Many psychology programs require that students take a preliminary psychology course as a prerequisite to more advanced courses. In this course, students can expect to learn the history and types of psychology, basic terminology and what a career in the field entails. In this course students will learn a little about a lot of topics in order to prepare them for in-depth study later. In some schools, students may be required to take an English course or place high enough on an English placement test to take the first general psychology course.
For some upper-level psychology courses, students are required to have reached a certain level of education. These courses generally require that students have a general education in English and humanities to be successful. Some courses require students to have finished their first semester or year, or to be in their third or fourth years of college education.
Some upper-level psychology courses might require students to have a declared psychology major or minor. These courses are typically upper-level, intensive classes. Students can also expect to be required to have declared a psychology major or minor to take courses that provide them with field or clinical experience.
Psychology courses often provide information or training that expounds on prior learning. For this reason, many 200-level and higher courses require students to have already taken one or more related courses besides general psychology. For example, a course in advanced adolescent psychology may require that the student has taken the first course in adolescent psychology. Some courses, such as those in psychological statistics, may also have a math prerequisite.