Requirements for the

Major & Minor in Psychology

The Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology introduces students to the major theoretical perspectives and primary empirical techniques of hypothesis testing in psychological science, as well as the application of psychological principles. The Department of Psychology also offers a minor, allowing students with an interest in psychology to take courses of interest.

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Major in Psychology

Click the headings below to learn about the requirements for the major in Psychology. Students should also consult the Tulane catalog for the most up-to-date information and to learn more about required courses.

Students majoring in psychology must complete:

  • Math courses necessary for the B.S. degree
  • One SSE laboratory course (and its co-requisite) outside of (and NOT cross-listed with) PSYC
  • One 3 credit non-laboratory SSE courses that is outside (and NOT cross-listed with) PSYC

Note:

  • No more than 16 credits may be transferred to count towards the Psychology Major.
  • Psychology majors are limited to taking a maximum of three courses for credit towards the major while studying abroad.
  • Students must earn at least a 2.0 major GPA.
  • At least 29 credits must be taken at or above the 3000 level.
  • S/U graded courses do not count towards the major requirements.

 

All majors must take the following courses:

  • PSYC 1000, Introductory Psych, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3090, Univariate I & Lab, 4 credits
  • PSYC 3130, Experimental Psychology & Lab, 4 credits

 

One Course in Biological Psychology

  • PSYC 3300, Brain and Behavior, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3680, Comparative Animal Behavior, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3700, Evolution & Psychology, 3 credits

 

One Course in Developmental Psychology

  • PSYC 3210, Child Psychology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3390, Adolescent Psychology, 3 credits

 

One Course in Cultural, Personality, & Social Psychology

  • PSYC 3310, Intro to African American Psychology, 3 credits 
  • PSYC 3430, Intro to Social Psychology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3010, Intro to Personality, 3 credits

 

One Course in Clinical Applications & Assessment

  • PSYC 3180, Psychological Testing, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3200, Educational Psychology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3330, Clinical Science and Psychological Disorders, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3340, Developmental Psychopathology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3530, Introduction to Health Psychology, 3 credits

 

After selecting one course from each of the core areas listed, students must complete a total of 9 additional psychology elective credits that are at the 3000 level or above (for a total of 29 hours at/above the 3000 level). 

Students are encouraged to seek guidance from their major advisor and their NTC advisor when planning their curriculum.     

Permission to transfer credit from other baccalaureate degree-granting colleges and universities may be recommended on a course-by-course basis, depending on similarity to Psychology courses offered at Tulane. 

Please note:

  • The Department of Psychology does not grant transfer credit towards the psychology major for courses taken at community colleges. 
  • Students wanting to count an Advanced Placement (AP) course in Introductory Psychology must have earned at least a 4 on the AP Exam. 

 

If you are interested in requesting approval for classes taken at other university, you should first meet with your NTC Academic Advisor to verify that a course is eligible to be considered for transfer credit. Your NTC Academic Advisor will give you a copy of a signed "Transfer Course Articulation Request". You should complete the form and send it, with a complete copy of the syllabus for the course you'd like to transfer, to psych@tulane.edu. Please allow at least three weeks to receive notice for any transfer requests. 

The syllabus must be a PDF (.pdf) or Microsoft Word Document (.doc, .docx) format and include the following information:

  • A description of the course
  • Class meeting times (if online and/or asynchronous, this must be specified)
  • A course schedule and/or list of content covered
  • Assessment information (i.e. how final grades are determined) 

Requests missing any of the above information will not be considered. You are encouraged to read about NTC Academic Advising's guidelines on transfer credit here.

In some cases where transfer credit is not recommended, there may be special circumstances which would justify reconsideration upon petition to the Departmental Curriculum Committee. You may contact Dr. Carrie Wyland (wyland@tulane.edu) regarding such a petition.

In order to study abroad as a Psychology Major, students need to:

1. Declare their psychology major no later than the last day of class the semester prior to the application due date (for most, this will be the last day of class in the Fall Semester of their sophomore year).

  • "Declaration" means having a Major Declaration Form completed and submitted to Academic Advising.
  • The Major Declaration Form will be completed by the department administrative coordinator and shared with the student and the new major advisor.
  • The degree audit will indicate that a student is officially declared.

 

2. Contact their Psychology major advisor (as assigned on the declaration form and found on the degree audit) to meet at least two weeks prior to the study abroad application deadline.

  • Students will meet with their major advisor to discuss psychology coursework and to outline a clear plan to finish coursework needed for graduation.
  • In most cases, students should have completed at least three 3000-level courses toward the major before studying abroad.
  • Students are strongly encouraged to take Univariate (3090) prior to studying abroad or have a plan to take it the semester they return.

 

3. Once students have met with their Psychology Major advisor, they should submit the form for the advisor to complete the approval recommendation

  • This will email a link to the advisor to complete.
  • After meeting with the advisor, allow up to a week for the form to be completed.
     

Study Abroad Course Transfers

  • Psychology majors and minors who want to study abroad should contact Dr. Beth Wee (bwee@tulane.edu) prior to going abroad to determine which classes taken abroad will count towards the psychology major or minor.
  • Up to three approved psychology courses taken abroad can count towards the major, and up to two approved courses can count towards the psychology minor.
  • Students need to get all courses approved before they go abroad and will need to complete paperwork after they return to make sure the courses transfer back to Tulane correctly.
  • Additional information can be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad. 
  • Psychology majors should discuss their course schedules with their major advisor to make sure they have time to go abroad and still meet all their major requirements. 
  • Courses taken as part of Tulane’s own summer study abroad programs do not need prior approval, because they are Tulane courses taught by Tulane faculty.

How to

Declare a Major in Psychology

students sitting in class

If you are ready to declare a major in Psychology, please fill out this form, and submit it to the Department of Psychology in-person (Stern Hall, Room 2011) or email it to psych@tulane.edu. The form will be returned to you, with the name of your PSYC advisor, and you can send it along to NTC Advising. Please note that it is your responsibility to send this form to your NTC advisor.

You will also receive an invitation to join the Canvas site for psychology majors that has much more detailed information relevant to the major.

You and your major advisor will be copied on an email to connect. If your major advisor does not reach out, you may want to contact them to introduce yourself or to set up a meeting. Advising styles differ among faculty members--some faculty like to meet with undergraduate advisees regularly, while some wait for the student to initiate contact. We recommend that you contact your advisor to set up a plan that works for you. 

Minor in Psychology

A minor in Psychology requires five courses and a minimum of 15 hours. These courses must include an introductory level course (i.e., PSYC 1000). 

In addition, students must take ONE course in at least THREE of the following clusters: (1) Biological Psychology, (2) Developmental Psychology, (3) Cultural, Personality, and Social Psychology, and (4) Clinical Applications and Assessment. Courses in each cluster can be found in the listing above for majors or by viewing the Tulane catalog.

Finally, students must also take one elective course above the 3000 level. 

Please note that a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher is required in courses applied to the minor and all courses applied to the minor must be taken for a letter grade, not S/U.
 

Please note that no more than 8 credits may be transferred to the minor, and Psychology minors are limited to taking a maximum of two courses for credit towards the minor while studying abroad.

Please see this document for a PDF checklist of requirements. 

Students majoring in neuroscience who wish to minor in psychology must take a five psychology courses and a minimum of 15 hours. The PSYN minor requires the completion PSYC 1000 Introductory Psych (3 credits) and four additional elective courses in Psychology which do not overlap with course requirements in Neuroscience and are not cross-listed as PSYC/NSCI.

 

Cognitive Studies majors who wish to receive a psychology minor must take PSYC 1000 Introductory Psych (3 credits) and four additional courses at or above the 3000 level in psychology that do not overlap with their Cognitive Studies major.