Psychology, B.S.

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Requirements for the Major:

The following major requirements apply to students in the class of 2019 and onward, until further notice. *Students from the classes of 2017 and 2018 should refer to their requirements specified further down on this page.

1. Psychology Requirements

PSY 100 - Introduction to Psychology
PSY 200 - Statistical Methods in Psychology
PSY 300 - Research Methods in Psychology
Note: Majors should normally complete PSY 200 and PSY 300 early in the junior year.

Nine other courses (one of which can be selected from a list of cognate courses from related disciplines):

Cognate courses from related disciplines:

Independent Study, Research, or Internship:

One course numbered PSY 451 through PSY 497 may count toward the major; however, students conducting an independent study abroad (ISA) may count two courses numbered PSY 451 through PSY 497 toward the major.

2. At least one course from each of the following four content areas:

Area 1:

Area 2:

Area 3:

Area 4:

3. At least one laboratory course from the following list:

4. One seminar course from the following list:

5. Senior Writing Requirement:

Students may fulfill the senior writing requirement in psychology in one of three ways: (1) by writing a thesis; (2) by completing a seminar (400-level) course designated WS in the senior year (this course must be in addition to any other seminar used to fulfill the basic WAC requirements); or (3) by completing a one- or two-term senior project. Any seminar which fulfills the Senior Writing Requirement also counts toward the requirement of one seminar (see above).

*Requirements for Students in the Classes of 2017 and 2018:

As of September 2015 the requirements for the psychology major changed. Students in the classes of 2017 and 2018 are encouraged to fulfill the new major requirements, but may instead fulfill a hybrid of the old and new requirements as follows.

Core courses:

Students have the option of fulfilling either the old or the new area requirements (#2 above). Students who have taken PSY 211 with a lab may count PSY 211 as a Neuroscience (Area 1) course.

Lab courses: Students who have taken any of the following courses with a lab (PSY 210 , PSY 211, PSY 220 or PSY 225 ) may count that course for the lab requirement (#3 above). Please note that students who have already taken PSY 210 with a lab may not also take PSY 310 . Students who have completed PSY 211 with a lab may not take PSY 313 .

Double counting courses: If a student has already taken PSY 210 , PSY 211, PSY 220 or PSY 225 with an associated lab, the course may count as fulfilling both one of the core area requirements plus the new lab requirement. Note that if a course is “double counted” for requirements in this way, it still only counts as one of the 12 courses needed to complete the psychology major.

Seminar requirement: Only one 400-level class is required, and that must be a seminar between PSY 410 - PSY 450 .

Honors in Psychology

All proposals for honors theses must be submitted to the department administrative assistant no later than the end of the eighth week of the spring term of the junior year. The proposal should be one typewritten page describing the general area of the project, the student’s preparation for the project (e.g., related course work), and the proposed faculty supervisor. Further information is available from the department administrative assistant.

Requirements for Honors in Psychology:

In addition to meeting College-wide requirements, honors in psychology requires: