Almost all colleges and universities require all of their students, including psychology majors, to take general education courses. These courses, which commonly include foreign language, English, algebra, chemistry and others, may be taken at the school you plan on earning your degree from or, in many cases, they may be taken at a community college. Many community colleges offer lower tuition costs for their classes, which can then be transferred to the college or university where you are completing your psychology degree. Make sure that you communicate with your adviser about whether your credits at the community college will transfer, if you choose that option.
You will also have to complete a certain number of courses related to your psychology major. The requirements for the psychology major courses will vary based on your program, your special interests and your concentration. Many psychology majors take courses about cognitive development, behavior, child psychology and psychological disorders. These courses will most likely need to be completed at the college from which you plan to earn your degree. Many colleges allow you to choose psychology courses that you are interested in.
You will need to maintain a certain GPA to earn a psychology degree. For some colleges, this minimum GPA is a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, which means that you must maintain at least a C average. Other colleges are more strict with their GPAs, requiring their students to maintain at least a B average or a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Remember that many psychology majors must go on to graduate school to find a career. You will need to maintain a very high GPA to get into a prestigious graduate school.
Not only colleges and universities require their students to participate in a capstone experience. However, psychology majors at many schools must complete this experience before they are eligible to graduate. There are many different ways you can earn credit for the capstone experience. For example, you may be able to participate in an internship for your capstone credit, where you will learn valuable information and gain field experience. Other colleges may allow you to write a research paper that can serve as your capstone experience.