Degree Requirements for Psychology

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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 in Psychology (BA)

Completion of ten units in Psychology.
Satisfactory completion of cognate requirement: BIOL 101, 102, 111, or 112.
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.
Satisfactory completion of PSYC 102 (Writing and Thinking in Psychology).
Satisfactory completion of PSYC 201 (Applied Statistics & Research Methods I).
Satisfactory completion of one of the following laboratory courses: PSYC 301, 310, 311, 312, or 313.
Satisfactory completion of PSYC 401 (Psychology Senior Capstone Seminar).
Satisfactory completion of five psychology elective courses.
1. At least two of the five courses must be at the 300/400 level.
2. Laboratory courses can count as upper-level electives.
3. Students cannot use a laboratory course to fulfill both the laboratory course requirement and the elective course requirement
Satisfactory completion of the department’s Experiential Requirement in the form of 0-1.0 units of EXLN or PSYC (495-498) experiential credit.
1. Students may opt to complete volunteerism, an internship, or research experience
2. The student’s plan to fulfill the requirement must be approved prior to participation in the experience.
3. PSYC 201 is a prerequisite for completing the requirement.
4. Satisfactory completion of academic work to supplement the experience is required.

Requirements for the Major in Psychology (BS)

Completion of ten units in Psychology.
Satisfactory completion of cognate requirement: BIOL 111 or 112.
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.
Satisfactory completion of PSYC 102 (Writing and Thinking in Psychology).
Satisfactory completion of both PSYC 201 and PSYC 301 (Applied Statistics & Research Methods I, II).
Satisfactory completion of two of the following laboratory courses: PSYC 310, 311, 312, or 313.
Satisfactory completion of PSYC 401 (Psychology Senior Capstone Seminar).
Satisfactory completion of three psychology elective courses.
1. At least one of the three courses must be at the 300/400 level.
2. Laboratory courses can count as upper-level electives.
3. Students cannot use a laboratory course to fulfill both the laboratory course requirement and the elective course requirement.
Satisfactory completion of the department’s Experiential Requirement in the form of 0-1.0 units of EXLN or PSYC (495/496) research credit.
1. Students must conduct independent research involving data collection.
2. The student’s research project must be approved prior to the start of data collection.
3. PSYC 201 is a prerequisite for completing the requirement.
4. Satisfactory completion of academic work to supplement the experience is required.

Notes for the Major

The following notes apply to all Psychology majors (i.e., BA and BS):

The 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. BIOL 112 is strongly recommended for students with an interest in evolutionary psychology or animal behavior.
Psychology majors must earn a grade of C or better in PSYC 101 (or its equivalent course) in order to enroll in PSYC 102.
Psychology majors must earn a grade of C or better in PSYC 102 in order to enroll in PSYC 201.
Students must be a declared Psychology major to enroll in PSYC 201. MATH 160 is strongly encouraged but not required for PSYC 201.
The prerequisite for PSYC 301 is completion of PSYC 201 with a grade of C or better or permission of instructor.
All laboratory courses have PSYC 201 as a prerequisite. PSYC 312 also requires PSYC 301 or permission of instructor. PSYC 311 students participate in daily laboratory work involving live animals.
Seminars in Scholarly Inquiry cannot be used to fulfill major requirements.
Psychology majors may not use PSYC 101 to fulfill the Social Scientific Approaches core requirement.
PSYC 370 may only be counted once toward the major.

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 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.