Oct 12, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Psychology, B.S.


Program Description


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

Admission and Retention Requirements


Students who wish to pursue the psychology major must 1) declare the major and 2) meet admissions requirements.
 
Declare Psychology B.A., B.S., or 2nd major
Date by which you must request to declare the major in Psychology in MyMadison
Semester you will begin as a declared major after your declaration is approved
February 15
Summer of the same calendar year
February 15
Fall of the same calendar year
September 15
Spring of the next calendar year
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.
  • Complete PSYC 101 , with a minimum grade of “C.” Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Complete an online orientation and application, available from the psychology department website.
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.

Degree and Major Requirements


Degree Requirements Credit Hours
General Education  1 41
Quantitative requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3
Scientific Literacy requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3-4
Major requirements (not including cognate) 47
Cognate requirement (see below) 3
University electives

Total

22-23

120

Major Requirements


The courses listed 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: 3 Credit Hours


Capstone course: 3 Credit Hours


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

Choose one of the following:

Sociocultural Competency: 0 Credit Hours


Choose one of the following:3

Total: 47 Credit Hours


Footnotes

The General Education  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. Some credits may be fulfilled by courses required within the major.

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.

Repeatable. Additional credits in PSYC 402  or PSYC 403  could fulfill the three credit hour elective requirement. Any additional PSYC 402  or PSYC 403  hours could fulfill the 120 credit hours needed for graduation.

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

Total: 120 Credit Hours


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 advisor 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 Year Total: 30 Credit Hours


Second Year


Second Year Total: 30 Credit Hours


Third Year


  • Credits: 3.00 3
  • 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 courses Credits: 6.00
  • Psychology capstone course Credits: 3.00
  • Minor program or elective courses Credits: 12.00-21.00

Fourth Year Total: 30 Credit Hours


Footnotes


1 PSYC 210  is a prerequisite for PSYC 211 .

2 PSYC 212  is a prerequisite for PSYC 213 .

3 PSYC 385  may be taken during the fourth year.

Program Total: 120 Credit Hours