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 (see SSE Guidelines here)
  • 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 Psychology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3090, Univariate I & Lab, 4 credits
  • PSYC 3130, Experimental Psychology & Lab, 4 credits

 

 

One Course in Biological and Cognitive Processes 

  • PSYC 3300, Brain and Behavior, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3290, Cognitive Psychology, 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 3270, Lifespan Development, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3390, Adolescent Psychology, 3 credits


*PSYC 3270 is mutually exclusive with PSYC 3210 (students cannot get major credit for both courses)

 

 

One Course in Cultural, Personality, & Social Psychology

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

 

 

One Course in Clinical Applications & Assessment

  • PSYC 3180, Psychological Testing, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3200, Educational Psychology, 3 credits  
  • PSYC 3202, Educational Psychology in a Diverse Society, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3330, Clinical Science and Psychological Disorders, 3 credits (formerly "Abnormal Psychology")
  • PSYC 3340, Developmental Psychopathology, 3 credits
  • PSYC 3530, Introduction to Health Psychology, 3 credits


*PSYC 3200 is mutually exclusive with PSYC 3202 (students cannot get major credit for both courses)

 

 

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). 

Please note that math courses that satisfy the B.S. are determined by the College via recommendation of the Math Department. The Department of Psychology recommends that students either take MATH 1210 and MATH 1220, or MATH 1210 and MATH 1230, or MATH 1310 (consolidated calculus, which satisfies the BS if a sufficient grade is earned; consult the MATH department). Students may also spread Calculus I over two semesters 1150 and 1160, but that is commensurate to MATH 1210 only and still requires an additional course (such as 1220 or 1230).

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 psychtransfers@tulane.edu. Please allow at least three weeks to receive notice for any transfer requests. Please be advised that this process may take 2-4 weeks.

Use the checklist below to make sure the syllabus includes all necessary information. Missing or incomplete information might delay the process.

  • Course Name and Number, University, and Instructor
  • Course Format: Online (Synchronous or Asynchronous) or In-Person
  • Course Meeting Times
  • Course Description
  • Reading Material (E.g. Textbook)
  • Assessments for Grade (E.g. what assignments and/or exams are used to calculated the grade)
  • Course Schedule (which includes topic content information)


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 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. Alex Sims (asims1@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.

Students pursuing a double-major in psychology may have other course requirements. Please  see below for information regarding requirements for double majors in Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychology and Public Health, and Psychology and Cognitive Studies. Although these are common double majors, they are certainly not the only options. 

Double Major in Psychology & Neuroscience

Students can complete double majors in Psychology and Neuroscience by completing 18 non-overlapping courses from the curricula of the two majors. Courses listed in the Psychology curriculum of 3 or 4 credits can be included among the 18 non-overlapping courses.  The following exceptions apply: 

(1) Laboratories that are one-credit components of lecture courses cannot count as separate courses. Four-credit courses that include laboratories, 3-credit independent study courses, and seven-credit honors theses can count toward the 18 non-overlapping courses. 

(2) Neuroscience co-requisite courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics do not count towards the list of 18 non-overlapping courses.

A double major should broaden a student's knowledge in both areas of study; therefore, students are encouraged strongly to complete courses in their Psychology major that are outside the field of Neuroscience, such as courses in developmental, social, and quantitative psychology.

Students planning to double major in Neuroscience and Psychology must meet with Dr. Katie Black (kblack6@tulane.edu) to develop their double major curriculum plan.

Steps in Declaring a Double Major in Psychology and Neuroscience:

  • Meet with Dr. Black to design your major course plan.
  • In consultation with Dr. Black, complete the forms that identify your course requirements in each major.
  • Turn in completed major declaration forms and the list of non-overlapping courses to the Psychology Office in Stern 2007 and the Neuroscience Office in Flower 200 to declare both of your
  • Submit your completed declaration form to the NTC Advising Center.

 

Double Major in Psychology & Public Health

Any B.S.P.H. degree-seeking student whose primary major is in public health and secondary major is in psychology and who takes SPHU 2160 Biostatistics for the Public Health major may petition to substitute the SPHU 2160 course in lieu of MATH 1230 Statistics for Scientists to meet the additional math requirement of the psychology major. However, students who choose this option should be advised that:

  • In addition to SPHU 2160, Public Health/Psychology double majors must take either Math 1210 OR Math 1150 and Math 1160 to fulfill the math requirement
  • Students earning dual degrees in Public Health (B.S.P.H.) and Psychology (B.S.) are ineligible for the substitution and must meet all the math requirements of a S. degree in the School of Science and Engineering at Tulane.
  • Any public health/psychology double major who drops the public health major and retains the Psychology major are ineligible for the substitution and must meet all the math requirements of the B.S. degree and psychology major degree in the School of Science and Engineering.
  • Any psychology major/public health minor who takes SPHU 2160 is ineligible for the substitution and must meet all the math requirements of a S. degree and psychology major degree in the School of Science and Engineering at Tulane
  • Students interested in this substitution petition should obtain a Degree Audit Substitution Request from their Newcomb-Tulane College Academic Advisor, bring that form to their psychology major advisor for a signature and return the form to their advisor for processing.

 

Double Major in Psychology & Cognitive Studies

Double majors in Psychology and Cognitive studies are required to complete 18 non-overlapping 3 or 4 credit courses from the curricula of the two majors. Courses listed in the Psychology curriculum of 3 or 4 credits can be included among the 18 non-overlapping courses.  The following exceptions apply: 

(1) Laboratories that are one-credit components of lecture courses cannot count as separate courses. Four-credit courses that include laboratories, 3-credit independent study courses, and seven-credit honors theses can count toward the 18 non-overlapping courses. 

(2) Psychology co-requisite courses do not count towards the list of 18 non-overlapping courses.

There is a section on Degree Works that will show you the list of unique classes so you can verify you have 18 non-overlapping courses (it is at the bottom of the audit).

More information about the Cognitive Studies major is available at https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/programs/cognitive-studies.

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. 

Major Declaration Form

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.