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Psychology Major

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The Undergraduate Psychology Major at Hunter College is a quantitative, research-oriented program that prepares students to be consumers of empirical research. The curriculum is optimally suited for students who intend to pursue masters and/or doctorate degrees in various fields of Psychology and/or the Neurosciences, but also prepares students for career opportunities in education, health services, social and welfare services and industry.

On This Page:

Major Declaration

Students interested in declaring a major in the Department of Psychology must complete the Major Declaration Form and have it approved by a department advisor. The Dept. of Psychology offers both virtual and in-person advising - refer to Undergraduate Advising for office hours.

Major Requirements

Completion of the Psychology Major requires a broad selection of coursework across 3 major “Content Areas” (Biopsychology; Cognitive/Developmental Psychology; and Social/Clinical/Health Psychology).

Students also have the option to further ‘tailor’ their Psychology major within one of 7 specialized “Focus Areas” that are grouped within these broader Content Areas: Animal Behavior; Physiological Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Social Psychology; Clinical Psychology; or Health Psychology.

Students who prefer not to ‘tailor’ their major within a specific Focus Area may choose the “General Psychology” option.

The mathematics requirement for the PSYCH major can be satisfied by either STAT 11300 or MATH 12400 (STEM), or by earning exemption from the mathematics requirement by placing into Milestone Level 2 on the Math Placement Test (MPT). Based on placement exams or transferred courses, students may place into advanced Mathematics or Statistics courses without taking Hunter College pre-requisites. See the Mathematics and Statistics department for details.

Content Areas Focus Areas
Biopsychology Animal Behavior, Physiological Psychology
Cognitive/Developmental Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Social/Clinical/Health Social Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology

Below is the full curriculum for the Psychology Major (43-50 credits)

100-level Classes [17+ Credits] Credits
PSYCH 10000 - Introduction to Psychology
Minimum Grade 'B'		 3 credits
An Additional PSYCH Course on the 100-level:
PSYCH 14000 or PSYCH 15000 or PSYCH 16000 or PSYCH 17000 or PSYCH 17100 or PSYCH 18000 or PSYCH 19000
[Pre-req: PSYCH 10000]
Minimum Grade 'B'		 3 credits
MATH or STATS Requirement:
STAT 11300 or STAT 21300 or
MATH 12400 or MATH 12500 or MATH 12550 or MATH 15000 or MATH 15500
Minimum Grade 'C'		 3-4 credits
Two (2) Laboratory Science Courses: (Examples)

ANTHP 10100 (4 cr.)
ASTRO 10000 (3 cr.) + ASTRO 10200 (3 cr.)*
BIOL 12500 (4.5 cr.) [spring only]
BIOL 15000 (4.5 cr.) [fall only]
GEOL 10000 (3 cr.) + GEOL 10100 (3 cr.)*
PGEOG 13000 (4 cr.)

* Please note a plus sign indicates both classes must be completed to fulfill one instance of the lab science requirement.

 Minimum 4 credits each
200-Level Classes [17 Credits] Credits
One (1) Course in the Biopsychology Content Area
[Pre-reqs: 6 cr. in psychology]
PSYCH 22400 or PSYCH 22500                 

* Please choose PSYCH 224 if you’re specializing in the “Physiological Psychology” Focus Area; choose PSYCH 225 if you’re specializing in the “Animal Behavior” Focus Area. “General Psychology” majors may choose either course.

 3 credits
One (1) Course in the Cognitive / Developmental Content Area
[Pre-reqs: 6 cr. in psychology]
PSYCH 21000 or PSYCH 24300                 

* Please choose PSYCH 210 if you’re specializing in the “Developmental Psychology” Focus Area; choose PSYCH 243 if you’re specializing in the “Cognitive Psychology” Focus Area. “General Psychology” majors may choose either course.

 3 credits
One (1) Course in the Social / Clinical / Health Content Area
[Pre-reqs: 6 cr. in psychology]
PSYCH 22000 or PSYCH 22300 or PSYCH 23000 or PSYCH 23500 or PSYCH 24200                 

* Please choose PSYCH 230 if you’re specializing in the “Social Psychology” Focus Area; choose PSYCH 223 if you’re specializing in the “Clinical Psychology” Focus Area; choose PSYCH 242 if you’re specializing in the “Health Psychology” Focus Area. “General Psychology” majors may choose any course.

 3 credits
PSYCH 24800 - Statistical Methods in Psychology*
[Pre-reqs: 6 cr. in psychology + MATH pre-req (e.g., either STAT 113 or MATH 124 passed with a 'C' or better)]
Minimum Grade 'C'		 4 credits
PSYCH 25000 - Experimental Psychology**
[Pre-reqs: PSYCH 24800 passed with a 'C' or better + one laboratory science class]		 4 credits
300- Level Classes [6 Credits] Credits
Two (2) courses on the 300-level
[Pre-req: PSYCH 25000]                 

* Students opting to specialize in a Focus Area must choose 2 300-level courses that fall within that Focus Area. “General Psychology” majors may choose any 2 courses.

 3 credits each
Psychology Electives [6 Credits] Credits
Two (2) Elective Psychology Courses*** 200-level or Higher
3 credits each

Notes:
*PSYCH 24800 and PSYCH 25000 cannot be taken simultaneously. PSYCH 24800 is a pre-requisite of PSYCH 25000. They cannot be taken as co-requisites, no exceptions.

**PSYCH 25000 is a pre-requisite for all upper-division, 300-level classes. Therefore, these levels cannot be taken simultaneously, no exceptions.

***PSYCH Electives can be fulfilled by completing any PSYCH class 200-level or higher. Independent study courses as well as an honors project (i.e., Departmental Honors) can only fulfill the psych electives requirement.

Elective Psychology Courses Description
PSYCH 20100 - Independent Study [3 cr.] Internship (fieldwork): [pre-reqs: 6 cr. in Psychology]
PSYCH 29500 - Topics in Neuroscience [3 cr.] (Only available for students in the BPEndure or RISE programs): [pre-req: PSYCH 25000]
PSYCH 34800 - Statistics Practicum in Psychology [3 cr.] Tutoring and teaching assistance for PSYCH 24800: [pre-req: PSYCH 24800 passed with min 'A-']
PSYCH 39500 - Independent Research in Psychology [3 cr.] Internship (research): [pre-req: PSYCH 25000]
PSYCH 39600 - Honors in Psychology [3 cr.] Departmental Honors - Semester I: [pre-req: PSYCH 25000 + 3.0 Overall GPA & 3.5 Major GPA]
PSYCH 39800 - Honors in Psychology [3 cr.] Departmental Honors - Semester II: [pre-req: PSYCH 39600 passed with an 'A']

Note:

Honors in Psychology PSYCH 396/398 is designed as a capstone experience for Psychology Majors. It involves a full year commitment of intensive research under the supervision of a faculty member and a written thesis in APA style. In addition, students completing the Honors in Psychology present their research projects at one of three conferences held over the course of the year where awards are given for both the best poster and oral presentation. For more information on the honors thesis review Departmental Honors. For more information on how to create a Poster for the Honors presentation review our presentation guide.

Policies for Psychology Majors

Grading

  1. Courses applied to the Psychology major cannot be completed with a P/NC (Pass/No Credit) option.

Residence Requirement and Classes Taken on Permit

  1. Psychology classes 200-level and above taken on Permit will only transfer to Hunter as a General Elective. 200 and 300-level Psychology classes must be taken in residence (at Hunter College) to apply towards the major.
  2. Transfer students can apply equivalent classes toward the major. Students are required to complete a minimum of 19 credits in residence to satisfy the major requirements.