Degree Requirements

General Requirements for the Major

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn a GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major; and 3) all courses taken for a major must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major degree requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Major

  1. Completion of ten units in Psychology.
  2. Satisfactory completion of cognate requirement: BIOL 101 or 111.
    • Note: this cognate requirement is in addition to the ten units in psychology.
    BIOL 111 is strongly recommended for students with an interest in biological psychology or neuroscience.
  3. Satisfactory completion of PSYC 101 (Introductory Psychology). Students with a strong psychology background may petition the department to take an elective instead of PSYC 101.
  4. Satisfactory completion of both PSYC 201 and PSYC 301 (Applied Statistics & Research Methods I, II).
    • Note: PSYC 101 is a prerequisite for PSYC 201. The prerequisite for PSYC 301 is completion of PSYC 201 with a grade of C- or better or permission of instructor.
  5. Satisfactory completion of two of four laboratory courses: PSYC 310, 311, 312, or 313.
    • Note: All laboratory courses have PSYC 201 as a prerequisite. PSYC 312 also requires PSYC 301 or permission of instructor. PSYC 311 students participate in laboratories involving live animals.
  6. Satisfactory completion of PSYC 401 (Perspectives).
  7. Satisfactory completion of four psychology elective courses from the foundation, supporting, or advanced & independent categories.
    1. At least two of the four courses must be from the foundations category at any level.
    2. At least two of the four courses must be at the 300/400 level.
    Note: First year (WR/SI) seminars cannot be used to fulfill major requirements.
    Note: Psychology majors may not use PSYC 225 to fulfill the Social Scientific Approaches core requirement.
    Note: PSYC 370 may only be counted once toward the major.
  8. Psychology majors must satisfy university core requirements other than First-Year Seminars outside of the Psychology department.

The Psychology Department does not offer a Minor in Psychology. Non-majors who are interested in psychology and who would like guidance in selecting courses are encouraged to speak to any member of the department. For students interested in a concentration in psychology, taking PSYC 201 is recommended, since this course is a prerequisite for most of the 300-level psychology classes. Non-majors who are interested in applying to graduate school in psychology or a related field (such as neuroscience or special education) are strongly encouraged to speak with a psychology faculty member early on regarding their course selections. Non-majors are also able to take a number of courses without completing any prerequisites, including: PSYC 101, 200, 220, 221, 225, 230, and 255; other courses such as PSYC 265 and 320 may be taken starting in the sophomore year with one previous course in psychology.