Psychology Major
The Psychology major offers four undergraduate B.S. degree tracks or concentrations, each consisting of 120 credits: General, Clinical-Counseling, Industrial-Organizational, and Paralegal Studies. The tracks help to prepare students better for subfields within psychology, giving students a sense of whether the area is a good fit for them personally. Specializing in a track does not, however, limit a student's career or graduate school opportunities as the degree being earned in all cases is a B.S. degree in psychology. Students in any track can later pursue careers or apply to graduate school within any field of psychology. Accordingly, selection of a track should depend upon interests, career goals and graduation target date. The PSY major suggested course sequence sheet can also help with selecting which courses to take during certain semesters. All of the information about the major, possible tracks, courses, etc. is in the Psychology Student Handbook.
A common set of General Education requirements and a core set of psychology requirements also means that is it relatively easy for students to switch from one track to the other if their interests or needs change. Students should explore the pages describing each track before selecting a specific option. There are two sets of General Education requirements: for students prior who enrolled up to 2010, and for students who enrolled 2011 or later.
New majors who enter the program from January 2007 on must maintain at least a 2.25 QPA each semester. Also, students must have at least a C or better in PSY 011 General Psychology and a 2.5 QPA to transfer into the Psychology major (a higher QPA might be required at times when there is less room to add new majors). The fall 2011 curriculum sheet (with the new General Education program) is the newest program version in effect for any freshman (i.e. < 30 credits) who declares a major.
Come to the Psychology Department main office to request a change of major. Change of major forms are processed by the Registrar ONLY during the first two weeks of the regular semester and during the summer. Psychology accepts change of majors at those times only, though you can request an advising appointment with the department chair at any time to discuss the possibility of changing your major.
