Psychology focuses on understanding, predicting and solving problems related to human behavior in today's information-rich world, which makes it one of the most relevant, versatile fields of study.
Majoring in Psychology will help you employ a variety of lenses - including clinical, biological, cognitive, developmental, industrial/organizational, social, and personality - to appreciate why people do what they do while building expertise in scientific methods, critical thinking, and statistical procedures.
Understanding human behavior is an asset in any job. While many psychology majors want to seek advanced master's and doctoral-level degrees, there are many interesting jobs for individuals who graduate with a BA alone.
Students can apply for entry-level jobs in areas including:
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Research
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Mental Health
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Human Resources
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Social Services
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Market Research and Marketing
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Corrections
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Education
Students who wish to pursue K-6 teacher certification in Elementary Education must apply to and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Students who wish to pursue K-6 teacher certification in Elementary Education must apply and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Once admitted, students will be matriculated into the B.A. in Elementary Education program as a second major.
Please visit the Teacher Education Program website for the required professional sequence of courses and other important Program requirements, guidelines, and procedures. Students also are strongly advised to review the Teacher Education Program Handbook.
120 credits of coursework is required for the baccalaureate degree with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. Major GPA requirements differ depending on field of study. Consult the Teacher Education Program Handbook for more information.
Psychology majors must earn a grade of C- or above in all Psychology courses. Psychology course in which grades of less than C- are earned must be repeated and brought up to a minimum grade of C- or they will not count toward the major.
For details about this program, including program description, admission requirements, and contact information, click here.
Degree Requirements Overview
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| New Student Seminar | 1 | |
| SEEDS General Education Requirements | 18-21 | |
| Major Requirements | 39 | |
| Teacher Education Program Requirements | 57 | |
| Free Electives | 5-2 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Psychology majors must earn a grade of C- or above in all Psychology courses. Psychology courses in which grades of less than C- are earned must be repeated and brought up to a minimum grade of C- in order to count toward the major. Note: The grades for all Psychology courses, including those below C-, are included in the major GPA. **Admission to the Teacher Education Program version of this major requires admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students typically apply for admission in sophomore or junior year after completing the program. There are GPA, testing and course completion requirements that vary by certification. | ||
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 199 | Academic Success and Career Preparation in Psychology | 1 |
| PSYC 203 | Introduction to Psychological Research | 3 |
| PSYC 220 | Introduction to Statistical Methods in Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 301 | Experimental Psychology | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Biological Basis of Behavior | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Physiological Psychology | ||
| Perception | ||
| Drugs and Behavior | ||
| Neurocognitive Disorders | ||
| Comparative Animal Behavior | ||
| Motivation | ||
| Cognition | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Cognition | ||
| Human Learning and Memory | ||
| Psycholinguistics | ||
| Personality | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Developmental Psychology I | ||
| Psychological Foundations of Personality | ||
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Social/Applied | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Health Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Psychology Of Work: Personnel Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Work: Organizational Psychology | ||
| Clinical Psychology | ||
| School Psychology | ||
| Advanced Electives | ||
| Advanced Electives I | ||
| Complete 6 credits from the list below. | 6 | |
| Advanced Electives II | ||
| Complete 6 credits from the list below. | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Advanced Electives I
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 100-499 (except for courses used in the major core or other elective categories) | ||
| PCOM 100-299 | ||
| LNGN/CSIT/PHIL 288 | Introduction to Cognitive Science | 3 |
| BIOL 319 | Genes, Brains, and Behavior | 4 |
| BIOL 320 | Social Neurobiology | 3 |
Advanced Electives II
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 300-499 (except PSYC 301 or courses used in other elective categories) | ||
| PCOM 300-499 | ||
| BIOL 319 | Genes, Brains, and Behavior | 4 |
| BIOL 320 | Social Neurobiology | 3 |
| LNGN 488 | Seminar in Cognitive Science | 3 |
New Student Seminar
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students in the Adult Learner program must take GNED 100. | ||
| Complete one course from the following. Some courses may be restricted by major. Consult with an academic advisor. | 1 | |
| Pathways to Success | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Chemistry | ||
| First Year Seminar | ||
| Adult Academic Success Seminar | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Health and Physical Education | ||
| Pathways to Adult Learning | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| New Student Experience for Mathematical Sciences | ||
| Freshman Seminar for Music Majors | ||
| Introduction to Nursing | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Political Science and Law | ||
SEEDS General Education Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill the SEEDS requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| Effective Writing I | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing I course. | 3 | |
| Effective Writing II | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing II course. | 3 | |
| Interactive Communication | ||
| Complete one Interactive Communication course. | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Fulfilled by PSYC 220 in the major. | ||
| Political and Civic Life | ||
| Fulfilled by ECEL 200 in the co-major. | ||
| World Languages | ||
| Complete two sequential classes in one World Language when starting at the Beginner I or Beginner II level. Complete one class when starting at the Intermediate/Advanced Level. | 3-6 | |
| Exploration | ||
| Complete one course from four different Exploration categories: | 6 | |
| Analyzing Cultures and Societies | ||
| Fulfilled by PSYC 101 in the major. | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Ethical Inquiry | ||
| Historical Thinking | ||
| Literary and Artistic Analysis | ||
| Fulfilled by READ 209 in the co-major. | ||
| Scientific Reasoning | ||
| Total Credits | 18-21 | |
Recommended Roadmap to Program of Study Completion
This recommended degree plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their program of study requirements within four years and 120 credits. This plan is a recommendation and must be used in consultation with their academic advisor. Important note: Students should be aware this plan assumes no pre-requisite coursework is required. If pre-requisite coursework is needed, students may have additional requirements to fulfill which do not appear on the plan.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| New Student Seminar | 1 | PSYC 203 | 3 |
| PSYC 101 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 1 - Analyzing Cultures and Societies) | 3 | SEEDS: Effective Writing II | 3 |
| SEEDS: Effective Writing I | 3 | SEEDS: World Language II or Free Elective | 3 |
| SEEDS: World Language I | 3 | ECEL 200 (Fulfills SEEDS: Political and Civic Life) | 3 |
| SEEDS: Interactive Communication | 3 | FSHD 214 | 3 |
| SEEDS Exploration 2 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PSYC 199 | 1 | PSYC 301 | 4 |
| PSYC 220 (fulfills SEEDS: Quantitative Reasoning) | 4 | PSYC Social/Applied Elective | 3 |
| PSYC Personality Elective | 3 | PSYC Advanced Elective | 3 |
| EDFD 220 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 3 - Ethical Inquiry) | 3 | MTHM 201 | 3 |
| EDFD 221 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 4 - Historical Thinking) | 3 | Free Elective | 2 |
| READ 209 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 2 - Literary and Artistic Analysis) | 3 | ||
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PSYC Biological Basis of Behavior Elective | 3 | PSYC Cognition Elective | 3 |
| FSHD 314 | 3 | PSYC Advanced Elective | 3 |
| MTHM 302 (Teaching Professional Sequence) | 3 | PSYC Advanced Elective | 3 |
| READ 399 | 3 | ECSE 339 | 3 |
| ECEL 279 | 3 | ECEL 408 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PSYC Advanced Elective | 3 | ECEL 414 | 9 |
| ECEL 410 | 3 | ECEL 421 | 3 |
| ECEL 412 | 3 | ||
| ECEL 427 | 3 | ||
| READ 408 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||