Although no special application is required for admission to the major, majors are required to subscribe to the Psychology Majors Listhost at https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/info/psychology-majors. The listhost is the primary means of communication between the program and its majors or students interested in being majors. We use it to notify students of events relevant to psychology majors, such as research opportunities, job postings, fellowship announcements, and any changes in the course schedule, or curriculum updates.
I. Statistics/Methodology Sequence
By the end of their third year, psychology majors are required to complete PSYC 20200 Psychological Research Methods and one of the following statistics courses: PSYC 20250 Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods OR PSYC 20100 Psychological Statistics OR STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications. However, it is strongly recommended that these courses be taken as early as possible as they provide foundational concepts that facilitate understanding of subject area courses. These two courses cover the conceptual and methodological issues (Psy Rsch Meth) and the statistical methods (Intro to Stat Concpt and Meth) used in psychological science and are typically taught in Autumn and Winter Quarters. These two courses may be taken in either order.
Students may take STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications or a more advanced statistics course instead of PSYC 20250.
Examination Credit for PSYC 20250 Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods, PSYC 20100 Psychological Statistics, or STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications will not count toward the requirements for the major. Students with credit for PSYC 20250, PSYC 20100, or STAT 22000 should replace that requirement with a higher level Statistics course or an additional psychology elective.
II. Breadth requirement
Students are required to take 4 of the following 5 courses. Each of these courses will be offered every year.
- Biological Psychology (Psych 20300)
- Cognitive Psychology (Psych 20400)
- Developmental Psychology (Psych 20500)
- Social Psychology (Psych 20600)
- Sensation and Perception (Psych 20700)
III. Psychology Electives
- At least six additional courses (for a major total of twelve), are to be chosen from among the courses offered by the Department of Psychology.
a. Only one independent study course can count towards the twelve courses required of a psychology major (Psych 29200, 29700).
b. In addition to the six electives, students pursuing Honors in Psychology must also take the Honors Seminar (Psych 29800), which will be offered during the Winter Quarter.
c. When choosing elective courses, students should be aware that many require prerequisites. These prerequisites and course descriptions can be found in the Courses of Study and Programs.
IV. Grading
- All courses in the major must be taken for quality grades except for the independent study course, which may be taken P/F.
V. Research Requirements
- Students are strongly encouraged to gain additional research experience by working on a research project under the guidance of a faculty member.
VI. General Education Requirement
- Majors are required to take two quarters of calculus as part of the college general education requirements.
Summary of Requirements
Concentration
-
Psyc 20100 (or Stat 22000 or above)
Psyc 20200 -
4 Courses (to be chosen from the following five)
Psyc 20300
Psyc 20400
Psyc 20500
Psyc 20600
Psyc 20700 - 6 Psychology Elective Courses
General Education
- Math 13100 - 13200 or higher
Courses without a PSYC number must be approved by the Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum Committee; petitions must be submitted to the department’s student affairs administrator.
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