Psychology Major


The “Basic Requirements” include PSYC 100 (Introductory Psychology), which must be completed before taking ANY other psychology courses. Basic requirements also include PSYC 225 (Cognitive Psychology), PSYC 233 (Biopsychology), PSYC 250 (Statistics), and PSYC 251 (Research Methods).

To be eligible for most of the 300-level psychology courses, you must:

  1. Complete all five basic courses with at least a “C-“ in each course.
  2. Achieve an overall GPA of 2.0 (“C” average) across the five courses.

During the semester in which you are completing the basic requirements, you will earn conditional "proficiency in basic requirements." Once you have met the above criteria, you will have earned "proficiency in basic requirements."

If you transferred any of the basic requirements from another school or from AP credits, refer to the AP & Transfer Credit - Meeting Basic Requirements guide.

When planning your course schedule, try to finish all five of these courses by the end of your second year. The goal is to have all of your junior and senior years to spread out your upper-level requirements (viz., 6 300-level courses and PSYC 452). We recommend at least 3 full semesters, after completing the basic requirements, to complete the upper-level coursework.

When you successfully complete three 300-level psychology courses (excluding experiential courses such as PSYC 395, 396, 397, 399) with a "C-" or higher, you will be eligible to register for the senior seminar, PSYC 452. We recommend taking PSYC 452 in your senior year.