Major Requirements
PSYCHOLOGY CORE CURRICULUM
Intended to give breadth and scope of the discipline, all psychology majors are required to fulfill the following four courses: Psychology 1, 3, 103, and 110.
FULL CREDIT COURSE REQUIREMENT
All course requirements for the Psychology major must be met by full credit courses. In other words, .25 and .50 credit courses may not be used to ful ll course requirements in the Psychology major.
COURSE PREREQUISITES AND REQUIREMENTS
A minimum grade of C– in all prerequisites is required for admission to all courses. Prerequisites may be waived at the discretion of the instructor.
CONCENTRATIONS
There are six major concentrations in the Department of Psychology. A student may elect to follow any one of these programs for a bachelor of science degree:
- General Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration
- Child/Adolescent Development Concentration
- Social Psychology Concentration
- Clinical/Counseling Concentration
TRANSFER CREDIT IN PSYCHOLOGY
Students already enrolled at Saint Mary's College who wish to transfer credit for an off-campus psychology course other than Psychology 1 must submit a formal petition to do so to the chair of the Psychology Department before enrolling in the course. Online courses are generally not accepted for credit in this department.
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
For the student who wants a general education in psychology, a sequence of upper-division courses in addition to the psychology core curriculum is offered which must include
- One of Psychology 126, 127, 128, or 129
- Two of Psychology 140, 150, or 160
- One of Psychology 100, 106, or 195
- Five upper-division Psychology electives
- One additional lower or upper division elective
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE CONCENTRATION
For the student with an interest in the biological bases of behavior, a sequence of upper-division courses in addition to the psychology core curriculum which must include
- Psychology 106
- Two of Psychology 126, 127, 128, or 129
- Two of Psychology 140, 150, or 160
- one Biology course with a lab
- one Chemistry course with a lab
- Math 27 or equivalent
- any two upper division Psychology electives
CHILD/ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT CONCENTRATION
For the student interested in working with individuals in educational or social service settings, a sequence of upper-division course in addition to the psychology core curriculum is offered which must include
- Psychology 140 and 142
- One of Psychology 126, 127, 128 or 129
- One of Psychology 150 or 160
- One of Psychology 100, 106, or 195
- Three courses from Psychology 008, 141, 143, 144, 147, 148, 165, or 174, at least one of which must be Psychology 141 or 144
- Two additional upper division psychology electives
CLINICAL/COUNSELING CONCENTRATION
For the student interested in clinical/counseling psychology or social work, a sequence of upper-division courses in addition to the psychology core curriculum is offered which must include
- Psychology 140, 152, 170 and 174
- one of Psychology 163, 165 or 168
- one of Psychology 150 or 160
- one of Psychology 126, 127, 128 or 129
- one of Psychology 100, 106 or 195
- The sequence must also include one of the following courses: Psychology 104, 147, 148 or 157
- One additional upper-division psychology elective.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION
For the student interested in community or organizational psychology, a sequence of upper division courses in addition to the psychology core curriculum is offered which must include
- Psychology 160
- One of Psychology 140 or 150
- One of Psychology 126, 127, or 128
- One of Psychology 100, 106, or 195
- Four courses from Psychology 115, 147, 157, 165, 169, 172, or 180, at least two of which must be Psychology 165, 169, 172, or 180
- Two additional upper division electives