The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree: 120 units

See “Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree” in The University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

The department has prepared a suggested Four Year Advising Plan to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. Please request a plan from your major adviser or view it and other current advising information on the CSU, Chico Web.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

See “General Education Requirements” in The University Catalog and The Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings. The course requirements marked below with an asterisk (*) may also be applied toward General Education.

Cultural Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See “Cultural Diversity” in The University Catalog. Most courses used to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.

American Institutions Requirement: 6 units

See the “American Institutions Requirement” under “Bachelor’s Degree Requirements.” This requirement is normally fulfilled by completing HIST 050 and POLS 055. Courses used to satisfy this requirement do not apply to General Education.

Literacy Requirement:

See “Mathematics and Writing Requirements” in The University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or better to receive WP credit. See The Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 001 (or its equivalent) with a C- or better before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 40 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree.

6 courses required:

PSY    001A    Principles of Psych    3.0    FS *

PSY    095    Research Methods in Psychology    3.0    FS

Prerequisites: or corequisite: PSY 001A.

PSY    104    Biological Psychology    3.0    FS

Prerequisites: PSY 001A, PSY 095.

PSY    106    Cognition    3.0    FS

Prerequisites: PSY 001A, PSY 095, faculty permission.

PSY    107    Statistical Methods in Psych    4.0    FS

Prerequisites: PSY 001A, PSY 095.

PSY    109    Elements of Learning and Memory    3.0    FS

Prerequisites: PSY 001A, PSY 095, PSY 107.

1 course selected from:

PSY    295    Senior Seminar in Psychology    3.0    FS

Prerequisites: ENGL 001 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, PSY 001A, PSY 095, PSY 107 and four additional courses in the major.

PSY    299I    Honors Seminar in Psych II    3.0    SP

Prerequisites: Completion of PSY 299H with a B or higher, faculty permission.

4 courses selected from:

PSY    202    Child/Adolescent Psychology    3.0    FS

PSY    225    Abnormal Psychology    3.0    FS

PSY    235    Psychology of Personality    3.0    FS

PSY    245    Social Psychology    3.0    FS

PSY    266    Environmental Psychology    3.0    SP

PSY    272    Health Psychology    3.0    FA

PSY    279    Human Perception    3.0    FA

PSY    280    History/Systems of Psychology    3.0    SP

2 courses selected from:

Any psychology (PSY) courses except those graded Credit/No Credit only; 3.0 units must be upper division.

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor’s degree, select additional elective courses from the total university offerings. You should consult with an adviser regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your university experience and apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade, except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate adviser for specific information.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It involves 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

Your Honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair. Most importantly, however, the Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the university for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or competition in shows; such experience is valuable for graduate school and later professional life.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. At least 3 of these 6 units are independent study (299H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
2. You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5 percent of majors in your department.
4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5 percent of majors in your department.
5. Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
6. Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your Honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major adviser for further information.

Honors in Psychology

In addition to the requiremens above, specific requirements in the Honors in Psychology program include:
1. You must complete PSY 001A, PSY 095, PSY 107, and 9 units of other upper-division psychology courses before being considered for admission to the Honors in Psychology program.
2. You must apply in the spring semester preceeding your two-semester participation in the program.
3. To complete the Honors in Psychology program, you must complete PSY 299H in the fall semester and PSY 299I in the spring semester with minimum grades of B. You must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and must make a public presentation of the results of your Honors project.