2021-2022 Undergraduate Academic Catalogue 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Academic Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, BA


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Students majoring in Psychology are required to complete the following courses (below), for a total of 12 3-credit courses, two 4-credit courses, and one 1-credit course.  Students should consult with their Major Advisor to discuss which courses might best support their progress towards their career goals.  For example, students interested in graduate school in the practice of clinical or counseling psychology will likely take Psychopathology, Social Psychology, and Intro to Counseling (for counseling psychology). Students interested in a research career and/or a Ph.D. should consider taking additional research courses. 

Requirements for All Psychology Majors


The following are required for all psychology majors:

Foundation Course


PY 101  Introductory Psychology is required of every Psychology major. Other foundation courses (if offered) can count as electives. 

Breadth and Depth Courses


Students are required to complete six Breadth and Depth Courses. These courses move students towards competency in the knowledge of psychology theory and content, Learning Aim 1: Knowledge. Selected courses must include a) at least one course from each of the Breadth and Depth groups, b) and include at least one breadth course (200-level) and at least one depth course (300-level). 

Information and Quantitative Literacy Courses


Students are required to complete two Information and Quantitative Literacy Courses.  The courses with this designation emphasize information and quantitative literacy and help students develop skills in consuming and producing research.  These courses encourage students' progress towards Learning Aim 2: Research; they help students understand and apply research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and reporting of findings. Information and Quantitative Literacy courses cannot be used to fulfill the Breadth and Depth courses requirement. 

Diversity, Ethics, and Justice Course


Students are required to complete one Diversity, Ethics, and Justice Course.  This requirement includes courses that provide a special emphasis on human diversity, ethics, and justice encourage students to engage deeply with themes that are cross-cutting in psychology. Through these courses, students make progress towards Learning Aim 5: Diversity, Ethics, and Justice and learn how to weigh evidence, think critically, act ethically, and recognize and understand the complexity of individual and societal diversity, all in the spirit of promoting social justice. Courses in this group cannot be used to fill the Breadth and Depth course requirement. 

Professional Readiness Course


Students are required to complete one Professional Readiness Course. Courses in this category encourage professional development and support students' abilities to communicate effectively in psychology and support students' progress towards Learning Aim 3:  Communication. These courses expose students to the myriad professions and day-to-day pursuits of individuals who study psychology. PY 200 , Professional Development, a 1-credit course, fulfills this requirement. Courses in this group cannot be used to fill the Breadth and Depth course requirement. 

Mastery Courses


Students are required to complete two Mastery Courses.  Mastery Courses are 400-level courses and are designed as capstone experiences that include high impact teaching practices and occur towards the end, or near end, of a students' progression through degree requirements.  These courses may solidify understanding of the science of psychology by integrating knowledge from multiple courses, may provide intensive study on one area of psychology, and/or may be defined by experiential learning through research projects or semester-long internships.  These courses emphasize Learning Aim 4: Application of Psychology and Learning Aim 3: Communication as well as at least one other learning aim specified in the course description. 

Electives


Students must complete two additional courses of their choosing from any group and any level: 200, 300, or 400. 

Additional Requirements


In addition to these courses, Psychology majors are required to complete ST 110 ST 210 , or ST 265 ; as well as either BL 105  or BL 121  .  A recommended (not required) core math/science course is CS 106 

Requirements for the Major


Requirements for a major and an example of a typical program of courses are as follows:

Freshman Year


Spring Term


Sophomore Year


Spring Term


Junior Year


Fall Term


  • PL 200-level or TH 200-Level Course
  • PY Diversity, Ethics, and Justice Course**
  • PY Breadth and Depth Course**
  • PY Elective**
  • CS 106 or other Math/Science Core 

Spring Term


  • PY Breadth and Depth Course**
  • PY Breadth and Depth Course**
  • Ethics Core
  • Elective
  • Elective

Senior Year


Fall Term


  • PY Mastery Course**
  • PY Elective Course**
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective

Spring Term


  • PY Mastery Course**
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective

Key:


* Required for major.
** Terms may be interchanged.

Notes:


  1. PY 101  is a minimum prerequisite for all other PY courses.
  2. ST 110  or ST 210  or ST 265  or EC 220  is ideally taken prior to PY 291 , but it may be taken concurrently. This statistics requirement must be completed prior to taking PY 292 . These are the only math courses that fulfill the pre-/corequisite for PY 291 .
  3. Psychology majors and interdisciplinary majors are strongly encouraged to take BL 105 ; however, they may take BL 121 /BL 126  (and in the case of BL/PY are required to take BL 121 /BL 126 ). Note that some Psychology courses have a pre-requisite of BL 105  or BL 121 /BL 126  . 
  4. Psychology majors and interdisciplinary majors are encouraged to take CS 106  as a math/natural science requirement.
  5. All PY 200-level courses (except PY 200 , PY 291 , and PY 292 ) may be used by the nonpsychology major as social science core courses, provided the PY 101  prerequisite is met.
  6. Students must complete the diversity core requirement through a designated diversity core, major, or elective course (see Diversity Core Requirement  under Curriculum and Policies).

Honors in Psychology


An honors option is available to psychology majors who hold a 3.700 GPA in the major and a 3.500 overall GPA and complete the semester sequences and capstone projects described below. This GPA requirement is based upon cumulative grades and is confirmed in the student's second to last semester.

Entry into the honors option is contingent upon the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Education. Students should meet with the Director of Undergraduate Education no later than the close of the student's second to last semester.

Semester Sequences and Seminal Project


To complete the requirements for honors, students will complete one of three possible two-semester sequences listed below. If students complete either PY 401  and PY 402  or PY 418  and PY 419   they will then be required to present their seminal project in a professional forum* (e.g. Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Colloquium, professional local, regional, or national conference). If students complete the PY 435  and PY 436  option, they will be required to present on their field experience work at the Psychology Field Experience Colloquium, organized in coordination with the Honors candidates by the Undergraduate Program Director.

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