Psychology, BA

Psychology (BA) Offered by the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences. Admission to the Program Formal admission to the major requires departmental approval. 120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better Completion of college writing requirement Completion of university mathematics requirement General Education Requirements A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline Major Requirements 41 credit hours with grades of C or better and at least 18 credit hours at the 300 level or above. No more than a combined total of 6 credit hours of PSYC-390 Independent Reading Course in Psychology, PSYC-490 Independent Study Project in Psychology, and PSYC-491 Internship, will apply toward fulfilling major requirements. Course Requirements Required (11 credit hours) PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding Human Behavior FA4 (3) PSYC-115 Psychology as a Natural Science FA5 (3) PSYC-116 Psychology as a Natural Science Lab FA5 (1) STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) or STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4) Research Methods (3-4 credit hours) One course from the following: PSYC-301 Research Methods in Psychology (3) PSYC-433 Research Design and Methods: Social Science Psychology Research (4) PSYC-480 Research Design and Methods: Experimental Psychology (4) Bio-Psychology (3 credit hours) One course from the following: PSYC-240 Drugs and Behavior FA5 (3) PSYC-318 Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology (3) PSYC-325 Neurobiological Bases of Behavior (3) PSYC-360 The Evolution of Behavior (3) Learning and Cognition (3 credit hours) One course from the following: PSYC-200 Behavior Principles FA5 (3) PSYC-220 The Senses FA5 (3) PSYC-300 Memory and Cognition (3) PSYC-370 Learning and Behavior (3) The Individual, the Situation, and Psychological Health (6 credit hours) Two courses from the following: PSYC-205 Social Psychology FA4 (3) PSYC-215 Abnormal Psychology and Society FA4 (3) PSYC-235 Theories of Personality FA4 (3) PSYC-333 Health Psychology (3) PSYC-350 Child Psychology (3) Electives (14-15 credit hours) 14-15 credit hours in psychology elective courses to complete the required credit hours. Students will be advised concerning 300-500-level courses available as electives. Note: No more than a combined total of 6 credit hours of PSYC-390 Independent Reading Course in Psychology, PSYC-490 Independent Study Project in Psychology, and PSYC-491 Internship, will apply toward fulfilling major requirements. Combined BA and MA in Psychology American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor's/master's programs. See Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degrees for more information. This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both the BA and MA in Psychology. Requirements Students should apply for the program no later than the first semester of the senior year and no earlier than the first semester of the junior year. Students must have a minimum 3.00 grade point average in psychology and statistics courses and must have completed at least half of the credit hours required for the BA in Psychology, including STAT-202 Basic Statistics, before applying to the program. Students must submit a completed graduate application form, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the General examination (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic), two letters of recommendation, and copies of all college transcripts. All requirements for the BA in Psychology. Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. All requirements for the MA in Psychology including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master's degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master's program.