Requirements for the Major

Students majoring in psychology must earn at least 5 units of credit in the psychology department. PSYC 101, PSYC 102, and PSYC 200 are required of majors, and majors are strongly advised to complete PSYC 200 by the end of their sophomore year. A grade of C- or better in PSYC 200 is required in order to declare a major in psychology.

Majors are required to have a balanced curriculum within the discipline that reflects coursework concerning the basic processes of behavior as well as behavior in context. To satisfy the basic process requirement, 1 unit of work must be completed by earning at least .5 unit of credit in any two of the following categories: (1) learning and motivation; (2) sensation and perception; (3) comparative; (4) physiological or neuropsychology; and (5) psychology of language or cognition. The behavior-in-context requirement can be fulfilled by taking at least .5 unit of credit in any two of the following categories: (1) child development or adult development; (2) abnormal; (3) personality; (4) social; and (5) the psychology of women or cross-cultural psychology.

Further, students are expected to take one .5-unit course in research methods in the basic process area (i.e., research methods in biopsychology, research methods in physiological psychology, research methods in cognitive psychology, research methods in learning and motivation, or research methods in sensation and perception) as well as one .5-unit course involving research methods employing a contextual approach to behavior (i.e., research methods in developmental psychology, research methods in social psychology, research methods in personality, research methods for studying gender, or research methods in cross-cultural psychology).