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Psychological Science Majors

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Department of Psychological Science

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Sample 4-Year Plan: Psychology B.S.

Sample 4-Year Plan: Psychology B.A.

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science with a major in Psychology

The psychology major is designed to provide students with flexibility in the selection of courses to meet their individual interests and career goals. Students must meet with a psychology faculty advisor during the first semester following the declaration of psychology as their major to receive assistance in designing a program of coursework based on their individual needs. All students are encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor in subsequent semesters for assistance in career planning and course selections to meet degree requirements. For students planning to pursue graduate study in psychology, the department strongly recommends a broad and balanced program of applied and theoretical courses with careful planning to meet the requirements for admission to graduate schools in psychology. In addition, such students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of required courses, including advanced courses that involve the opportunity for independent or supervised research. The department offers a variety of special topics (PSY 494) classes. Recent topics have included "Image of Psychology in Film"; "Drug Policy"; "Psychology of Religion"; and "Neuroscience Seminar." Students should consult the schedule of classes each semester for information about available special topics classes.

All psychology majors must complete the requirements listed below for the major plus the additional credits required for either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree.


Core Courses in Psychology		Credits
PSY 100	Introduction to Psychology			3
STA 205	Introduction to Statistical Methods			3
PSY 210	Research Methods in Psychology			3
PSY 210L	Research Tools in Psychology			2
PSY 210R	Career Planning for Psychology Majors			1
PSY 305	Psychological Testing & Measurement			3
PSY 311	Biopsychology			3
PSY 321	Lifespan Development			3
PSY 337	Animal Learning			3
PSY 338	Cognitive Processes			3
PSY 340	Social Psychology			3
PSY 333	Abnormal Psychology			3
Five elective courses in psychology (which must total at least 13 semester hours) with at least three of these courses at the 300 or 400 level. Optional 2-hour lab classes also may be included in this category.			13
Total Core Credits			33
Additional B.A. Credits			3-6
Additional B.S. Credits			3-7
TOTAL CREDITS FOR B.A.			49-5
TOTAL CREDITS FOR B.S.			49-53


OPTION A	Credits
A minimum of six semester credit hours in the same foreign language or its equivalent. This requirement is in addition to current general education requirements, so students cannot use these foreign language courses to also meet the general studies humanities requirement.		6


OPTION B
Successful completion of 3 semester credit hours in a study-abroad program approved by the NKU Office of Education Abroad. The course does not have to be in psychology. If the study abroad course is in psychology, then it may also count as an elective for the major.	3


Option A		Credits
One college-level mathematics or statistics course in addition to STA 205 Introduction to Statistical Methods			3
NOTE: STA 212 and STA 213 cannot satisfy this requirement.
Select two PSY laboratory courses such as the following:
PSY 309L	Psychology of Perception Laboratory
PSY 311L	Biopsychology Laboratory
PSY 338L	Cognitive Processes Laboratory
PSY 340L	Social Psychology Laboratory
NOTE: Lab classes may be taken at the same time as the core class or at a later time, but students must complete "PSY 210: Research Methods in Psychology" to take a lab. The lab classes listed here may also count as elective classes toward the major requirements.		4

Option B		Credits
STA 312	Elementary Survey Sampling		3
STA 314	Design and Analysis of Experiments		3
Select one PSY laboratory course such as the following:
PSY 309L	Psychology of Perception Laboratory
PSY 311L	Biopsychology Laboratory
PSY 338L	Cognitive Processes Laboratory
PSY 340L	Social Psychology Laboratory
NOTE: Lab classes may be taken at the same time as the core class or at a later time, but students must complete "PSY 210: Research Methods in Psychology" to take a lab. The lab classes listed here may also count as elective classes toward the major requirements.			2

Northern Kentucky University

Psychological Science Majors