Psychology, BA or BS

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Requirements for the Major

1. Fulfill baccalaureate degree requirements.

2. Prerequisite

Complete with a grade of C or better:

STAT 243Z - Elementary Statistics I 4 credits
or
HON 243 - Probability and Statistics 4 credits
AND
BI 101 - General Biology: Cells 4 credits
or
BI 211 - Principles of Biology: Molecules, Cells, and Genes 5 credits
or
BI 231 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 credits

3. Complete the following:

A minimum of 61 credits in psychology, at least 40 credits of which must be upper division, for the baccalaureate degree, including:

a. 17 credits:

PSY 201Z - Introduction to Psychology I 4 credits
PSY 202Z - Introduction to Psychology II 4 credits
PSY 211 - The Psychology Major 2 credits
PSY 225 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications 4 credits
PSY 225L - Methods, Statistics, and Applications Lab 1 credit
PSY 325 - Writing and Research in Psychology 2 credits

b. Core curriculum (32 credits):

(All courses taken to fulfill credit requirements for the psychology major or minor must have a psychology (PSY) prefix or be approved for psychology credit by the Psychology Department.)

Choose six of the following project-based courses:
PSY 334 - Social Psychology 4 credits
PSY 341 - Learning and Memory 4 credits
PSY 344 - Cognitive Psychology 4 credits
PSY 452 - Health Psychology 4 credits
PSY 457 - Psychopharmacology 4 credits
PSY 460 - Child and Adolescent Development 4 credits
PSY 466 - Adult Development and Aging 4 credits
PSY 479 - Psychological Disorders 4 credits
PSY 496 - History and Systems of Psychology 4 credits
Each course fulfills at least three of the following components: Critical thinking and scientific inquiry; professional preparation; civic engagement; curiosity and creativity. Each course also includes a component of diversity and cultural enrichment through collaborative learning and encourages social and cultural awareness by utilizing a multicultural perspective. Course projects serve as foundation for the Psychology Capstone.
All students take the following courses:
PSY 351 - Behavioral Neuroscience 4 credits
PSY 425 - Psychology Capstone 4 credits
All required psychology courses, except General Psychology (PSY 201, 202) must be taken for a letter grade.
The Psychology Department will not accept for credit toward the psychology major any core required psychology course (listed above in 3a & b) that is older than 20 years at the time of the student’s graduation from SOU.

c. Electives

Complete psychology electives (12 credits, of which 8 must be upper division). Transfer courses in the same content area that are equivalent to SOU offerings may not be used to fulfill both core and elective areas.

4. Grade Minimum and GPA

Earn a minimum grade of C for each psychology course counted toward the major, plus a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 in all courses counted toward the major.

5. Prerequisites

Lower division writing, biology, statistics and psychology courses are prerequisites for some upper division psychology courses. Check upper division course listings for prerequisites. All prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C.

6. Outcomes

Writing, critical-thinking skills, and research competencies will be achieved as components throughout the Psychology major curriculum.

Notes:

A maximum of 6 credits from the following courses may be counted toward the 61 credits needed for a psychology degree.

PSY 209 - Human Service Practicum 1 to 3 credits
PSY 299 - Special Studies 1-6
PSY 309 - Advanced Human Service Practicum 1 to 6 credits
PSY 401 - Research 1 to 6 credits
PSY 405 - Reading and Conference 1 to 6 credits
PSY 409A - Practicum and Seminar in Psychological Services 1 to 12 credits
PSY 409B - Practicum: Human Service 1 to 6 credits
PSY 406 - Instructional Aide 1 to 6 credits

The following should be successfully completed by the end of the junior year to assure that graduation can occur by the end of the senior year.

PSY 225 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications 4 credits
PSY 225L - Methods, Statistics, and Applications Lab 1 credit
PSY 325 - Writing and Research in Psychology 2 credits

A minimum of 180 credits is required to graduate from SOU. Factors such as the number of hours and types of courses transferred to SOU may affect the total number of credits accrued in satisfying all requirements for graduation with a psychology major.

Optional Program Emphases

There are several program emphases for psychology majors, depending on particular career plans (e.g., paraprofessional programs and pregraduate school programs, including experimental, clinical or counseling, developmental, and organizational psychology). See your advisor for suggested coursework in these program emphases.