Psychology (BA)

1. Completion of ten units in Psychology.

2. Satisfactory completion of cognate requirement: BIOL 101, BIOL 102, BIOL 111 or BIOL 112.

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 PSYC 200 (Writing and Thinking in Psychology). 

5. Satisfactory completion of PSYC 201 Methods & Statistics in Psychology). 

6. Satisfactory completion of one of the following laboratory courses: PSYC 310, PSYC 311, PSYC 312, PSYC 313, or PSYC 314.

7. Satisfactory completion of PSYC 401 (Psychology Senior Capstone Seminar). 

8. 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

9. 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 200 is a prerequisite for completing the requirement. PSYC 201 is strongly recommended.

   4. Satisfactory completion of academic work to supplement the experience is required.

   5. Full-unit PSYC (495, 496, 498) experiences can be counted as an upper-level psychology elective course.

Notes for the Major

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

1. 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. 

2. Psychology majors must earn a grade of C or better in PSYCH 101 (or its equivalent course) in order to enroll in PSYCH 200. 

3. Psychology majors must earn a grade of C or better in PSYC 200 in order to enroll in PSYC 201. 

4. Students must be a declared Psychology major to enroll in PSYC 201. MATH 160 is strongly encouraged but not required for PSYC 201. 

5. The prerequisite for PSYC 314 is completion of PSYC 201 with a grade of C or better or permission of instructor. 

6. All laboratory courses have PSYC 201 as a prerequisite. PSYC 312 also requires PSYC 314 or permission of instructor. PSYC 311 students participate in daily laboratory work involving live animals.

7. PSYC 370 may only be counted once toward the major.

8. Majors who fulfill the departmental experiential requirement by conducting research must have completed PSYC 201 prior to the start of their project.

9. Psychology majors must satisfy university core requirements outside of the Psychology department.

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.