Psychology Major

Major Requirements

The major in psychology consists of eleven courses. The distribution of courses presented for a major should conform to the following pattern:

• PSYC 100 - Introduction to Psychology  
  Note: Students can earn credit equivalent to PSYC 100  by scoring a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in Psychology, by scoring a 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate higher level Psychology exam, or by submitting qualifying GCE A-Level grades. Students who do so are still required to take 11 courses for the major.
• PSYC 201 - Research in Psychology I  and PSYC 301 - Research in Psychology II 
   
• Three other courses at the intermediate level, at least one of which must be from Group A and at least one of which must be from Group B.
  • Group A
    PSYC 240 - Principles of Learning and Behavior 
    PSYC 242 - Cognitive Psychology 
    PSYC 244 - Cognitive Neuroscience 
    PSYC 246 - Exploring Sensation and Perception 
    PSYC 248 - Behavioral Neuroscience  
  • Group B
    PSYC 250 - Developmental Psychology 
    PSYC 252 - Distress, Dysfunction, and Disorder: Perspectives on the DSM 
    PSYC 254 - Social Psychology 
    PSYC 272 - Health Psychology  
  • Other Intermediate Courses
    PSYC 180 - Brain, Mind, and Behavior 
    PSYC 220 - Educational Psychology 
    PSYC 264 - The Psychology of Gender 
    PSYC 266 - History of Psychology  
• PSYC 401 - Directed Research in Psych .
• Three upper level courses (course number greater than 301, excluding PSYC 401). A 4-credit independent study, internship, or preceptorship may also fulfill one of the upper level course requirements with prior departmental permission.
• One course from the Underrepresented Populations, Paradigms, and Perspectives (UP³⁾ requirement. UP³ courses have as their central theme one or more of the following: a focus on historically underrepresented perspectives, paradigms, or populations in psychology; a critical lens on issues of power and privilege in the field; an analysis of the implications of exclusion or marginalization in the field of psychology or on psychological experience.
  • UP³ Courses:
    PSYC 264 - The Psychology of Gender 
    PSYC 266 - History of Psychology 
    PSYC 350 - Social Identities in Developing Lives  
    PSYC 364 - Lives in Context: Psychology and Social Structure  
    PSYC 370 - Understanding Race and Racism 
    PSYC 380 - Community Psychology and Public Health 
    
    This requirement may be met at any level of the curriculum, and courses that fulfill this requirement may also satisfy other requirements for the major (e.g., Cultural Psychology fulfills both the UP³ requirement as well as the upper level course requirement).
• One other psychology course.

No more than one independent project, internship or preceptorship can count towards the major. The capstone requirement in psychology is satisfied by PSYC 401 - Directed Research in Psych .