Psychology Major

Below is the description of the on-campus Psychology Major. Learn more about the Major in Psychology offered through Open Learning. Contact Open Learning for all questions about the Major in Psychology offered through Open Learning.

Admission requirements

Students interested in Psychology must apply to the Bachelor of Arts degree program.

It is recommended that students declare a major in psychology as early as possible, well before the completion of 60 credits.

All students in the psychology major program are required to complete PSYC 1110, 1210, 2040, 2100 and 2110 and 6 credits from PSYC 2120, 2130, 2160, 2210, 2220, 2230.

Students intending to major in Psychology must see both a Psychology Major Advisor and a BA Program Advisor. The Major Advisor will assist each student in selecting courses that will satisfy the major program requirements. The BA Advisor will then ensure that all additional BA degree requirements are met.

Graduation Requirements - Major in Psychology

To graduate with a major in psychology, students are required to complete a minimum of 54 credits of psychology courses: 21 lower-level credits (7 courses) and 33 upper-level credits (11 courses), as described below.

In addition to the requirements for the major in psychology, students are expected to complete requirements for the BA degree (120 credits).

Lower-level Requirements: 21 credits

Year 1 & 2

Five required courses (15 credits):

• PSYC 1110: Introduction to Psychology 1 (3)
• PSYC 1210: Introduction to Psychology 2 (3)
• PSYC 2040: Introduction to Biological Psychology (3)
• PSYC 2100: Analysis of Psychological Data (3)
• PSYC 2110: Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology (3)

• PSYC 2120: Introduction to Personality (3)
• PSYC 2130: Introduction to Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence (3)
• PSYC 2160: Introduction to Abnormal Psychology (3)
• PSYC 2210: Introduction to Cognition (3)
• PSYC 2220: Introduction to Social Psychology (3)
• PSYC 2230: Introduction to Developmental Psychology: Adulthood & Aging (3)

Upper-level Requirements: 33 credits minimum

Students majoring in Psychology need to complete 33 upper-level credits in Psychology.

Category A Only a selection of courses will be offered each year. Course offerings are dependent on instructor availability and expertise.

At least 6 credits from courses in Category A:

• PSYC 3000: Psychiatric Clinical Disorders (3)
• PSYC 3010: Disorders Across the Lifespan (3)
• PSYC 3020: Infancy (3)
• PSYC 3030: Psychological Testing (3)
• PSYC 3100: Clinical Psychology (6)
• PSYC 3110: Clinical Psychology: Theories and Systems of Psychotherapy (3)
• PSYC 3140: Health Psychology (3)
• PSYC 3150: Childhood & Adolescence (3)
• PSYC 3200: Personality (3)
• PSYC 3220: Adulthood and Aging (3)
• PSYC 3250: Community Psychology (3)
• PSYC 3260: Social Cognition (3)
• PSYC 3270: Social Influence and Interpersonal Relationships (3)
• PSYC 3360: Psychology of Language 1 (3)
• PSYC 3380: Psychology of Emotion (3)
• PSYC 3400: Psychology and the Law (3)
• PSYC 3410: Forensic Psychology (3)
• PSYC 3420: Children and the Law (3)
• PSYC 3720: Special Topics in Psychology 2 (3)

Category B Only a selection of courses will be offered each year. Course offerings are dependent on instructor availability and expertise.

At least 6 credits from courses in Category B:

• PSYC 3060: Principles of Animal Behaviour (6)
• PSYC 3230: Conditioning and Behavioural Control (3)
• PSYC 3390: Human Neuropsychology (3)
• PSYC 3510: Visual Processes (3)
• PSYC 3520: Auditory, Tactile and Chemical Processes (3)
• PSYC 3540: Cognition: Attention and Memory (3)
• PSYC 3550: Cognition: Language & Thought (3)
• PSYC 3560: Psychopharmacology (3)
• PSYC 3570: Neuroscience of Motivation & Emotion (3)
• PSYC 3580: Neuroscience of Learning & Memory (3)
• PSYC 3710: Special Topics in Psychology 1 (3)

Other Upper-level Elective course:

• PSYC 3240: History and Systems of Psychology (3)
• PSYC 3610: Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology (3)
• PSYC 4210: Advanced Topics in Psychology (3)
• PSYC 4220: Advanced Topics in Applied Psychology (3)

Students majoring in Psychology will complete the remaining 21 upper-level required courses ( 7 courses) by choosing from courses offered in rotation by the department.

Students wishing to apply for the Honours program must take PSYC 3610 prior to applying. PSYC 3610 is open to all students meeting the course pre-requisites and will count as part of the required 33 upper-level credits.

Capstone course:

• PSYC 4280: Psychology Capstone (3)
• PSYC 4990: Honours Thesis in Psychology (6)

Students majoring in Psychology will complete a Capstone course. This course must be completed during the last 30 credits of the Major.

Research Apprenticeships:

• PSYC 2910: Research Apprenticeship (3)
• PSYC 4100: Advanced Research Apprenticeship (3)

Note: PSYC 4100 does not count towards the 33 upper-level credits required for graduation with a Major in Psychology.

These courses give students the opportunity to learn about psychological research by conducting research with a faculty supervisor. Students must have permission of a faculty member who is willing to supervise the research. Students may complete PSYC 2910 at any time during the degree. For PSYC 4910, students must meet the pre-requisities prior to enrollment.

PSYC 4440: Directed Studies

PSYC 4440 involves directed investigation of a problem, requiring a written report of the findings. The Directed Studies option is intended for those students who are pursuing Master's or Doctorate degrees in Psychology. Prior to enrollment, students must have satisfactory standing in their course work and permission of a faculty member who is willing to supervise the investigation.

Note: PSYC 4440 does not count towards the 33 upper-level credits required for graduation with a Major in Psychology.

*Only a selection of third and fourth year courses will be offered in any given academic year.

Program Planning Guide