Demonstrate an ability to write in an effective and persuasive manner. Effectiveness includes the ability to: (a) develop and present clear and logical arguments, (b) use correct grammar, (c) sufficiently elaborate and defend points, including backing up assertions with appropriate evidence, (d) appropriately evaluate the audience and point of view from which a paper should be written (including providing sufficient context and definitions of content-specific terminology), (e) justify conclusions, and (f) integrate information from multiple sources.
•Differentiate between types of source materials (e.g., original research, academic summaries, popular press) and the role that each can/should play in different types of writing assignments.
•Demonstrate competency in writing in the style of the American Psychological Association, which includes technical, grammatical, and stylistic conventions.

Writing intensive (WI) course in the major (cannot substitute for the All College Requirement of one WI course): PS 303 - Research Methods 2: Intermediate Statistics.

Writing enhanced (WE) courses in the major:
NS 101
PS 205
PS 207
PS 213
PS 224
PS 305B
PS 321
PS 324
PS 341
PS 376

Recommendations and Advice: Those students who discover relatively early in their program of study an interest in research, and those who have completed PS 303 or an equivalent course, are at a particular advantage when applying for external fellowship opportunities. The summer between the junior and senior year of study is an ideal time to seek this kind of opportunity. Faculty encourage students to distinguish between the minimum requirements for a major in psychology and the preparation necessary for graduate study in psychology. Those majors who plan to pursue graduate work in Ph.D. programs in psychology should seek significant research experience(s) beyond those experiences that are part of the minimum requirements for the major. Several opportunities for these kinds of extended research experiences are available to majors by way of advanced lab courses (e.g., PS 304, PS 320), advanced statistics (PS 318H), independent research experiences (PS 371B), directed studies (PS 371A), summer collaborative research experiences, and thesis capstone projects (PS 375/PS 376 ).

Psi Chi: Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology, founded in 1929 for the purpose of encouraging scholarship and advancing the science of psychology. Eligibility requirements include declaration of a major in psychology, completion of at least four psychology courses (or three psychology courses and NS 101), a GPA of 3.500 or higher in psychology as of the start of fall semester of the senior year, and a GPA of 3.300 in all college courses.

See Psychology