Major Requirements

NEW! The psychology department has updated the psychology major requirements. Students matriculating in Fall 2025 and beyond, will automatically follow the new psychology major. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2025 will follow the retiring psychology major, but may be permitted to complete the new psychology major by reaching out to a psychology advisor. Requirements for both majors are detailed below.

New Psychology Major (students who matriculate in Fall 2025 and beyond)

Retiring Psychology Major (students who matriculated prior to Fall 2025) 

New Psychology Major Requirements

→ For students who matriculate Fall 2025 and beyond.

 The psychology major leads to a BA degree and satisfies a social science divisional requirement.

Pre-Major Requirement

PSYC 101: Intro to Psychology, or the equivalent, should be completed before the student is accepted into the major. 

One Statistics Course

Choose one of the following:

  • STAT 180: Introduction to Applied Statistical Methodology (formerly STAT 212: Applied Statistics I)
  • STAT 190: Introduction to Statistical Methodology (formerly STAT 213: Elements of Probability & Mathematical Statistics)
  • STAT 203: Introduction to Mathematical Statistics

Note: This course should be taken by the end of the sophomore year.

One Research Methods Course

Choose one of the following:

  • PSYC 201W: Research Methods (formerly PSYC 219/PSYC 219W)
  • PSYC 202W: Research Methods (formerly PSYC 219/PSYC 219W)
  • PSYC 203: Research Methods

Note: Statistics is a pre-requisite for any research methods course. Students should take one of these courses no later than the end of the junior year.

Two Cognitive and Neurobiological Foundations Courses

Choose two of the following:

  • PSYC 110/BCSC 110: Neural Foundations of Behavior or NSCI 201/BCSC 240: Basic Neurobiology
  • PSYC 111/BCSC 111: Foundations of Cognitive Science
  • PSYC 112: Social, Affective, and Clinical Neuroscience (this is a new course that will be available in 2026)

Two Social, Developmental, and Clinical Foundations Courses

Choose two of the following:

  • PSYC 161: Social Psychology and Individual Differences
  • PSYC 170: Child Development
  • PSYC 180: Intro to Psychopathology

Five Elective Courses

Students must complete five, four-credit elective courses in PSYC. Exceptions may be made for transfer/study abroad courses that are less than four credits. No more than eight credits can be independent research/study courses (numbered 39X) or teaching courses (PSYC 301, 302, 303, 304).

Two Upper-Level Writing Courses  

Students are required to take two of their psychology courses designated as upper-level writing courses, and at least one of these courses is to be at or above the 200 level. Eligible courses include:

  • Any course designated as a "W" course (e.g., PSYC 201W: Research Methods)
  • Any .5 credit upper-level writing ("W") tagalong course/section offered
  • PSYC 39X (faculty approval required)
  • WRTG 274/PSYC 274W Communicating Your Professional Identity - Psychology course. 

Writing courses stress formal writing, and may include literature review papers, research reports, and critical reviews of articles. The form of the document will vary among courses, but all writing should conform generally to the appropriate guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

The criteria for significant writing are the following minimum set of assignments and activities:

  • At least three formal writing assignments. (These could be linked components of a larger document. If so, the separate parts must be clearly identified.)
  • Assignments vary in length from 150-word abstracts to longer documents.
  • Revision of at least one assignment with the benefit of instructor comments.
  • Meet quality standards of clarity, conciseness, and completeness.

Psychology majors can seek admission to tagalong writing sections in the first two weeks of the semester and enrollments will be allotted on need and first-come, first-served bases. Students are encouraged to consult with the individual faculty member regarding writing courses registration.

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Retiring Psychology Major Requirements

→ For students who matriculated prior to Fall 2025 only, no exceptions.

 The psychology major leads to a BA degree and satisfies a social science divisional requirement.

Pre-Major Requirement

PSYC 101 or the equivalent should be completed before the student is accepted into the major. 

One Statistics Course

One of the following:

  • STAT 180: Introduction to Applied Statistical Methodology (formerly STAT 212: Applied Statistics I)
  • STAT 190: Introduction to Statistical Methodology (formerly STAT 213: Elements of Probability & Mathematical Statistics)
  • STAT 203: Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
  • STAT 211: Statistical Literacy & Applied Methodology (no longer offered)
  • BIOL 214/STAT 214: Biostatistics (no longer offered)

Note: This course should be taken by the end of the sophomore year.

Two Natural Science Core Courses

Both of the following:

  • PSYC 110/BCSC 110: Neural Foundations of Behavior 
  • PSYC 111/BCSC 111: Foundations of Cognitive Science

Two Social Science Core Courses

Two of the following:

  • PSYC 161: Social Psychology and Individual Differences
  • PSYC 171: Social and Emotional Development or PSYC 170: Child Development
    • Note: Students may not receive credit for both PSYC 170 and PSYC 171
  • PSYC 181: Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy

Twenty Elective Course Credits

Students must complete 20 elective credits in PSYC. The most common way to reach 20 credits is by taking five 4-credit elective courses in PSYC. Courses bearing more or less than four credits (e.g., 2- or 6-credit courses) are acceptable so long as the total number of elective credits is at least 20. No more than two courses can be independent study courses (numbered 39X).

Two Upper-Level Writing Courses  

Students are required to take two of the psychology courses designated as upper-level writing courses, and at least one of these courses is to be at or above the 200 level. Eligible courses are the .5 tagalong or the 2-credit WRTG 274/PSYC 274W course. Two courses are still required if you take the 2 credit writing course. 

Writing courses stress formal writing, and may include literature review papers, research reports, and critical reviews of articles. The form of the document will vary among courses, but all writing should conform generally to the appropriate guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

The criteria for significant writing are the following minimum set of assignments and activities:

  1. At least three formal writing assignments. (These could be linked components of a larger document. If so, the separate parts must be clearly identified.)
  2. Assignments vary in length from 150-word abstracts to longer documents.
  3. Revision of at least one assignment with the benefit of instructor comments.
  4. Meet quality standards of clarity, conciseness, and completeness.

Independent study, laboratory courses, seminars, and small lecture courses in psychology may often be negotiated with the instructor to be “W” courses and carry writing credit, although there will be exceptions. Many lecture courses have small tagalong writing sections that carry 0.5 credits and are designated as “W” sections.

Psychology majors can seek admission to tagalong writing sections in the first two weeks of the semester and enrollments will be allotted on need and first-come, first-served bases. Students are encouraged to consult with the individual faculty member regarding writing courses registration.

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