We recommend a publication that is probably the single most important source of information for all psychology majors. It is a paperback book published by the American Psychological Association, entitled Is Psychology the Major for You? (student version). This book is filled with all kinds of ideas to be included in your academic and career planning, beginning with your sophomore year. We believe that every psychology major should try to obtain a copy, read it, and incorporate the ideas into your undergraduate education. It is not only valuable to students who are stopping at the bachelors degree, but also for those who want to pursue a higher degree.

The Psychology Major Requirements - 1999-2000 to the Present Year Bulletins

32 total credits hours are required for this major. A minor is also necessary. Descriptions can be found for the following courses on pages 194-195 of the 2006-2007 Undergraduate Bulletin (2005-2006 on pages 186-188; 2004-2005 on pages 199-201; 2003-2004 on pages 195-196)

 

Our Psychology courses are divided into two distinct groupings below. Our Group 1 courses represent psychology as a natural science, with methods and approaches that are widely shared with biology, chemistry and others. Biological and cognitive psychology are traditionally considered to be more closely aligned with these disciplines than are the other fields in psychology.

Our Group 2 courses represent psychology as a social science, with methods and approaches that are widely shared with sociology, education, and anthropology. Social, developmental, and clinical psychology are traditionally considered to be most similar to these social sciences.

Although for purposes of the major we think of these as distinct groups, in practice the distinctions can often be blurred. For example, many developmental psychologists study the role of genes in development, and many clinical psychologists are interested in the brain mechanisms of psychological disorders.

1. Psychology 181 . Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)

(If you transfer in an introductory Psychology course and it is only 3 credits, you will need to make up the 1 credit difference at some point by either doing research for a professor or graduate student or taking a 4 credit course like 450 or 451.)

2. Two courses from each of the following groups:

Group 1: (Cognition/Learning/Bio Psych)

233. Aggression (3 credits)

263. Introduction to Cognitive Processes (3 credits)

268. Learning and Motivation (3 credits)

270. Evolution, Behavior, and Society (3 credits)

360. Psychology of Language (3 credits)

373. Biopsychology (3 credits)

Group 2: (Personality/Social/Developmental)

287. Psychology of Personality (3 credits)

288. Psychology of Social Behavior (3 credits)

289. Developmental Psychology (3 credits)

380. Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)

3. Psychology 350 . Research Methods and Data Analysis (4 credits)

4. One course from each of the following groups

Group 1: 460. Human Memory (3 credits)

461. Learning Processes (3 credits)

463. Perception (3 credits)

465. Behavioral Neuroscience (3 credits)

BIOS 462. Animal Behavior (3 credits)

Group 2: 462. Motivation and Emotion (3 credits)

483. Psychology of Social Behavior (3 credits)

485. Theories of Personality (3 credits)

486. Clinical Psychology (3 credits)

488. Community Psychology (3 credits)

489. Child Behavior and Development (3 credits)

5. Any two additional 400-level courses (3 credits each), excluding 496, 497, 499

Additional courses: ____________________ ____________________

Integrative Studies Courses in Psychology include the following:

216, 263, 268, 288, 350, 421, 425, 428, 440, 450, 451, 456, 460, 461, 462, 463, 483, 486

Look here for a detailed description of all the different areas of specialization in psychology.