Psychology, BA or BS

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Requirements for the Major

1.

Fulfill baccalaureate degree requirements.

2.

Complete with a grade of C+ or better:

MTH 243 - Introduction to Statistical Methods 4 credits
or
SOC 241 - Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences 4 credits
or
SSPC 241 - Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences 4 credits
AND
BI 101 - General Biology: Cells 4 credits
or
BI 211 - Principles of Biology: Molecules, Cells, and Genes 4 credits

3.

Complete a minimum of 57 credits in psychology, at least 36 credits of which must be upper division, for the baccalaureate degree, including:

a.

PSY 201 - General Psychology 4 credits (Grade of C+ or better required)
PSY 202 - General Psychology 4 credits (Grade of C+ or better required)
PSY 211 - The Psychology Major 1 credit
PSY 228 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications I 4 credits (Grade of C+ or better required)
PSY 229 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications II 4 credits

b.

Core curriculum (20 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.)

PSY 334 - Social Psychology 4 credits
or
PSY 370 - Lifespan Development 4 credits
PSY 341 - Learning and Memory 4 credits (PSY major statust required)
or
PSY 344 - Cognitive Psychology 4 credits (PSY major status required)
or
PSY 353 - Sensation and Perception 4 credits (PSY major status required)
PSY 351 - Behavioral Neuroscience 4 credits (PSY major status required)
one approved upper division multicultural/diversity course *
PSY 498 - Psychology Capstone 4 credits each (PSY major status required)
PSY 499 - Psychology Capstone 4 credits each (PSY major status required)
* The multicultural/diversity course or courses must total at least 4 credits and be selected from approved psychology courses, including:
PSY 369 - Human Sexuality 4 credits
PSY 465 - Adult Development and Aging 4 credits
PSY 479 - Abnormal Psychology 4 credits
PSY 487 - Multicultural Psychology 4 credits
PSY 489 - Native American Psychology 4 credits
PSY 492 - Psychology of Women 4 credits
PSY 495 - Lesbian and Gay Studies 4 credits
All psychology required courses, except General Psychology (PSY 201, 202, and the multicultural list) 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.

Complete psychology electives (16 credits, of which 12 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.

Earn a minimum grade of C+ for each psychology course counted toward the major or the minor and for the courses below, plus a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 in all psychology courses required for a BA or BS in psychology or human service.

MTH 243 - Introduction to Statistical Methods 4 credits
or
SOC 241 - Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences 4 credits
or
SSPC 241 - Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences 4 credits
and
BI 101 - General Biology: Cells 4 credits
or
BI 211 - Principles of Biology: Molecules, Cells, and Genes 4 credits

5.

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.

Writing, critical-thinking skills, and research competencies will be achieved as components in:

PSY 201 - General Psychology 4 credits
PSY 202 - General Psychology 4 credits
PSY 228 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications I 4 credits
PSY 229 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications II 4 credits
PSY 499 - Psychology Capstone 4 credits each

Notes:

A maximum of 6 credits from the following courses may be counted toward the 57 credits needed for a psychology degree.

PSY 209 - Human Service Practicum 1 to 3 credits
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 416 - Teaching Assistantship 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 228 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications I 4 credits
PSY 229 - Methods, Statistics, and Applications II 4 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.