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Majors
Recommendations and Advice
Faculty urge psychology majors to complete PS 217 and PS 306 by the end of the junior year. Psychology majors who take PS 306 in their senior year are precluded from taking the senior thesis research experience (PS 375/376). Along similar lines, those students who discover relatively late in their program of study an interest in research are at a particular disadvantage 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. Those students who have not yet completed PS 306 are at a disadvantage when applying for these programs.
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 320H), advanced statistics (PS 318H, independent research experiences (PS 371B), directed studies (PS 371A), summer collaborative research experiences, and thesis capstone projects. Students interested in the application of scientific knowledge in psychology or neuroscience may consider graduate programs in public policy issues related to human development, justice, or health care.
THE PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR: To complete a major, students must take a minimum of thirty credits in psychology. Only six of these thirty credits (including three AP credits) required for the major may be taken at other institutions. Included among the thirty credits are the following required core: PS101, 217, 306, and at least ten credits from three different clusters listed below:
- Neuroscience: NS101, PS231
- Social Developmental Psychology: PS205, 207
- Perceptual Cognitive Processes: PS305A, 305B, 323, 324, 325
- Personality Abnormal Psychology: PS210, 211, 308.
Of the thirty credits presented toward the major, these credits should include at least four courses at the 300 level. 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 30 credits required by the major, including PS399 and PS275. Only two one-credit PS275 Research Experiences may count toward the major, both of which must be taken S/U. None of the required core courses or any 300-level psychology course—except PS399—fulfilling the major may be taken on an S/U basis.
The grade-point average for the thirty credits presented toward the major must meet the minimum requirement of 2.0. Of these credits, only one course may have been completed with a grade of D.
In conjunction with the relevant departments, the Psychology Department offers majors in neuroscience and psychology-sociology.
HONORS: To be eligible for departmental honors in psychology, a student must meet the requisite grade point average, complete a research project in Senior Research Project I and II or a major paper in Senior Seminar, and be recommended for departmental honors by the department.
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 NS101), a GPA of 3.5 or higher in psychology as of the start of fall semester of the senior year, and a GPA of 3.3 in all college courses.
