Program Overview

Psychology Major

The Psychology major is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of human and animal behavior, seeking to understand how people and nonhuman animals function in their environments. The curriculum includes coursework in various topics, such as psychology as a science and profession, cognition and behavior neuroscience, intergroup relations, development in infancy, emotions, human performance, personality, sexuality, health, and more.

Degree Requirements

• Graduation Requirements
• Required Courses
• Electives
• Allied Hours

To graduate, students must:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and above
• Complete a minimum of 41 hours in PSY courses, with 25 of these being upper-division
• Complete 10 hours of PSY courses at the U of U, with at least 8 being upper-division
• Limit experiential learning credits to 6 hours (Research Experience, Peer Advising, Teaching Assisting, and Internships)
• Complete all prerequisite, psychology, and allied courses with a C or better

Required Courses

• PSY1010: General Psychology (4 credits)
• PSY2010: Orientation to Psychology as a Science and Profession (3 credits)
• PSY3000: Statistical Methods in Psychology (4 credits)
• PSY3010: Research Methods in Psychology (4 credits)

Core Areas

Students must complete one course from 4 of the 5 core areas:

1. Developmental Core

• PSY3215: Development in Infancy (3 credits)
• PSY2200: Childhood and Adolescent Development (3 credits)
• PSY3230: Adult Development and Aging (3 credits)
• PSY3260: Social Development (3 credits)
• PSY3290: The Biology of Stress and Development (3 credits)

2. Social Core

• PSY2500: Social Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY3430: The Science of Subjective Well Being and Positive Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY2250: Personality Theories (3 credits)
• PSY3460: Health Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY3620: Environmental Psychology and Sustainability (3 credits)
• PSY3415: Social Cognition (3 credits)

3. Clinical Core

• PSY2500: Social Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY3430: The Science of Subjective Well Being and Positive Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY2250: Personality Theories (3 credits)
• PSY3460: Health Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY3620: Environmental Psychology and Sustainability (3 credits)
• PSY3415: Social Cognition (3 credits)

4. Cognitive Core

• PSY2100: Cognitive Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY3140: Cognitive Neuropsychology (3 credits)
• PSY3150: Sensation and Perception (3 credits)
• PSY3172: Human Performance and Engineering Psychology (3 credits)

5. Behavior/Neuroscience Core

• PSY3140: Cognitive Neuropsychology (3 credits)
• PSY3150: Sensation and Perception (3 credits)
• PSY2710: Brain and Behavior (3 credits)
• PSY3470: Neuropsychology of Emotion & Personality (3 credits)

Electives

Students can choose from all psychology course offerings to complete the 41 credit-hour requirement, including 4000-level Internships, Research Experience, Teaching Assisting, and Peer Advising. Up to 6 hours of these classes can count toward the 41 credit-hour requirement.

Allied Hours

Students must complete at least 12 credits from the following types of courses, with 6 credits being upper-division (courses numbered 3000 or above). This requirement is waived with the completion of a second major, minor, or certificate. All courses must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better. The goal of this requirement is to foster a broader educational base for psychology majors, consistent with the general aims of a liberal arts degree.