Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Psychology, B.S.


General Psychology B.S. Degree and Major Requirements


For all admission criteria and prerequisites to the program, refer to the Department of Psychology  catalog page.

Degree Requirements


A student must complete a minimum of 44 PSYC credits and at least 60 non-PSYC credits.

Required Courses


  • General Education  41 Credit Hours 1
  • Quantitative requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3 Credit Hours
  • Scientific Literacy requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3-4 Credit Hours
  • Major requirements including cognate (listed below) 47 Credit Hours
  • University electives 25-26 Credit Hours
Total: 120 Credit Hours

Footnote

1 The General Education  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. Courses required for the major may also fulfill some General Education requirements.  MATH 220MATH 205MATH 231MATH 235 or another acceptable math course with a grade of “C-” or better is required for full admission to the major.

Major Requirements


The courses described below are required of all students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree.

SS Content Core – Psychology as a Social Science: 9 Credit Hours


Choose at least three of the following:

NS Content Core – Psychology as a Natural Science: 6 Credit Hours


Choose at least two of the following:

Biopsychology: 3 Credit Hours


Psychology electives: 9 Credit Hours


At least three hours must be at the 400 level

Capstone course: 3 Credit Hours


Departmental approval is required for students to enroll in more than one capstone course.

Choose one of the following:

Total: 44 Credit Hours


Footnotes

The General Education  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

2 Some sections of this course may meet the sociocultural awareness requirement depending on the content; when this course does meet the requirement, it will be listed in the notes section of the course listing in MyMadison.

3 One sociocultural competency course is required. Credit for this course may be counted under one of the other major categories.

Cognate Requirement


Additional Scientific Literacy: 3 Credit Hours

This course must be taken in addition to the General Education and the B.S. degree scientific literacy requirements. This may count toward a second major and/or minor requirements. In total, students take two scientific literacy courses beyond the General Education requirement, one to fulfill the B.S. degree scientific literacy requirements and one to fulfill the General Psychology B.S. degree requirements.

Choose a course from the list of courses meeting B.S. degree scientific literacy requirements.

Recommended Schedule for General Psychology Majors


The following program sample is intended as a guide. Courses must be taken in the sequence outlined; however, the semester during which a particular course is taken depends on a number of factors, including readiness to take 200-level math, the semester the psychology major is started and other majors or minors the student is completing.

Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their psychology academic adviser to plan their personal course schedule. Because of course sequencing requirements, even with the most compressed program, a minimum of five semesters (or four semesters and summer school) is required to complete the psychology major.

First Year


First Semester


Total: 15 Credit Hours

Second Semester


General Education, B.S. degree requirement, B.S. Psychology Cognate and/or minor program courses 15 Credit Hours

Total: 15 Credit Hours

Second Year


First Semester


Total: 15 Credit Hours

Second Semester


Total: 15 Credit Hours

Third Year


Courses


  • SS content core courses 9 Credit Hours
  • NS content core courses 9 Credit Hours
  • Minor program courses or electives 12 Credit Hours
Total: 30 Credit Hours

Fourth Year


Courses


  • Psychology Upper level Specialty Content Course 3 Credit Hours
  • Psychology 400 level elective 3 Credit Hours
  • Psychology capstone course 3 Credit Hours
  • Psychology, minor program or elective courses 21 Credit Hours
Total: 30 Credit Hours

Footnotes


A preliminary math course may be suggested after placement examinations. If suggested, the preliminary course should be taken first semester and MATH 220 second semester. Other 200-level mathematics courses may be substituted for MATH 220. Any MATH course numbered 205 or above is an acceptable prerequisite for the psychology major.

Any MATH course numbered 205 or above is a prerequisite for PSYC 210 and PSYC 212MATH 220 is recommended.

3 PSYC 210 is a prerequisite for PSYC 211.

4 PSYC 212 is a prerequisite for PSYC 213.

Recommended General Psychology Courses


The following courses are recommended for all psychology majors especially those who plan to pursue advanced study at the graduate level after earning their bachelor’s degrees.

Participate in experiential learning, such as:


Additional Information


A minor or a selection of courses from other departments that complements the psychology major for the professional field you are pursuing might be helpful. Discuss your professional goals with your faculty adviser and ask for recommendations. Consider taking courses that emphasize writing skills, quantitative skills, critical thinking and analysis and/or oral communication.

Students should discuss their career aspirations with their academic adviser throughout their academic program. Students interested in applying to graduate school should discuss the necessary preparation with their adviser early in their academic program. Students are encouraged to visit the department’s Peer Advising Office in Miller Hall where materials are available about career and graduate school opportunities.