The Major

A major in psychology begins with Introduction to Psychology, in which students study empirical approaches to psychological questions, including basic processes of learning and motivation; complex individual differences in intelligence, personality, and abnormal behavior; and social influences on aggression and attraction. Majors then select at least one intermediate-level course reflecting the diversity of psychological topics. Options include:

• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychology of Women
• Maturity and Old Age
• Human Neuropsychology
• Human Sexuality
• Topics in Applied Psychology

Early in their study of psychology, majors obtain experience in planning and conducting research and in writing about their findings — skills necessary for independent research in their junior and senior years.

Before psychology majors take more advanced courses, they are required to take a course in statistics and experimental design. Here, they learn the basic principles of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and experimental design. In the upper-level writing-intensive courses, students apply this knowledge to intensive study of such areas as learning and motivation, memory and cognition, and developmental psychology.

In addition to the required courses, majors may also select from a broad range of non-laboratory courses, including neuroscience, clinical methods, and psychological testing.