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Undergraduate Psychology Major Requirements

The new set of requirements, as outlined below, will take effect with the class entering Brandeis in the fall of 2007 and classes thereafter. However, current students who started at Brandeis prior to fall 2007, have the option of choosing to meet the old requirements, as stated in the Bulletin published the year of entry into Brandeis, or the new requirements, outlined below. Each student must choose one set of requirements or the other; and will not be allowed to mix and combine the requirements. While the new requirements will provide more flexibility and options for most students, they also add another course requirement. In addition, most current psychology majors, especially those in the junior class, have already fulfilled many of the requirements for the old set (e.g., MATH 10a, a lab science course, courses in the three groups). If you are in this situation, it will likely be to your advantage to choose to stay with the old requirements. Likewise, for students who have not yet met many of the course requirements for the major (i.e., those who are currently first year students and most sophomores), it will likely be to your advantage to choose to follow the new requirements.

Eleven (11) courses are required for the major; all courses that count toward the major must have a grade of C- or better.

PSYC la Introduction to Psychology or AP PSYC
Four Content Courses: two from Group I and two from Group II:
Group I: Perception, Cognition and Neuroscience
NPSY 11b Behavioral Neuroscience
NPSY 12a Sensory Processes
PSYC 13b Perception
PSYC 14a Comparative Psychology
PSYC 15a Biological Basis of Motivation
NPSY 16a Motor Control (formerly NPSY 127a)
PSYC 21a Learning and Behavior
NPSY 22b Cognitive Neuroscience
Group II: Social and Developmental
PSYC 31a Personality
PSYC 32a Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
PSYC 34b Social Psychology
PSYC 36b Adolescence and Transition to Maturity
PSYC 37a Adult Development and Aging (formerly PSYC 101b)
PSYC 38a Health Psychology (formerly PSYC 131b)
Two Quantitative Courses. All students must take PSYC 51a Statistics, plus one of the following:
PSYC 193b Tests and Measurements
MATH 10a Techniques of Calculus
MATH 10b Techniques of Calculus
MATH 15a Applied Linear Algebra
PSYC 210a Advanced Psychological Statistics
COSI 11a Programming in Java and C

Note: MATH 36b Mathematical Statistics or ECON 83a Statistics for Economic Analysis, may be taken in place of PSYC 51a.
Two Research Science Courses. All students must take PSYC 52a Research Methods and Laboratory in Psychology. The second course may be selected from any of the following:
CHEM 11a General Chemistry I
CHEM 11b General Chemistry II
CHEM 15a Honors General: Principles of Material Evolution I
CHEM 15b Honors General: Principles of Material Evolution II
PHYS 10a Introduction to Physical Laws and Phenomena I
PHYS 10b Introduction to Physical Laws and Phenomena II
BIOL 22a Cell Structure

Note the corresponding lab is not required for these chemistry, physics or biology courses OR from the following advanced research courses in the Psychology department: PSYC 93a Independent Research in Psychological Sciences, PSYC 99d Senior Research in Psychology, or a seminar that has been designated as research intensive (meaning that it involves a significant independent research component).

PSYC 51a Statistics is a prerequisite for PSYC 52a and all advanced research intensive courses. PSYC 52a Research Methods is a prerequisite for all research intensive courses. Any seminar used to meet the research science requirement cannot also be counted towards the advanced seminar requirement. Courses that satisfy the research intensive requirements are: NPSY 120b, PSYC 130b, PSYC 131, PSYC 133a, PSYC 135b, PSYC 136b, PSYC 145b, PSYC 160b, PSYC 169b, NPSY 174b, NPSY 175b, and PSYC 253a.

Two Advanced Seminars (courses 100-level or above). Neither of these advanced seminars can be used to count for the quantitative or the research science requirement. PSYC 161a and 161b Clinical Psychology Practicum I and II count only as one course.

NOTE: The major requires 11 courses in total and a minimum of 9 PSYC or NPSY courses. A maximum of two AP exams, with acceptable scores, in the following subjects may be used toward the requirements for the major:

Psychology
Statistics
Calculus
Computer Science
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Biology