Psychology B.A.

• Program Overview
• Degree Requirements
• Accelerated Psychology BA and Educational Psychology MA
• Four Year Plan

Program Overview

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Contact: Carl Granrud, Ph.D., Director

Location: McKee Hall 0014

Telephone: [phone]

Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/psychological-sciences/

Advising Information:

Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.

The program consists of three parts:

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
2. Required Major Credits
3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The School of Psychological Sciences offers a quality, comprehensive, and coherent program. Students learn the research methods and core theories employed by psychologists. The psychology curriculum emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion to prepare students to apply their psychological education in diverse communities. Students are also exposed to the diversity of psychology through a range of elective courses. The variety of courses offered permits students to choose a set of psychology courses that are related to their interests and career goals. Students consider their future careers in a required freshman-level course as well as in a required upper-division field experience in which they work in a supervised psychology-related setting.

We are home to an active chapter of Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology students. Psi Chi works closely with the program faculty and provide social and preprofessional opportunities to qualifying students. Also, we strongly encourage high achieving students with an affinity for research and an interest in graduate school to consider applying to the University Honors Program.

Program Admission Requirements:

Academic Good Standing

Program Requirements:

Students must complete at least 15 hours of 300- or 400-level classes to fulfill UNC requirements.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits.

Completing LAC coursework outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Written Communication by taking ENG122.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Mathematics by taking STAT 150.

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

PSY 120 is recommended to fulfill the Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

PSY 230 or PSY 265 is recommended to fulfill Social & Behavioral Sciences as the additional 3 credits required in Arts & Humanities or History or Social & Behavioral Sciences and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Natural & Physical Sciences by taking BIO 100 and BIO 105 or BIO 110.

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major Credits — 45 credits

Take all of the following courses:

UNIV 101	Foundations for Learning and DevelopmentLAB3	3
PSY 120	Principles of PsychologyLAB3	3
PSY 166	Skills and Careers in Psychological Sciences	3
PSY 200	Psychological Statistics	3
PSY 201	Research Methods in Psychology	3
PSY 380	Behavioral Neuroscience	3
PSY 491	Psychology Field Experience	1-3

PSY 491: 3 credits required

Core Group — 6 credits

Choose two of the following courses:

PSY 230	Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3	3
PSY 255	Introduction to Mental Health	3
PSY 265	Social PsychologyLAB3	3

School of Psychological Sciences faculty recommends that students interested in careers in mental health fields such as Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology take PSY 255 (Introduction to Mental Health) to satisfy their Core Classes requirement.

Experimental Group — 3 credits

Choose one of the following courses:

PSY 341	Learning and Memory	3
PSY 375	Sensation and Perception	3
PSY 440	Cognition	3
PSY 443	Motivation	3

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group — 3 credits

Choose one of the following courses:

PSY 280	Psychology of Human Sexuality	3
PSY 340	Psychology & Culture	3
PSY 365	Psychology and the Law	3
PSY 467	Psychology of Prejudice	3
GNDR 240	Gender, Race, Class, and SexualityLAB3LAMS	3
	or
SOC 240	Gender, Race, Class, and SexualityLAB3LAMS	3

Electives — 12 credits

Select 12 additional credits from the PSY designation (including courses from any of the lists above that have not already been used to fulfill specific category requirements). Up to 6 credits may be selected from outside the PSY designation from the list below.

Other notes

• Students must be juniors or seniors with a 3.0 GPA to register for PSY 401, PSY 407, PSY 481, and 500-level graduate courses.

Approved Electives from outside the PSY designation.

No more than 6 credits of the following courses may be included as Psychology Major electives.

• Students must complete at least 15 hours of 300- or 400-level classes to fulfill UNC requirements.

HUSR 397	Foundations of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment	3
SES 333	Psychology of Exercise and Physical Activity	3
SES 438	Sport Psychology	3
GNDR 240	Gender, Race, Class, and SexualityLAB3LAMS	3
	or
SOC 240	Gender, Race, Class, and SexualityLAB3LAMS	3

3. University-Wide Electives — 44 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 44 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.

Accelerated Psychology B.A. and Educational Psychology M.A.

Site: Greeley
Mode: In-person
Start term: Summer, Fall, Spring

Motivated and high-achieving students may seek to complete the requirements for the B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Educational Psychology in five years. To obtain both degrees, students must complete all the requirements for the B.A. described in the Undergraduate Catalog and all of the requirements for the M.A. described in the Graduate Catalog. Completing the requirements for both degrees in the accelerated Master's program is made possible by taking 9 credits of graduate course work in the junior and senior years (paid for at the undergraduate tuition rate). Students remain eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate; any Graduate School aid is not available until students are admitted as a Graduate student.

Students interested in transferring into an accelerated Master’s Program must:

• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to take graduate-level courses as a junior or senior.
• Meet with the program’s advisor in their junior year, apply (following the same procedure and meeting the same requirements as other M.A. applicants). Full admission is dependent on completing the B.A. requirements in the senior year while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Students and faculty identify the graduate courses the students should take. The program application will be signed and forwarded to the Graduate School with signatures of the program advisor indicating the approval of graduate course transfer.

Four Year Plan

This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.

Year 1 – 31 credits

Fall Semester

PSY 120	Principles of PsychologyLAB3	3
UNIV 101	Foundations for Learning and DevelopmentLAB3	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students complete UNIV101 in their first semester.

Spring Semester

BIO 100	Exploring BiologyLAS1	3
BIO 105	Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL	1
PSY 166	Skills and Careers in Psychological Sciences	3
	Core Group Course	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		16

Students may fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Natural & Physical Sciences with any classes that meet these requirements. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Natural & Physical Sciences by taking BIO 100 and BIO 105 or BIO 110.

Students may fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Mathematics with any classes that meet these requirements. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Mathematics by taking STAT150.

Students may fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Written Communication with any classes that meet these requirements. The School of Psychological Sciences recommends students fulfill their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement for Written Communication by taking ENG122.

Year 2 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

PSY 200	Psychological Statistics	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

Spring Semester

PSY 201	Research Methods in Psychology	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	Liberal Arts Curriculum	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

Year 3 – 30 credits

School of Psychological Sciences faculty recommends that students interested in behavioral neuroscience take PSY 380 (Behavioral Neuroscience) before their fourth year.

Fall Semester

	Core Group Course	3
	Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group Course	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

Spring Semester

PSY 491	Psychology Field Experience	1-3
	Experimental Group Course	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

PSY 491: Take 3 credits

Year 4 – 29 credits

Fall Semester

PSY 380	Behavioral Neuroscience	3
	Major Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		15

Spring Semester

	Major Elective	3
	Major Elective	3
	Major Elective	3
	University-Wide Elective	2
	University-Wide Elective	3
Total Credit Hours:		14

Advising Notes –

• This document should not be used as a substitute for advising or as a substitute for the description of the Psychology Major in the UNC Catalog. In order to graduate in four years, you are advised to take an average of 15 credits per semester. University-Wide Electives may take the form of another major, a minor, or additional Psychology credits. Your advisor can suggest a particular set of electives in response to your interests and objectives.
• School of Psychological Sciences faculty recommends that students take PSY 166 as soon as possible after PSY 120 and that students take PSY 201 as soon as possible after PSY 200. The faculty also recommends that students complete PSY 491 before the final semester of their senior year (e.g., the summer before their senior year). Students considering graduate school are encouraged to consider available advanced seminars for majors only in psychology.
• School of Psychological Sciences faculty recommends that students distribute their University-Wide Electives across all four years of study in part to facilitate the inclusion of a minor or a second major if students choose these options.
• The School of Psychological Sciences offers courses in the summer and interim sessions. Students are encouraged to take summer or interim classes as a means of expediting their degree program or as a means to catch up from taking less than an average of 15 credits per semester.

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