Psychology (Major)
Psychology is the scientific study of the behavior of organisms with a primary focus on human behavior. It is concerned with the biological and environmental determinants of behavior as reflected in the study of physiological, sensory, perceptual, cognitive, motivational, learning, developmental, aging, psychopathology/mental health, and social processes. The undergraduate program seeks a balance between exposure to basic psychological principles and theories and their extension to the applied areas such as child education, psychological treatment, and developmental disabilities.
The undergraduate courses are intended to meet the needs of students who plan to:
- Major in psychology and later attend graduate school in psychology or affiliated fields
- Major in psychology as part of a general cultural program
- Obtain training in psychology as a special supplement to their major interest
- Use psychology to satisfy social science requirements or electives
One of the department’s main features is an emphasis on opportunities for close faculty-student involvement in research projects at the undergraduate level. The research specialties in which majors may become involved range from basic research in such areas as cognition, human and animal learning, child development, and child/adult psychopathology, to applied research in a community setting. Students planning to do graduate work in psychology will plan their program in close coordination with their faculty advisors.
All majors are required to take the Introductory Psychology Course (PSY 10000 for first year students or PSY 20000 for upper-class students). This course serves as a prerequisite or corequisite for the Psychology Major courses, even for those students who have completed the AP Psychology exam regardless of their score on the exam. The specific major requirements are as follows:
Required Courses
9 credit hours—exception: APH2 supplementary majors are not required to take Psychology: Science, Practice, and Policy (PSY 20010)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 20010 | Psychology: Science, Practice, and Policy | 1 |
| PSY 30100 | Statistics for Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
| PSY 30160 | Methods for Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
30000 Content Area Courses
A minimum of 2 courses (6 credits) from each of the following categories (total of 12 credits minimum)
Class A Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Class A Courses | ||
| Select two Class A courses. Below are examples of Class A Courses. | ||
| PSY 30200 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 30220 | Adolescent Development | 3 |
| PSY 30300 | Psychology of Personality | 3 |
| PSY 30310 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 30312 | Child & Adolescent Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 30314 | Introduction to Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 30600 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 30634 | Psychology of Peace | 3 |
| Class B Courses | ||
| Select two Class B courses. Below are examples of Class B Courses. | ||
| PSY 30312 | Child & Adolescent Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 30400 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 30430 | Learning and Memory | 3 |
| PSY 30440 | Sensation & Perception | 3 |
| PSY 30510 | Behavioral Genetics | 3 |
| PSY 30520 | Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
40000 Senior Seminar Courses
A minimum of 2 courses (6 credits) from this category. These are small, in-depth discussion-oriented seminars generally in the instructor’s specific area of expertise and the options may vary from semester to semester or year to year. The Methods for Behavioral Sciences course and all 40000 level seminars are designated writing-intensive courses, satisfying the College of Arts and Letters writing requirement.
Note:
- Introductory Psychology does not fulfill any of the 30-credit-hour requirements for the major.
- Research Lab (PSY 27800) credits are strongly recommended for any students’ intent on pursuing a graduate career in psychology.
- In some cases students for whom psychology is their second major may complete another statistics course (Statistical Inference in Business (ITAO 20200); Statistics for Economics (ECON 30330) or Biostatistics (BIOS 40411)) in place of the Statistics for Behavioral Sciences (PSY 30100) course. However, these students will be required to complete an additional psychology course (from the 30000 or 40000 level categories) to complete the requisite number of psychology courses to graduate with the major.
Senior Thesis
The psychology major offers senior psychology majors the option to complete a senior thesis that consists of a two semester sequence:
Prerequisite
To qualify for this track students need to be endorsed by a psychology faculty member.
Fall Semester
Student enrolls in the faculty advisor’s section of Senior Thesis (PSY 47809) and participates in a series of self-organized workshops that provide/enable peer-review and support. Workshops would focus on introduction of topics/elevator pitches (September), peer-review of drafts of literature review and methods sections (October and November)
Spring Semester
Student enrolls in the faculty advisor’s section of Senior Thesis (PSY 47809) and participates in a series of self-organized workshops that provide/ enable peer-review and support. Workshops would focus on peer-review of results sections (February), peer-review of completed manuscripts (March), and practice for the symposium presentations (April).
Departmental Honors in Psychology
The honors designation in psychology is awarded by completing the following:
Fall Semester
Achieving an A grade in Senior Thesis (PSY 47809) and a passing grade in Advanced Statistics (PSY 40120).
Spring Semester
Achieving an A grade in Senior Thesis (PSY 47809). A nomination by the faculty advisor and an evaluation of the thesis as worthy of the honors designation by a faculty committee.
Psi Chi Honors Society
Psychology majors in their senior year whose cumulative GPA places them in the top 35% of their graduating class qualify for induction into the Notre Dame Chapter of the Psi Chi National Honors Society. The department undertakes a membership drive in the beginning of the spring semester and invites major seniors who qualify to join the society.