Majoring in Psychology  

Psychology is concerned with the processes and principles of behavior in humans and animals. Increased understanding of oneself and others through the study of psychology is useful in almost every endeavor. Our undergraduate psychology curriculum is diverse in order to reflect the breadth of the field-- from the biological bases to the social determinants of behavior. Students can obtain general familiarity with psychological knowledge as well as have the opportunity to emphasize specific areas of psychology. Courses are geared toward the development of evaluative and analytic skills, which are indispensable to advanced study in experimental, clinical, and applied psychology. These skills, together with knowledge of the factors influencing individual and group behavior, are highly valuable for careers in such diverse fields as public health, engineering, medicine, business, administration, law, and education. The department offers a general psychology major and four additional majors for students wishing to pursue specialized interests in  biopsychology, clinical psychology, engineering psychology, and cognitive and brain science (New! Begins Fall '07). Download the department's Undergraduate Handbook which contains information about the majors, courses, and related fields found below. (Adobe Acrobat format: click here to obtain free download of the Acrobat Reader) General Psychology Major   Eleven courses are needed. They are distributed as follows: I. Mandatory (1): Psychology 1 - Introduction to Psychology II. One (2) 10-Level Course from among: Psychology 11 - Developmental Psychology Psychology 12 - Abnormal Psychology Psychology 13 - Social Psychology Psychology 14 - Psychology of Adolescence Psychology 15 - Theories of Personality Psychology 17 - Industrial and Organizational Psychology Psychology 18 - Thinking III. One (3) 20-Level course from among: Psychology 25 - Physiological Psychology Psychology 26 - Animal Learning and Cognition Psychology 27 - Perception Psychology 28 - Cognitive Psychology Psychology 29 - Human Neuropsychology IV. Mandatory Labs (4 & 5): Psychology 31 - Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Psychology 32 - Experimental Psychology V. One (6) Advanced Laboratory Course From among: Psychology 36 - Experimental Social Psychology Psychology 37 - Research Methods in Developmental Psychology Psychology 38 - Research Methods in Clinical Psychology Psychology 40 - Laboratory in Physiological Psychology Psychology 41 - Perception/Cognition Laboratory Psychology 45 - Laboratory in Functional Neuroimaging Psychology 46 - Animal Learning Laboratory Psychology 48 - Research Methods in Psychopharmacology Psychology 49 - Laboratory in Psychophysiology Note all laboratory courses have specific prerequisites.   VI. Two (7&8) Other Advanced Psychology Courses numbered above 100 VII. One (9) Other Course Offered By The Psychology Department VIII. Two (10 &11) Approved Advanced Courses in Related Fields (view current list)   Courses taken to fulfill the major requirements (including Related Field) normally may not be taken pass-fail. No more than two independent study type courses (Psychology 91 and 92, 97 and 99, 191 and 192, 197 and 198, 199; note that 181 and 182 are not independent study courses) may be counted toward the major. Only one of the two courses used to fulfill the 100-level requirement may be an independent study course. Biopsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive & Brain Science, and Engineering Psychology majors may not double major in General Psychology. Students who score 4 or 5 on the AP test in psychology place into two-digit psychology courses and should not take Psychology 1. A score of 5 completely substitutes for Psychology 1 within the major, meaning that students need only 10 courses to complete the major. Students with an AP score of 4 need to take an additional psychology course for the major in lieu of Psychology 1. Successful completion of Child Development 1 is treated in the same manner: students may substitute CD 1 as PSY 1 for prerequisite purposes, but they must take an additional psychology course in order to reach the 11 courses required for the major. Double majors in Psychology and Mathematics can take Math 162 (Statistics) instead of Psychology 31. The Department does not accept the Statistics AP as a substitute for Psychology 31. Students who are double majoring in Psychology and Economics use Econ 13 (Economics Statistics) as a substitute for Psychology 31; these students should bear should bear in mind that their stats course likely did not cover analysis of variance (ANOVA), a technique with which they will need to familiarize themselves before taking PSY 32 and the advanced lab. Biopsychology majors may use either BIO 132 or PSY 31 to fulfill their statistics requirement. Students completing a Senior Honors Thesis may substitute it for the advanced lab course. A thesis completed in a different department may not be used in this manner. Note that using the thesis to fulfill the advanced lab precludes a student from using it as a 100-level requirement. Also, the rule regarding no more than two independent study courses used towards the major still applies (though PSY 199 is a two-credit course, it only counts as one independent study course towards the major since it only fulfills one major requirement). In other words, students who use an honors thesis to fulfill the advanced lab may use PSY 191/192 as one of their 100-level courses or PSY 91/92 as their elective course, but not both. Thesis students should keep in mind that a subsequent decision to drop the thesis or to convert it to a non-PSY 199 independent study will leave them one course short of their major requirements. To be safe, students may wish to take an advanced lab in addition to their thesis; students are also encouraged to have an open conversation with their thesis advisor regarding their thesis progress before spring course registration. Psychology majors can select either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. In recommending students for honors and awards, in addition to the general college requirements, the Psychology Department gives special attention to research experience. To graduate summa cum laude, the department requires that a student conduct independent research supervised or approved by a faculty member in the department.   Biopsychology Major   An interdepartmental major for students particularly interested in neurobiology and animal behavior. Students may not double major in psychology and biology. Required courses: five in biology and five in psychology. These include the following: Psychology Psychology 31 - Statistics Psychology 32 - Experimental Psychology Psychology 103 - Brain and Behavior Plus two (2) electives chosen from among: Psychology 26 - Animal and Learning and Cognition Psychology 27 - Perception Psychology 29 - Human Neuropsychology Psychology 40 - Laboratory in Physiological Psychology Psychology 41 - Perception/Cognition Laboratory Psychology 45 - Laboratory in Functional Neuroimaging Psychology 46 - Animal Learning & Cognition Laboratory Psychology 48 - Research Methods in Psychopharmacology Psychology 49 - Laboratory in Psychophysiology Psychology 104 - Advanced Seminar in Physiological Psychology Psychology 123 - Psychopharmacology Psychology 112 - Biological Bases of Psychopathology Psychology 124 - Cognitive Neuroscience of Perception Psychology 127 - Behavioral Endocrinology Psychology 128 - Advanced Seminar on Nutrition and Behavior Psychology 129 - Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology 148 - Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning and Memory Biology Biology 13 - Cells and Organisms Biology 41 - General Genetics Biology 130 - Animal Behavior Plus one course in animal physiology chosen from among: Biology 75 - Comparative Vertebrate Physiology Biology 115 - General Physiology I Biology 116 - General Physiology II Biology 134 - Neurobiology An elective in Biology Majors are encouraged to elect an advanced laboratory course in either department. Consult the department of either Biology or Psychology for details about this program. You can also contact any of the Advising Faculty of Biopsychology in either of the two departments Dr. Robin Kanarek (Psychology)             Dr. Barry Trimmer (Biology) Dr. Klaus Mizcek (Psychology)                Dr. Michael Romero (Biology) Dr. Joseph DeBold (Psychology)              Dr. Ben Dane (Biology) Dr. Robert Cook (Psychology) Clinical Psychology Major      This major is intended for students interested in entering graduate or professional school in mental health or human services and/or wanting to work with psychiatric patients after graduation. The requirements are as follows: I. Eight Required Courses: Psychology 1 - Introduction to Psychology Psychology 12 - Abnormal Psychology Psychology 31 - Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Psychology 38 - Research Methods in Clinical Psychology Psychology 71 - Clinical Methods Psychology 106 - Seminar in Physiological Psychology Psychology 181 - Supervised Seminar Fieldwork Psychology 182 - Supervised Seminar Fieldwork II. Two Elective Psychology Courses: A student majoring in clinical psychology must take two electives, one of which must be a 100-level. For information see courses listed under Psychology. III. Two Related Field Courses: Two related field courses must be taken in order to complete the major requirements. For more information see courses listed under Related Fields. You may also contact the advising faculty for the clinical psychology majors for further information: Dr. David Harder            Dr. Gina Kuperberg           Dr. Lisa Shin Engineering Psychology     An interdisciplinary program offered jointly by the Departments of Engineering Design and Psychology. Engineering Psychology, more commonly called "Human Factors," applies knowledge of human behavior and attributes to the design of equipment, machines, and large-scale systems for human use. Areas of application include biomedical engineering, environmental design, and consumer product design. Students in the College of Engineering or Liberal Arts will receive the Bachelor of Science degree from their respective colleges after meeting the general requirements set by each college. Fifteen courses distributed as follows: Engineering Science 1 - Introduction to Computers in Engineering (half-credit course) Engineering Science 2 - Engineering Graphics (half-credit course) Civil and Environmental Engineering 53 - Engineering Systems (Deterministic or Stochastic Models) Engineering Design 61- Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics Engineering Design 161 - Human Factors in Product Design Engineering Design 162 - Man-Machine System Design Engineering Design/ Psychology 120 - Project Study In Human Systems Psychology 17- Industrial and Organizational Psychology Psychology 31- Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Psychology 32 - Experimental Psychology Psychology 53 - Engineering Psychology Psychology 130 - Advanced Engineering Psychology Elective in Psychology 2 Engineering Science Electives (half-credit courses) Mathematics 11 - Calculus I Mathematics 12 - Calculus II You can also contact the faculty coordinators for more information: Dr. Caroline Cao (Mechanical Engineering)               Dr. Holly A. Taylor (Psychology) Cognitive and Brain Science (CBSS)     Cognitive and Brain Science is an inherently interdisciplinary area, drawing on psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy of mind, computer science, and biology. A Cognitive and Brain Science degree provides an excellent preparation for careers in the sciences, computer fields, health professions, law, and education. Requirements: Required courses Psychology 29 - Introduction to Cognitive and Brain Sciences Psychology 31 - Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Psychology 32 - Experimental Psychology Psychology 64 (cross listed as Philosophy 15) - Introduction to Linguistics Computer Science 11 - Introduction to Computer Science (or AP credit) Computer Science 14 - Computational Concepts in Biological and Cognitive Sciences One from each of the following three groups: Psychology 11 - Developmental Psychology Psychology 25 - Physiological Psychology Psychology 26 - Animal Learning and Cognition Psychology 27 - Perception Psychology 28 - Cognitive Psychology Psychology 103 - Brain & Behavior Child Development 51 - Intellectual Development of Young Children Computer Science 131: Artificial Intelligence Computer Science 171 - Human Computer Interaction  Philosophy 3 - Language and Mind Philosophy 33 - Logic Psychology 150 - Semantics Psychology 151 - Syntactic Theory a total of four courses taken from at least two of the following groups: Psychology 112 - Biological Basis of Psychopathology Psychology 123 - Psychopharmacology Psychology 124 - Cognitive Neuroscience of Perception Psychology 126 - Origins of Cognition Psychology 127 - Behavioral Endocrinology Psychology 129 - Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology 139 - Social Cognition Psychology 140 - Mathematical Psychology Psychology 142 - Seminar in Affective Neuroscience Psychology 144 - Memory and Retention Psychology 146 - Comparative Cognition and Behavior Psychology 148 - Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning and Memory Psychology 154 - Psychosis Psychology 149 - Psychology of Language Child Development 155 - The Young Child's Development of Language Child Development 195 - Developmental Disorders in Language and Reading Child Development 243 - Reading, Dyslexia, and the Brain Computer Science 80 - Programming Languages Computer Science 135 - Machine Learning and Data Mining Computer Science 150 - Computational Learning Theory Computer Science 131: Artificial Intelligence (only if not counted under IIb.) Computer Science 171 - Human Computer Interaction (only if not counted under IIb.) Computer Science 170 / Philosophy 170 - Computation Theory Philosophy 117 - Philosophy of Mind Philosophy 126 - Theories of Human Nature Philosophy/Psychology/Anthropology 132 - Cognition of Society and Culture Philosophy 133 - Philosophy of Language Philosophy 134 - Philosophy of Social Science Enrollment in Psychology 195 as a senior, which entails either completing an honors thesis in psychology, child development, computer science or philosophy, or completing a year-long research experience with a faculty member in one of these departments or with a faculty member in the neuroscience department at the medical school. Students are encouraged, after consultation with their advisor, to augment the Cognitive & Brain Science major by taking electives in Psychology, Anthropology (150), Biology (13, 14, 116, 134), and Math (11, 12, 13, 150). Students majoring in Cognitive & Brain Science usually receive a Bachelor of Science degree. You can also contact members of the CBSS steering committee for more information: Dr. Phil Holcomb (Psychology)     Dr. Ray Jackendoff (Philosophy)     Dr. Diane Souvaine (Computer Science)  Dr. Dan Dennett (Philosophy)   Dr. Robert Cook (Psychology)