The Department of Psychology has two sets of goals for its undergraduate curriculum:
(1) The education of students with a liberal arts foundation, who:
(2) The training of students who:
To achieve these goals, and to satisfy the differing educational needs of psychology majors, the department has developed two tracks in the undergraduate curriculum: the liberal arts track and the graduate school preparation track.
The Liberal Arts track offers the traditional psychology major, designed for the student who does not plan to apply to graduate school in psychology or closely related fields. It requires 33 credits of psychology courses.
The Graduate School Preparation track requires 40 credits, and is designed to insure that students who plan to go to graduate school in psychology are particularly ready to do so. Students must take a wider variety of courses that are typically either required or greatly desired by graduate school admission committees. This track also requires that a good GPA (3.0 in psychology classes and 2.75 overall) be maintained since it is unrealistic to expect to get into graduate school with average grades.
A student does not have to officially decide which track he or she is on until just before or during the junior year (when the "Field of Concentration" form is due). Many classes will fulfill requirements for both tracks. However, the sooner you decide, the better, because then you can more accurately plan your time at UNR. Also, if you begin in the Graduate School Preparation Track but your grades move you out, all of the courses should still fit in either the Liberal Arts track or as general electives.
The "Psychology Major Bachelor of Arts Checklist" for each track is available in the Department of Psychology office in MSS 438, or you may download it here. These checklists provide a list of every single requirement you need to graduate with a bachelor´s degree in Psychology--it includes the University Core Curriculum requirements, the College of Liberal Arts requirements, the requirements of the Psychology major, and includes space for the requirements of your chosen minor and general electives. Below are listed the requirements for each of the tracks of the Psychology major, as well as the courses which fulfill each requirement:
Psychology Major Course Requirements
In addition to meeting the University Core Curriculum and College of Liberal Arts requirements, to earn a Bachelor´s degree in psychology you must complete the following major requirements:
| Courses Required | |
Liberal Arts Track | |
Grad School Prep Track |
| Introductory Psychology | |
101 or 103 | |
101 or 103 (103 encouraged) |
| Methods | |
210 | |
210 and 301 |
| Foundations & Principles | |
9 credits | |
12 credits |
| Applied Methods & Populations | |
3 credits | |
3 credits |
| Direct Learning | |
3 credits | |
3 credits |
| Integrative & Seminar Courses | |
None required | |
3 credits |
| Psychology Electives | |
12 credits | |
9 credits |
| TOTAL | |
33 credits | |
40 credits |
Introductory
Methods
Foundations and Principles
Applied Methods and Populations
Direct Learning
Integrative and Seminar Courses
For a minor in Psychology, the Department recommends a total of 24 credits in Psychology courses. However, an acceptable minor may be completed by taking a minimum of 18 credits in Psychology, at least 9 must be upper-division (300 level or higher), that must include the following:
| Courses Required | |
Psychology Minor |
| Introductory Psychology | |
101 or 103 |
| Foundations & Principles | |
6 credits |
| Applied Methods & Populations | |
3 credits |
| Psychology Electives | |
6 - 12 credits |
| TOTAL | |
18 - 24 credits |
To declare a minor in Psychology, you must downdload and complete a Psychology Minor Form, or it is available in the hallway next to the Psychology Department office in MSS 438.
Introductory
Foundations and Principles
Applied Methods and Populations