Psychology Major, BA (60 credits)

Psychology Department Information and Requirements

Department Information
The psychology department offers an important behavioral science component of the university’s liberal arts curriculum. As part of the General Education program, courses in psychology broaden the student’s knowledge about behavior, cognition, and emotion. Through our major and minor programs, students can develop an understanding of the perspectives, content, and methods of the science and practice of psychology and prepare for graduate study.

Admission Requirements
Prior to admission to the psychology major, students must meet the following requirements:

Completion of PSY 101 with a grade of C or higher
GPA of 2.25 or higher in college coursework

Students wishing to apply for admission to the psychology major or minor are required to register with the department and be advised by a member of the department faculty. Students may register as pre-majors in psychology if they wish to join the major but have not yet met the admission requirements. The department reserves the right to change requirements as circumstances warrant. Application forms may be obtained from the department office or on the department website.

Exit Requirements
Students are required to have a 2.5 GPA within the major area to receive the degree.
Senior psychology majors are required to complete the department’s end-of-major examination in the quarter before graduating. Students should register for the examination in the department office. The purpose of this requirement is to enable us to assess whether the department has fulfilled its instructional objectives and to provide us with information that will enable us continuously to improve our programs and courses. In PSY 200 Introduction to the Major (taken after applying to the psychology major), students will learn about the portfolio requirements that will be due in PSY 489 Senior Assessment. One of the PSY 489 portfolio requirements is a minimum of ten hours of service learning and/or research assistant experience. This requirement can be met any time prior to the end of PSY 489.

Departmental Honors
The eligibility requirements for admission to the Department of Psychology honors program include the following:

1. Admission to the program: The student must be a psychology major, at least a junior but not more than a first quarter senior and have completed core courses with a GPA of at least 3.25 in those courses and have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0. The student must apply in writing to the department chair, with a supporting letter of recommendation from a member of the faculty who agrees to supervise the student’s work to completion.
2. Requirements and Procedures: The student will register for 4-6 credits in PSY 497, Undergraduate Honors Thesis. In consultation with the supervising faculty member, the student chooses a three-person faculty committee. Plans for the honors project, generally an empirical research study, must be approved by the entire committee. The project will culminate in a written research report and a formal defense of the thesis.

Psychology Program Learner Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and ethical responsibilities that are foundational to the field of psychology;
• apply basic principles of research methods in psychology to develop ethical studies that reflect the accurate use of research design, data collection, and data analysis procedures, as well as to accurately interpret published empirical findings;
• communicate psychological concepts and applications effectively for a variety of purposes;
• connect psychological content and skills to potential professional and career goals; and
• identify ways in which psychological science and practice may be used to enhance interpersonal relationships and systems that contribute to an inclusive and diverse society.

Required Courses for the 60-credit major

• PSY 101 - General Psychology Credits: (5)
• PSY 200 - Introduction to the Major Credits: (1)
• PSY 300 - Research Methods in Psychology Credits: (5)
• PSY 362 - Introductory Statistics Credits: (5)
• PSY 363 - Intermediate Statistics and Research Methods Credits: (5)
• PSY 489 - Senior Assessment Credits: (2)

Total Credits: 60

College and Department Information

Psychology Department  
College of the Sciences  

Program Codes
Major plan codes: PSYCLA, PSYCLAP
Online option codes: PSTCLAO, PSYCLAOP