Course Planning

Course selections are closely related to a student’s long-term plans for their degree.  Some students intend to pursue graduate study in psychology or related fields, while others plan to enter the workforce upon completion of their bachelor’s degree.  Preparation for graduate study can be accomplished through the traditional BA/BS Psychology major or via one of our Graduate Preparation Emphases.  In either case, those bound for graduate programs will need to explore research and/or fieldwork opportunities as juniors.

All psychology majors complete Introductory Psychology (Psych 211).  Ideally this course and any mathematics prerequisites for the basic statistics course should be completed in the freshman year.

All psychology majors are also required to take Basic Statistical Methods (Psych 215) and Research Methods (Psych 216), ideally in the sophomore year.  These three courses are one of the requirements for admission to the optional Graduate Preparation Emphases in the major.  All majors will also take courses in the main content areas of psychology (e.g. abnormal psychology, cognition and learning, development, physiological bases of behavior, social bases of behavior).

To find out how the courses offered typically rotate, please click here.

Which students should think about going to graduate school?

• Students interested in working as psychotherapists or counselors
• Students planning to teach psychology at the college level
• Students who want to conduct psychological research
• Students interested in becoming school psychologists or guidance counselors
• Students who want to be professors