Admission and Retention Requirements
Students who wish to pursue the psychology major must 1) declare the major and 2) meet admissions requirements.
Deadline for Declaration of Psychology major (B.A., B.S. or 2nd major)
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Semester
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Deadline
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Summer
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February 15
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Fall
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February 15
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Spring
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September 15 of the previous year
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Requests to declare the major after the deadline will be processed the following semester.
Requirements for Admission to the Major
Students interested in completing the psychology major must meet the department’s progression standards and be fully admitted to the major. The number of semesters required to complete the program will depend on the timing of the student’s admission to psychology and the number of summer courses completed.
Students who meet all of the following criteria will be fully admitted to the major and will be permitted to take psychology major courses. Equivalent courses completed at another university for which the student has earned JMU approved transfer credit are acceptable.
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Complete
MATH 205 ,
MATH 220 ,
MATH 231 ,
MATH 235 or another acceptable math course with a minimum grade of “C.” Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
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Complete any General Education Psychology course (
PSYC 101 ,
PSYC 122 or
PSYC 160 ) with a minimum grade of “B.” Earning a 4 on the AP Psychology exam meets this requirement. With departmental approval, grades from other institutions can fulfill this requirement.
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Declared psychology majors who meet the criteria for admission and register for
PSYC 210 or
PSYC 212 will be fully admitted to the major. Students not admitted to the major may be admitted in a later semester, once they meet admissions requirements.
Retention
All psychology courses taken must carry a minimum grade of “C-” to apply to the major. A psychology course completed with a grade of “D” may be credited toward graduation requirements but may not be included in courses credited toward the psychology major.
Prerequisites
Psychology majors must complete
PSYC 101 and two statistics and research methodology courses (
PSYC 210 -
PSYC 211 or
PSYC 212 -
PSYC 213 ) before enrolling in courses numbered 330 and above. The prerequisites for
PSYC 210 and
PSYC 212 are any mathematics course numbered 205 or above and
PSYC 101 . Some psychology courses numbered 330 and above have specific prerequisites. See course listings for details.
Registration and Assessment
During registration, psychology majors will be given priority for course selection. Graduating majors must participate in assessment activities. Assessment information helps the faculty modify the curriculum to meet student needs.
Recommended Schedule for 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 Total: 30 Credit Hours
Second Year Total: 30 Credit Hours
Third Year
- PSYC 385. Biopsychology Credits: 3.00 5
- SS content core courses Credits: 3.00-9.00
- NS content core courses Credits: 3.00-6.00
- Minor program courses or electives Credits: 12.00-21.00
Third Year Total: 30 Credit Hours
Fourth Year
- SS and NS content courses Credits: 0.00-9.00
- Psychology upper-level specialty content course Credits: 3.00
- Psychology 400-level elective Credits: 3.00
- Psychology capstone course Credits: 3.00
- Psychology, minor program or elective courses Credits: 12.00-21.00
Fourth Year Total: 30 Credit Hours
Footnotes
1 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.
2 Any MATH course numbered 205 or above is a prerequisite for PSYC 210 and PSYC 212 . MATH 220 is recommended.
3 PSYC 210 is a prerequisite for PSYC 211 .
4 PSYC 212 is a prerequisite for PSYC 213 .
5 PSYC 385 may be taken during the third or fourth year.
