Program Overview

Psychology, B.S.

The B.S. in Psychology emphasizes the study of the mind and brain grounded in knowledge of physical and biological sciences. Students in the major are able to choose courses from areas including:

• Cognitive Psychology Perception, Memory, Decision Making, Learning, and Consciousness
• Language and Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Students interested in other areas of psychology are advised to consult the course listings in the School of Social Ecology and the School of Biological Sciences sections.

Departmental Requirements for the Major

A. Required Major Courses

Complete:

• COGS 9A- 9B- 9C | Psychology Fundamentals
• COGS 10A- 10B- 10C | Exploratory Data Analysis, Probability and Inference, and Statistical Models
• COGS 14P | Scientific Python for Research

B. Psychology Core

Select four from the following:

• COGS 120A | Abnormal Psychology
• COGS 120D | Developmental Psychology
• COGS 120H | History of Psychology
• COGS 120P | Personality Theories
• COGS 130A | Perception and Sensory Processes
• COGS 130N | Neuroscience of Perception
• COGS 140J | Judgment and Decision Making
• COGS 140L | Learning and Decision Making
• COGS 140M | Human Memory
• COGS 150 | Psychology of Language
• COGS 160A | Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
• COGS 160D | Brain Disorders and Behavior

C. Research Methods

Select two from the following:

• COGS 112A- 112LA | Experimental Psychology and Experimental Psychology Laboratory
• COGS 112BW- 112LB | Advanced Experimental Psychology and Advanced Experimental Psychology Laboratory
• COGS 112C- 112LC | Research in Experimental Psychology and Research in Experimental Psychology
• COGS 112M- 112LM | Research Methods in Psychology and Research Methods in Psychology Laboratory
• COGS 112N- 112LN | Introduction to fMRI Research and fMRI Research Laboratory
• COGS 112P- 112LP | Research in Perception and Psychophysics and Research in Perception and Psychophysics Laboratory
• COGS 112R- 112LR | Cognitive Robotics and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory

D. Background in Science

Select six courses from the following list. Selected courses must be taken from, at minimum, three different disciplines:

• BIO SCI 35 | The Brain and Behavior
• BIO SCI 36 | Drugs and the Brain
• BIO SCI 37 | Brain Dysfunction and Repair
• BIO SCI 38 | Mind and Memory
• BIO SCI 41 | Mood Disorders
• BIO SCI 75 | Human Development
• BIO SCI 93 | From DNA to Organisms
• BIO SCI 94 | From Organisms to Ecosystems
• CHEM 1A | General Chemistry
• CHEM 1B | General Chemistry
• CHEM 1C- 1LC | General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory
• CHEM 51A | Organic Chemistry
• CHEM 51B- 51LB | Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
• CHEM 51C- 51LC | Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
• COGS 14M | MATLAB Programming
• COGS 60N | Neurobiology of Cognition
• COGS 89 | Special Topics in Lower-Division Cognitive Sciences
• COGS 108 | Neural Analytics
• COGS 189 | Special Topics in Upper-Division Cognitive Sciences
• LPS 30 | Introduction to Symbolic Logic
• LPS 31 | Introduction to Inductive Logic
• LPS 40 | The Nature of Scientific Inquiry
• LPS 60 | The Making of Modern Science
• MATH 2A | Single-Variable Calculus I
• MATH 2B | Single-Variable Calculus II
• MATH 3A | Introduction to Linear Algebra
• MATH 3D | Elementary Differential Equations
• MATH 5A | Calculus for Life Sciences I
• MATH 5B | Calculus for Life Sciences II
• PHYSICS 3A | Basic Physics I
• PHYSICS 3B- 3LB | Basic Physics II and Basic Physics Laboratory
• PHYSICS 3C- 3LC | Basic Physics III and Basic Physics Laboratory
• PHYSICS 7C- 7LC | Classical Physics and Classical Physics Laboratory
• PHYSICS 7D- 7LD | Classical Physics and Classical Physics Laboratory
• PHYSICS 7E | Classical Physics
• PHYSICS 15 | Physics of Music
• STATS 110 | Statistical Methods for Data Analysis I
• STATS 111 | Statistical Methods for Data Analysis II
• STATS 112 | Statistical Methods for Data Analysis III

E. Upper-Division Electives

Select seven additional four-unit COGS lecture courses numbered 100-199 and note the following:

1. One may be lower-division. COGS 7A may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
2. No more than one of the courses may be numbered 190-199.
3. If accepted into the Honors Program, COGS H101A-COGS H101B-COGS H101C can be used for three of the seven elective courses needed to fulfill this requirement.

Sample Program

General

Freshman

• Fall: COGS 9A, COGS 10A, General Education, Science
• Winter: COGS 9B, COGS 10B, General Education, Science
• Spring: COGS 9C, COGS 10C, General Education, Science Sophomore
• Fall: UD Core, COGS 14P, Science, General Education
• Winter: UD Core, Elective, Science, General Education
• Spring: UD Core, Elective, Science, General Education Junior
• Fall: Research Methods, Research Methods Lab, UD Core, Upper-Division Writing
• Winter: Research Methods, Research Methods Lab, UD Elective, Elective
• Spring: UD Core, UD Elective, Elective, Elective Senior
• Fall: UD Elective, UD Elective, Elective, Elective
• Winter: UD Elective, Elective, Elective, Elective
• Spring: UD Elective, Elective, Elective, Elective

Transfer

Junior

• Fall: COGS 9B, UD Core, COGS 14P, Upper-Division Writing, Science
• Winter: COGS 10A, COGS 10B, UD Core, Science
• Spring: COGS 10C, UD Core, Science Senior
• Fall: Research Methods, UD Elective, Research Methods, Science
• Winter: Research Methods Lab, UD Elective, UD Core, Science
• Spring: Research Methods Lab, UD Elective, UD Core, Science

Honors Program in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology

The Honors Program in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology is an advanced educational and research program for outstanding undergraduate students in these majors. The program emphasizes advanced competence in scientific research and allows participants the opportunity to pursue advanced work in independent research, in addition to earning honors upon graduation.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a cognitive sciences or psychology major
2. Have completed the psych fundamental series
3. Be in junior standing (at minimum)
4. Have a 3.2 minimum GPA within the major

The application consists of:

1. Completed application form
2. An analytical writing sample
3. A one-page research plan
4. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member who has agreed to oversee the proposed research project

Students who participate in the program are expected to enroll in the Honor Seminar series (COGS H101A-COGS H101B-COGS H101C) in fall, winter, and spring quarters, respectively. Honors students must successfully complete a senior honors thesis and present their research at the department's honors poster symposium held in spring as part of the coursework in COGS H101C.