Psychology majors must take two Introduction to Psychology courses. One focuses on experimental psychology while the other focuses on social science. Students also complete a two-part course sequence in psychological methods. The first course, Statistical Procedures, teaches students the basics of statistical analysis and its use in psychology. The second methods course, Research Procedures, introduces students to basic experimental designs and teaches them how to understand complicated psychological research.
The psychology department determined a core set of psychology requirements that teach students important principles from the major sub-fields of psychology. There are four required courses in this series. Students must take The Brain and Behavior, which covers biological and neuroscience findings in psychology. For the second requirement, Social Psychology or Personality can be taken, which broadly covers the domain of social psychology. The third requirement is fulfilled by taking either Perception or Cognition, which use biology to understand brain processes underlying psychological phenomena. The fourth core psychology requirement is Life Span Development.
Psychology majors also take four additional upper-level psychology electives. Courses offered vary by quarter, but may range from Psycholinguistics to Psychology of Gender. This requirement allows students to specialize in a specific area of interest. Graduate schools and prospective employers may look at the elective courses you have chosen to assess your academic background in a given field.
Psychology majors must take a series of math and science courses in addition to their psychology coursework. One course in mathematics, statistics or computer science is required. Students must also take a course in the biological sciences and one in chemistry or physics. Following the completion of these requirements, students must take two additional courses in mathematics, biology or the physical sciences.