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College of Arts & Sciences
- Undergraduate
Educational Objectives | Degree Programs | Major | Minor | Departmental Honors
INTRODUCTION
Psychology is the study of how individuals think, behave, feel, and relate to others. Because of its broad and fundamental nature, coursework in psychology is useful to any student pursuing a liberal arts major. Psychology is a good field of study for individuals who are preparing for post-graduate study in psychology or related fields such as counseling, guidance, or social work. It is also an appropriate field of study for students pursuing medicine, law, or business.
Psychology courses meet the general education requirements in the Social Sciences (People and Society). Although the vast majority of Psychology Majors are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology often serves as a second major for students in the School of Communication or the School of Education.
While most majors sample broadly from among the Department's
offerings, students wishing to focus on a specific sub-area
may select courses to provide a strong (though unofficial)
specialization. There are, for instance, clusters of courses
in child development, research methodology, the brain-behavior
relationship, and industrial/organizational psychology that
provide a basis for such a specialized major.
For curricular advice and for course and transfer approval etc., students should consult an advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Services for Psychology, Flipse 508, (305) 284-3303.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
The Department of Psychology seeks to provide undergraduate students with exposure to and a fundamental understanding of the psychological sciences. It seeks to deliver an integrative educational experience by promoting interactions among faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in basic and applied psychological inquiry, advising, mentoring, and community outreach.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Department of Psychology offers both a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. In addition to completing the coursework for the particular degree specified by the College of Arts and Sciences, students must also meet the Departmental requirements for each degree; these are described below.
Students in the School of Communication or the School of
Education wishing to double major in Psychology must fulfill
at least the Departmental requirements for the Bachelor of
Arts.
Major
B.A. Departmental Requirements
The B.A. in Psychology entails 30 credits in Psychology, including PSY 110. Students must also successfully complete a course in research design/statistics PSY 204* (which counts toward the major and serves as a prerequisite for advanced methods courses). Also required are 9 Psychology credits at the 300 level or higher and 6 additional credits at the 400 level or higher.
Students wishing to pursue careers in business, education, law, human resources, religion, social work, or other related fields often choose the B.A. degree. When it includes research-oriented courses such as PSY 204, PSY 316, PSY 418, and research experience, the B.A. is also appropriate for students aspiring to graduate study in many areas within Psychology. B.A. Psychology majors must choose one minor from the list of minors published by the College of Arts and Sciences.
B.S. Departmental Requirements
The B.S. Psychology major entails 33 credits in Psychology, including PSY 110, PSY 204*, PSY 316, and PSY 418, plus 3 additional credits at the 300 level or higher and 6 additional credits at the 400 level or higher.
Psychology majors aspiring to graduate study in Psychology and related fields often pursue the B.S. degree, as do students planning to attend medical school. B.S. Psychology majors must elect a minor from among the following: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Microbiology and Immunology, or Physics.
*UM alternates to PSY 204 include BIL 311; SOC 211 and
212; and MTH 224. These courses are acceptable as prerequisites
for PSY 316, but do not count toward the psychology major.
Thus, students opting to do these alternate courses must take
another course in Psychology to total the number of credits
for that major.
Grades Required to Declare and Continue
A student must have an overall and Psychology GPA of at least
2.5 to transfer from another major to Psychology, to declare
Psychology as a second major, to change from Undeclared status
to a Psychology major.
Students are strongly advised not to continue as Psychology
majors if, after having completed 15 credits in Psychology,
the Psychology GPA is less than 2.3.
Grades Required to Graduate
A grade of C- or better is required in all courses applied to the Psychology major, and the GPA in these courses must be at least 2.3.
Residency Requirement
As part of a major in Psychology, students must complete at least 15 upper division (300 level and above) Psychology credits in residence at U.M. With prior Departmental approval, 6 of these 15 may be completed through the U.M. Study Abroad Program.
Research Experience for Course Credit
No more than 6 research credits (i.e., PSY 367/8 and PSY 499) may count toward the major. PSY 498 does not count toward the major or minor. Additional research credits may count toward general electives.
Research Participation
As an introduction to behavioral science, students enrolled
in PSY 110 may be required to participate as subjects in research
studies being conducted by faculty and/or graduate students,
or by reading and writing about selected research reports.
For details, consult the course syllabus and/or contact the
Department's Undergraduate Academic Services for Psychology.
Note: This requirement is not sufficient for students interested
in attending graduate school in psychology. Students
seeking course credit for working in the laboratory of a psychology
faculty member should see an advisor and sign up for PSY 367
or PSY 368 (see above).
Course Prerequisites
Most courses beyond the 100-level require students to have taken introductory or foundation courses. Students who have not taken a prerequisite course (or who have taken it and obtained a D or F) may not enroll in the course for which it is a prerequisite. Students without prerequisites may be dropped from the class roll.
Transfer
Transfer students wanting courses taken elsewhere to count
as Psychology courses at U.M. must obtain written Departmental
approval during their first semester at U.M. This is
a separate process from the Admissions Evaluation of Transfer
Credit. No more than one course at the 100 level (i.e.,
without a prerequisite) will be counted toward the major;
these courses may, however, count as general electives.
Regularly enrolled UM students wishing to take a Psychology
course elsewhere (e.g., during the summer) must obtain prior
Departmental approval if they wish it to be counted in place
of a U.M. Psychology course. In some cases, transfer
courses not approved as part of the major or minor may still
meet other distribution or elective requirements.
Freshmen
All freshmen declared Psychology majors receive their advising as a part of a year-long advising, orientation, and mentoring program known as FACT FORUM. All freshmen declared as Psychology majors in the College of Arts and Sciences will be placed in a Freshman Experience section of FACT (Freshman Advising Contact Term). This is a one credit general elective course that is designed to integrate freshmen into the Department by familiarizing them with the guidelines, opportunities and responsibilities of a Psychology major. During the second semester, freshmen enroll in a FORUM section (Faculty Overview of Research and Undergraduate Mentoring). This one credit general elective course helps to put the curriculum in context, and stresses the importance of and opportunities for research.
Minor
The minor in Psychology requires 15 credits in Psychology, with a grade of C- or better and a GPA of 2.0 or better for these 15 credits. No more than 3 of these credits may be in courses having no prerequisite, and no more than 3 credits may be in research courses (e.g., PSY 367). Of the 15 credits, 9 must have been completed at U.M.; with prior approval, 3 of these 9 credits may be taken through the U.M. Study Abroad Program.
Departmental Honors
Any Psychology major may graduate with Departmental Honors in Psychology by attaining an overall GPA of at least 3.3 and a Psychology GPA of at least 3.5 and by completing PSY 204, PSY 316, and PSY 498/499. Thus, Departmental Honors entails both excellence in regular classes and completion of a Senior Honors Thesis.
Preparation for the Senior Honors Thesis should begin prior
to the senior year and usually involves enrolling in PSY 367/8
during the sophomore or junior year. Permission to enroll
in PSY 498 (Senior Thesis) is given only to students who have
completed at least 18 credits in Psychology (including PSY
316) and whose overall and Psychology GPAs are at the levels
required for graduation with Departmental Honors. To
enroll in PSY 498, students must obtain written approval from
both the faculty mentor who will supervise the thesis and
the Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. These
faculty members also assess the adequacy of the thesis upon
completion. Students are expected to complete the Thesis
course sequence; a grade of "IP" (i.e., incomplete
in progress) is given for PSY 498 until PSY 499 is completed
and approved.
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