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:
*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
Group 2: Social/Developmental/Clinical/Applied
Additional elective courses:
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.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Additional elective courses (may count as one of the 300-level requirement courses):
Additional elective courses:
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
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):
Writing enhanced (WE) courses in the major:
PS 224
PS 324
Recommendations and Advice: Those students who discover relatively early in their program of study an interest in research, and those who have completed
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
See