Requirements for the Joint Major in Sociology and Psychology
Students are required to declare the joint major in psychology and sociology no later than the start of their junior year. Waiving or modifying any joint major requirement must be approved by both departments. Joint majors are assigned a faculty advisor from each department, and they are urged to make contact with their advisors as soon as possible.
The course sequence for the joint major in psychology and sociology includes a minimum of 12 courses as follows:
PSYCH 101 (Introduction to Psychology)
SOCIOL 101 (Introduction to Sociology)
PSYCH 230 (Social Psychology) or Sociology 281 (Society and the Individual)
SOCIOL 341 (Elements of Sociological Theory)
SOCIOL L351 (Research Methods)
PSYCH 102 or Psych 270 or SOCIOL 350 (Statistics) Note: SOCIOL 350 was formerly numbered Sociol 270. Either course can satisfy this category.
Psychology, Group A. One of the following Psychology courses:PSYCH 250 (Learning and Memory)
PSYCH 255 (Perception)
PSYCH 260 (Physiological Psychology)
PSYCH 265 - Comparative Psychology
Psychology, Group B. One of the following Psychology courses:
PSYCH 200 (Personality)
PSYCH 215 (Psychopathology)
PSYCH 241 (Infancy and Child Development)Two of the following Psychology courses (Psychology Directed List):
PSYCH 315 (Psychological Trauma: Individual and Society)
PSYCH 333 (Group Dynamics)
PSYCH 334 (Social Perception)
PSYCH 335 (Social Attitudes and Public Opinion)
PSYCH 338 (Community Psychology)
PSYCH 341 (Family and Child Development)
PSYCH 430 (Internship in Psychology: 6 credits)
PSYCH 439 (Experimental Methods: Social)Two of the following Sociology courses (Sociology Directed List):
SOCIOL 300 (Communication and Opinion)
SOCIOL 310 (Socialization)
SOCIOL 316 (Family Violence in America)
SOCIOL 342 (Aging and Society)
SOCIOL 362 (Juvenile Delinquency)
SOCIOL 382 (Sociology of Gender)
SOCIOL 384 (Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care)
SOCIOL 386 (Sociology of Mental Health and Illness)
SOCIOL 427 (Minority Role Behavior)
SOCIOL 460 (Internship in Urban Social Servic: 6 creditse)
Senior Capstone Experience (See below)
The following limits apply:
- A maximum of three Sociology courses and three Psychology courses may be transferred in.
- One course within this major may be taken pass/fail but it may not be the capstone course (see below).
- Either PSYCH 430 or SOCIOL 460 may be included in the major, but not both. Students who choose this option will complete 3 extra credits in Psychology or Sociology since each of these courses carries 6 credits. These extra credits will be considered as elective credits, counting towards graduation but not toward the major.
Senior Capstone Experience for the Joint Major in Social Psychology
All students who declare the joint major in Social Psychology after September 1, 2003 are required to complete a capstone course. These courses, listed below, require students to synthesize various themes in sociology and psychology to which they have been exposed during the coursework required for the major. Two of the choices are internship courses that require you to apply knowledge gained in the major in a setting outside the classroom. Others will require a substantial research paper with use of original sources. All require substantial reading, writing and synthesizing. Students typically complete a capstone course during their last semester or two at UMass Boston. A grade of C- or higher is required in order to earn capstone credit. Thus, the capstone may not be taken pass/fail.
Completion of any of the following courses with a grade of C- or better will satisfy the capstone requirement in this major:
- Any course in the Sociology or Psychology Directed List (above) numbering 400 or above (SOCIOL 460, SOCIOL 427, PSYCH 430, PSYCH 439)
- Any of the following courses if the department involved approves the course for a specific student:
- Honors in Psychology: Psych 498, 499
- Honors in Sociology (see guidelines later in this handbook)
- Directed Study in Psychology: Psych 488, 489
- Directed Study in Sociology: Soc 478, 479
- Special Topics in Psychology: Psych 490
- Special Topics in Sociology: Soc 480
- A Psychology or Sociology course numbering 500 or above (requires permission of the Graduate Director or the course instructor).