Psychology Degree Requirements

Fall 2007

New Numbers, Same Requirements

The Psychology Curriculum has a new look, but the requirements for the Psychology majors (BA, BS, Social Psychology) and minor have not really changed. The requirements are presented differently because of the numbering change, but a close look at course titles will show that you are being asked to do the same work for the degree. This Q&A sheet will explain how to interpret the changes.

Major requirements fall into four categories: introductory courses (Introductory Psychology and Introduction to Behavioral Research), intermediate core courses for the major (8 courses, of which 5 are required), advanced courses (400-level and some 300-level courses), and electives (any level). As previously, introductory courses get you started, and intermediate required courses provide you with broad knowledge of the discipline and serve as prerequisites to more specialized advanced courses. See new handouts for details on each major and minor program.

The biggest change you will notice is that the set of required, intermediate level core courses have been renumbered by changing the first digit from 2 to 3 (so Psych 200 is now Psych 300, 215 is 315, etc.). These courses remain intermediate level courses and cannot be used to fill advanced course requirements. (They fill the same requirements as they did last year.) A second big change is that we have used the 400 level to identify capstone courses and substantially increased the number of courses in that category. For this reason, we now ask that you take at least two 400-level courses in the advanced course category. If you complete two 400-level courses and meet some additional capstone criteria in one of them (e.g., grade of C- or better), you will have completed your capstone requirement. Again, it is important to remember that it is the course that is important, so if for example you took Psych 360 before this fall, it will count as a 400-level requirement because this same course (Neuropsychology) is now 460.

Although the changes we have made are simple in principle, they are somewhat complicated to implement. This process has inevitably generated some confusion. The following Questions and Answers will address the main areas of confusion. Please visit or call the Psychology Department with any remaining questions or if you feel that your degree audit needs special attention. We will continue to honor requirements that were in place when you declared your major.

Question. Have the requirements for a Psychology major (or minor) changed?

Answer. Not really. They look different because we have renumbered courses and have restated the requirements to reflect the new numbering system while keeping the substantive requirements the same.

Question. If the requirements haven’t changed, why has my degree audit changed so strangely this summer?

Answer. The degree audit you access online is generated by a computer program, and it is taking some time to work out all the glitches so that the program adjusts to the new numbers while keeping track of work completed with old numbers. The odd changes you have seen are artifacts of programming in progress this summer. If you continue to see problems with your audit after add/drop, please contact the Psychology Department. Your input helps us to get the right feedback to the programmer in the Registrar’s office so that she can eliminate all the errors.

Question. I am a transfer student who has had some course equivalencies or exceptions approved, yet these have disappeared from the correct place on my audit. What should I do?

Answer. You should contact the Psychology Department. Some audits of transfer students may need to be reworked by hand. Be assured that your old approvals will be honored and your audit corrected. It will be best to come by after the rush of add/drop.

Question. I took Abnormal Psychology when it was Psych 215 to fill the Personality/Clinical requirement. Now that it is Psych 315, will it also fill an advanced course requirement?

Answer. No. Each of the 12 Psychology courses required for the major can count in only one category.

Question. I took Perception last year to fill my Cognitive area requirement. May I take Psych 350 (Learning and Memory) this year to fill an advanced course requirement?

Answer. No. You may not use courses in the intermediate required core category (old/new numbers: Psych 200/300, 215/315, 230/330, 241/341, 242/342, 250/350, 255/355, and 260/360) to meet an advanced course requirement. But you may use the alternative course in core areas that have options as an “any level” elective toward your 12 course requirement.

Question. Are there changes in the capstone requirement?

Answer. We have changed the way we state the requirement, but have not changed its substance. We have made it easier for you to fill the capstone requirement by increasing the number of courses that can be used, and we have made it possible to track your completion of the capstone on the degree audit. Once you have taken two 400-level courses, your capstone requirement will be done provided that additional capstone criteria are met in at least one of these courses. (Capstone criteria include a grade of C- or better in a 400-level course taken in residence after completing at least 3 of the 5 intermediate core requirements. These are the same criteria as last year. We have expanded the list of capstone courses and identified them with a number in the 400s.)

Question. I am concerned that my audit will not be corrected and that this will interfere with my ability to graduate. What should I do?

Answer. The Psychology Department always does a hand audit of all students who have declared for graduation but are identified by the audit program as missing requirements. If there is a problem that we cannot correct from our records, we will contact you.

Question. Who do I contact if I have problems with understanding the new numbering system or if I continue to have problems with my degree audit?

Answer. Contact your faculty advisor or the Psychology Department’s staff advisor, Michelle Browning. She can be reached at michelle.browning@umb.edu; 287-6351; 287-6350; or in the main departmental office on the fourth floor of McCormack.