Students can tailor the psychology program to their own interests, whether preparing for graduate school or for immediate employment. For minors or other non-majors, courses such as developmental, personality, social, gender, motivation and emotion, disorders, industrial/organizational, and community psychology can complement their overall liberal arts education.

To complete the psychology major, students are required to take 44 credits (approximately 11 classes) from a core of psychology courses and electives. Although there are some courses required of all majors, students have a great deal of choice in deciding which courses they will take to complete the major, based on their interests and their plans for after graduation. Students should always consult with their advisor when planning their courses, not only to make sure they are on track to complete the major, but also to identify the courses and other experiences, such as internships, service learning, and research, that would best prepare them for their post-graduate path.

Psychology Major Requirements

Students pursuing a psychology major must start with PSYC 111 Introductory Psychology, which is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses. Next, students should take PSYC 221 Applied Behavioral Statistics and then proceed to take PSYC 235 Research Methods. These three courses must be successfully completed prior to full acceptance to the major; however, applications to the major will still be accepted under the condition that these courses will be successfully completed.

It is recommended that PSYC 111, PSYC 221, and PSYC 235 be completed, in this order, by the end of the sophomore year.  Because most other psychology courses only have PSYC 111 as a prerequisite, students can also take other courses in the major while they are completing PSYC 221 and PSYC 235. Faculty advisors can help students plan the appropriate time to take various courses in major as part of their 4-year plan.

The psychology department recently changed the requirements for the major. The new requirements are referred to as Curriculum B, with the old requirements called Curriculum A. Which requirements a particular student must satisfy depends on when the student first attended CSB/SJU.

Students who first attended CSB/SJU in Spring 2018 or earlier must complete Curriculum A.

Students who first attended CSB/SJU in Fall 2021 or later must complete Curriculum B.

All other students can choose Curriculum A or B, although the department recommends Curriculum B.

These 3 courses are required for all majors:

• PSYC 111 Introductory Psychology
• PSYC 221 Applied Behavioral Statistics
• PSYC 235 Research Methods

Group 1 Courses:

Majors must complete at least 3 courses from this group:

• PSYC 320 Principles of Learning and Behavior
• PSYC 330 Sensation and Perception
• PSYC 331 Cognitive Processes
• PSYC 340 Physiological Psychology
• PSYC 350 Social Psychology

Group 2 Courses (Capstone):

Majors must complete at least 4 credits; taken in senior year:

• PSYC 392 History of Psychology
• PSYC 393 Psychology Seminar
• PSYC 396 Senior Thesis
• COLG 398 Disntinguished Thesis

Elective Courses:

Majors must complete at least 16 elective credits for a total of 44 credits in psychology . Any PSYC course counts as an elective, including additional courses from the categories above that go beyond the minimum required in each category. The following courses from other departments also count as electives in the psychology major:

• ECON 392 Behavioral Economics
• EDUC 379A Educational Psychology
• EXHS 324 Sports and Exercise Psychology*
• POLS 350D Political Psychology

*If PSYC 311 Sport and Exercise Psychology is taken as an elective, then EXHS 324 cannot also be counted toward the major.

Foundations Courses:

These 3 courses are required for all majors:

• PSYC 111 Introductory Psychology
• PSYC 221 Applied Behavioral Statistics
• PSYC 235 Research Methods

Processes Courses:

Majors must complete at least 2 courses from this group:

• PSYC 320 Principles of Learning and Behavior
• PSYC 330 Sensation and Perception
• PSYC 331 Cognitive Processes
• PSYC 340 Physiological Psychology

Paths and Contexts Courses:

Majors must complete at least 2 courses from this group:

• PSYC 350 Social Psychology
• PSYC 360 Developmental Psychology
• PSYC 380 Personality Psychology
• PSYC 381 Psychological Disorders

Capstone Courses:

Majors must complete at least 4 credits; taken in senior year:

• PSYC 392 History of Psychology
• PSYC 393 Psychology Seminar
• PSYC 396 Senior Thesis
• COLG 398 Distinguished Thesis

Elective Courses:

Majors must complete at least 12 elective credits for a total of 44 credits in psychology. Any PSYC course counts as an elective, including additional courses from the categories above that go beyond the minimum required in each category. The following courses from other departments also count as electives in the psychology major:

• ECON 392 Behavioral Economics
• EDUC 379A Educational Psychology
• EXHS 324 Sports and Exercise Psychology*
• POLS 350D Political Psychology

*If PSYC 311 Sport and Exercise Psychology is taken as an elective, then EXHS 324 cannot also be counted toward the major.