Psychology- Bachelor of Arts
For information, contact the Department of Psychology, 100 Psychology Building, 513-529-2400, psychology@MiamiOH.edu.
You must have at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA for all psychology courses attempted and for which a letter grade has been earned. All courses used to satisfy basic departmental requirements must be taken for a letter grade. If you wish to transfer courses from another institution to meet requirements for the major, we strongly recommend you have those approved IN ADVANCE by the Lead Departmental Advisor.
Departmental Honors
Students with both a cumulative and major GPA of 3.25 are eligible to apply to complete an honors thesis, which requires the support of a faculty advisor for the project. Departmental honors candidates complete PSY 480 (minimum 4; maximum 6), in which they write and present a thesis. PSY 400 is strongly recommended.
Recommended Courses of Study
This department offers a single major; all majors are encouraged to take a variety of courses in psychology. For flexible career planning, the department suggests courses of study consistent with your career goals. Choose those courses with your academic advisor.
Program Requirements
(minimum of 36 semester hours in PSY)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology (pre- or co-requisite PSY 112, or PSY 112M) ) 1 | 3 |
| Take one of the following: | 1 | |
| Foundational Experiences in Psychology | ||
| Foundational Experiences for Majors | ||
| Take the following three courses in this order. PSY294 is a prerequisite for most 300 level and above courses: | ||
| STA 261 | Statistics 2 | 4 |
| PSY 293 | Introduction to Psychological Statistics | 4 |
| PSY 294 | Writing and Research Methods in Psychology (pre or co-requisite PSY 112 or PSY 112M) | 4 |
| Select at least one course from each breadth area: Biopsychology, Cognitive, Developmental, Individual and Social group 3 | 15 | |
| Additional requirements: | ||
| Select one of the following two courses: | 3 | |
| Capstone Seminar in Psychology: The Multiple Determinants of Behavior | ||
| Capstone Seminar in Neuroscience | ||
| Approved area of focus 4 | 6-9 | |
| Select three 300-level or higher courses, at least one of which must be at the 400-level (this does not include PSY 410 or PSY 458). 5 | ||
| Additional courses to make up minimum of 36 semester hours in psychology | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 40-43 | |
- 1
If you have taken EDP 101, you cannot receive credit for it and PSY 111, so the department will count it as meeting the requirement for PSY 111.
- 2
Consult with the chief departmental advisor if you have taken a statistics course other than STA261 (e.g., STA/ISA 125 or STA301).
- 3
Please see below for a list of courses that will count for each of these areas.
- 4
Must take 3 courses within a single area of focus; 1 course may overlap with the breadth area requirement.
- 5
PSY 294 is a prerequisite for nearly all courses at or above the 300-level.
Breadth Areas
Biopsychology
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 251 | Introduction to Biopsychology | 3 |
| PSY 351 | Advanced Biopsychology | 4 |
| PSY 356 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| PSY 451 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSY 452 | Structured Research Experience in Behavioral Neuroscience II | 3 |
| PSY 456 | Advanced Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 458 | Capstone Seminar in Neuroscience | 3 |
| Completion of 3 courses from this list will satisfy the biopsychology area of focus | ||
Cognitive
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 271 | Survey of Perception, Action, and Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 372 | Learning & Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 374 | Psychology of Language and Thought | 3 |
| PSY 375 | Laboratory in Perception, Action, and Cognition | 4 |
| PSY 376 | Psychology of Judgment, Decision Making, and Reasoning | 3 |
| PSY 451 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSY 473 | Human Factors/Ergonomics | 4 |
| PSY 472 | Seminar in Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 474 | Advanced Cognitive Processes | 3 |
| Completion of 3 courses will satisfy the cognitive area of focus | ||
Developmental
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 231 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 331 | Infant Development | 3 |
| PSY 332 | Child Development | 3 |
| PSY 333 | Adolescent Development | 3 |
| PSY 334 | Adulthood and Aging | 3 |
| PSY 435 | Seminar in Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| Completion of PSY 231 and two other courses will satisfy the developmental area of focus | ||
Individual
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 241 | Personality | 3 |
| PSY 242 | Introduction to Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 343 | Adult Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 345 | Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities | 3 |
| PSY 441 | Seminar in Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| Completion of PSY 242, PSY 343, & PSY 345 will satisfy the psychopathology area of focus | ||
Social
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 221 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 324 | Advanced Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 325 | Psychology of Prejudice and Minority Experience | 3 |
| PSY 327 | Intro to Social Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 421 | Seminar in Social Psychology | 3 |
| Completion of PSY 221 and two other courses will satisfy the social area of focus | ||
Additional Areas of focus
Culture & Diversity
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 210 | Psychology Across Cultures | 3 |
| PSY 327 | Intro to Social Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 331 | Infant Development | 3 |
| PSY 332 | Child Development | 3 |
| PSY 333 | Adolescent Development | 3 |
| PSY 343 | Adult Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 421 | Seminar in Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 435 | Seminar in Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 441 | Seminar in Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| Completion of PSY 210 and two other courses will complete this area of focus | ||
Decisions, Leadership, & Organization
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| choose 1 course from: | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Survey of Perception, Action, and Cognition | ||
| AND 1 course from: | ||
| Psychology Across Cultures | ||
| Psychology of Prejudice and Minority Experience | ||
| AND 1 course from: | ||
| Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology | ||
| Intro to Social Cognition | ||
| Psychology of Judgment, Decision Making, and Reasoning | ||
| Human Factors/Ergonomics | ||
A seminar can also be used if the topic is relevant- ask the department for a list and complete a department petition form prior to graduation. | ||
Persuasion, Intervention & Behavioral Change
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 221 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 334 | Adulthood and Aging | 3 |
| PSY 374 | Psychology of Language and Thought | 3 |
| PSY 473 | Human Factors/Ergonomics | 4 |
| A seminar can also be used if the topic is relevant- ask the department for a list and complete a department petition form prior to graduation. | ||
| Completion of PSY 221 and two other courses will complete this area of focus | ||
Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology meet the College of Arts and Science writing in the major requirement by completing the following course: PSY 294.