Requirements

Although no special application is required for admission to the major, majors are required to subscribe to the Psychology Majors Listhost at 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.

When planning your course schedule, please consult Class Search at registrar.uchicago.edu/classes and the Courses section of this website, which lists courses and the quarters they are offered for the current academic year.

Statistics/Methodology Sequence (must be completed by end of third year)

By the end of their third year, psychology majors are required to complete PSYC 20200 Psychological Research Methods and one of the following courses: PSYC 20250 Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods or STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications. It is strongly recommended that these courses be taken as early as possible in a student's training as they provide foundational concepts that facilitate understanding of subject area courses. These two courses cover the conceptual and methodological issues (PSYC 20200) and the statistical methods (PSYC 20250, STAT 22000) used in psychological science. PSYC 20200 is typically taught in the Autumn Quarter and PSYC 20250 in the Winter Quarter. We advise students to take PSYC 20200 Psychological Research Methods prior to taking statistics, but either order is acceptable.

Beginning with the Class of 2019, students with AP examination credit for STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications may not count that credit toward the major and should instead replace that requirement with a higher-level statistics course or an additional psychology elective. Students interested in graduate programs in psychology or other empirical sciences are strongly encouraged to take a higher level statistics course.

Breadth Requirement

Students are required to take four of the following five courses, each of which will be offered every year:

  1. PSYC 20300: Biological Psychology
  2. PSYC 20400: Cognitive Psychology
  3. PSYC 20500: Developmental Psychology
  4. PSYC 20600: Social Psychology
  5. PSYC 20700: Sensation and Perception

Additional Courses

At least six additional courses (for a total of twelve in the major) must be chosen from among the courses offered by the Department of Psychology. Courses without a 200-level PSYC number must be approved by the Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum Committee; petitions must be submitted to the department's student affairs administrator. Only one independent study course can count toward the twelve courses required of students who are majoring in psychology (PSYC 29200 Undergrad Rdgs: Psychology or PSYC 29700 Undergraduate Research in Psychology). In addition to the six electives, students pursuing honors in psychology must also take the PSYC 29800 Honors Seminar: Psychology. Independent study courses can be taken for P/F grading, but all other courses must be taken for a quality grade. NOTE: Before registering for an elective, students should confirm that they have met any prerequisites for the course.

Research

Students are strongly encouraged to gain additional research experience by working on a research project under the guidance of a faculty member. For more information on getting involved in research, please see the section on events offered for professional and academic development or contact the director of the Undergraduate Research Initiative in Psychology.

Calculus

Students are required to take two quarters of calculus as part of the College general education requirements.

Summary of Requirements

Psychology Major
1.  PSYC 20250 (or Stat 22000 or above)
    PSYC 20200
2.  Four Courses (to be chosen from the following five)
     PSYC 20300
     PSYC 20400
     PSYC 20500
     PSYC 20600
     PSYC 20700
3.  Six Psychology Elective Courses

General Education
1.  Math 13100 - 13200 or higher

Course Petitions

If you would like to petition a course to count in the psychology major, please fill out the College's General Petition Form and return it along with a course syllabus to Kristi Schonwald (kschonwa@uchicago.edu). Your petition will be forwarded to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

Reading and Research Forms

Students may be able to arrange for a Reading or Research Course with a faculty member if:

  1. The material the student would like to study is beyond the scope of a particular course,
  2.  When a student is working on material not covered in an existing course,
  3. When a student would like credit for independent research.

You can obtain the Reading and Research form from the College Advising website. Follow the instructions on the form to get the necessary signatures and submit the form to the office of the Registrar by Friday of third week. Please note that students cannot receive academic credit for paid work.