Majors

Effective for the Class of 2017 (students entering in Fall 2013):

*Members of the Class of 2015 and 2016 who have not completed PS217 before the start of the Fall 2013 semester are strongly encouraged to pursue the new curriculum.

To complete a major, students must take a minimum of 10 courses in psychology. Only two courses may be taken at other institutions. Included among the 10 courses are the following required core: PS 101 , PS 102 , PS 202 , and an Experimental Methods II course: PS 203  or one course from the following list: PS 225B , PS 304 , PS 314 , PS 320H , PS 327 .

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 223 - Evolutionary Psychology 
PS 225A - Perception 
PS 225B - Perception 
     (If PS 225B is taken to fulfill the Experimental Methods II requirement, another course must be chosen to fulfill the bredth requirement)
PS 231 - Neuropsychology 
PS 232 - Introduction to Cognitive Science 
NS 101 - Neuroscience: Mind and Behavior 

Group 2:  Social/Developmental/Clinical/Applied

PS 204 - Educational Psychology 
PS 205 - Social 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 - Abnormal Psychology 

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 304 - Physiological Psychology 
PS 305A - Cognitive Development 
PS 305B - 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 314 - Psychology of Reading 
PS 315 - Clinical Psychology 
PS 317 - Psychological Testing 
PS 318H - Advanced Statistics in Psychology 
*PS 320H - Social Psychology Research 
PS 321 - Motivation and Emotion 
PS 323 - Psycholinguistics 
*PS 327 - Computational Methods in Psychology and Neuroscience 
PS 328 - Seminar In Clinical Psychology: Anxiety and Its Disorders 
PS 331 - Psychology Of Women 
PS 332 - Seminar In Cross-Cultural Psychology 
PS 333 - Sleep and Dreams 
PS 334 - Psychology of Religion 
PS 336 - Evolutionary Developmental Psychology 
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 376H - Senior Research Project II 
PS 378H - Senior Seminar 
PS 399 - Professional Internship In Psychology  (this experience may count towards the 300-level requirement only if taken for 3 or 4 credits)

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 towards 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 towards the major must meet the minimum of 2.000. Of these courses, only one course may have been completed with a grade of D.

WRITING REQUIREMENT IN THE MAJOR

Students fulfill the writing requirement in the Psychology major by completing a minimum of one (1) writing enhanced (WE) course and two writing intensive (WI) courses 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 Psychology Association, which includes technical, grammatical, and stylistic conventions.

Writing intensive (WI) courses in the major (cannot substitute for the All College Requirement of one EW course):

• PS 202
• PS 203
• PS 225B
• PS 304
• PS 314
• PS 320H
• PS 327

Writing enhanced (WE) courses in the major:

• NS 101
• PS 205
• PS 207
• PS 208
• PS 210
• PS 211
• PS 213
• PS 214
• PS 218
• PS 231
• PS 316
• PS 321
• PS 341

 

Recommendations and Advice:

Faculty urge psychology majors to complete PS 102  and the two Methods courses by the end of the sophomore year, as PS 202  is a requirement for 300-level courses and both are prerequisites for the senior thesis research experience (PS 375 /PS 376H ) and Senior Seminar (PS 378H ). Those students who discover relatively early in their program of study an interest in research, and those who have completed both Methods courses, are at particular advantage when applying for external fellowship opportunities. The summer between junior and senior year of study is an ideal time to seek this type of opportunity. Faculty encourage students to distinguish between the minimum requirement for a major 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 the majors by way of advanced lab courses (PS 225B , PS 304 , PS 305B , PS 314 , PS 320H , and PS 327 ), advanced statistics (PS 318H ), independent research experiences (PS 373 ), directed studies (PS 371 ), summer collaborative research experiences, and thesis honors projects (PS 375  /PS 376H ).
 

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.

For students prior to the Class of 2017 (students who entered before Fall 2013):

*Members of the Class of 2015 and 2016 who have not completed PS217 before the start of the Fall 2013 semester are strongly encouraged to pursue the new curriculum.

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: PS 101, PS 217, PS 306, and at least one course from three different clusters listed below (the three courses must total at least ten credits):

1. Neuroscience: NS 101, PS 231
    
2. Social Developmental Psychology: PS 205, PS 207, PS 208
    
3. Perceptual/Cognitive Processes: PS 305A, PS 305B, PS 323, PS 324, PS 325
    
4. Personality/Abnormal Psychology: PS 210, PS 211, PS 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).

If a student has taken ED 200, PS 207 will not count towards the PS major (as either filling a cluster requirement or counting as elective credit) and the grade for PS 207 , if taken, will not count toward the PS major GPA.

A maximum of 5 credits taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis may count toward the 30 credits required by the major, including PS 399 and PS 275. Only two one-credit PS 275 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 PS 399—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 2.000. Of these credits, only one course 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 306.

Writing enhanced (WE) courses in the major:
NS 101*
PS 205*
PS 207*
PS 208*
PS 210*
PS 211*
PS 213**
PS 224**
PS 231*
PS 308*
PS 316**
PS 321**
PS 324*
PS 341**

* Cluster courses
** Elective courses

Recommendations and Advice: Faculty urge psychology majors to complete PS 217 and PS 306 by the end of the junior year, as both are prerequisites for the senior thesis research experience (PS 375/376). Those students who discover relatively early in their program of study an interest in research, and those who have completed PS 306, 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 320H), advanced statistics (PS 318H), independent research experiences (PS 371B), directed studies (PS 371A), summer collaborative research experiences, and thesis capstone projects (PS 375/PS 376H).

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