Psychology Major, Bachelor of Arts (BA)
General Admissions Information for Psychology
High school students should have at least one year of algebra. Social science courses, including psychology and natural science courses such as biology and chemistry are also encouraged. Transfer students may be given credit for appropriate transfer courses in the major and for electives. Transfer credits will be limited to 20 lower division courses and no more than 30 transfer credits total can be applied toward the degree.
General Degree Completion Requirements for Psychology
Students who major in psychology but who transfer some lower division psychology coursework from other colleges/universities must complete at least 50 hours of upper division credits in the 70 credit psychology major.
Note:
- two years of a single high school foreign language or one year (3 quarters) of a single college-level foreign language is required;
- if a student takes PSYC 201 or PSYC 305 or PSYC 306 for Cluster A, they cannot take PSYC 201 or PSYC 305 or PSYC 306 as an elective;
Capstone Course: the university capstone requirement is met by the department capstone PSYC 490 and must attain a grade ≥C.
Required courses are designed to provide students with the foundations of the field. Through careful planning in the selection of cluster and elective courses, students may develop a program of study to prepare for application to graduate school programs or meet specific career goals in psychology-related business/human services occupations.
Major Requirements
- To declare psychology as a major, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA ≥2.0 and completed PSYC 100 or its equivalent with a grade ≥C.
- Transfer students may be given credit for appropriate transfer courses in the major and for electives. Transfer credits will be limited to 20 lower division credits and no more than 30 transfer credits total applied toward the major.
- Students must attain a grade ≥C for each of the required courses:
- There is no overall GPA requirement for this major.
| Required Prerequisite Course | ||
| PSYC 100 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY | 5 |
| Required Courses (taking PSYC 309 prior to PSYC 310 is highly recommended. Must receive a grade of C or higher in all required courses.) | ||
| PSYC 309 | SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY | 5 |
| PSYC 310 | PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS | 5 |
| PSYC 413 | RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY | 5 |
| Required Focus Experience Courses–students choose from any combination of the following | 3 | |
| SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLOGY | ||
or PSYC 498 | SEMINAR | |
| DIRECTED STUDY (permission required) | ||
or PSYC 499 | DIRECTED STUDY | |
| INTERNSHIP (permission required) | ||
| Required Cluster Credits–PSYC majors are required to take a specified number of courses from clusters A and B as follows | ||
| Cluster A Core Course Requirements–choose at least four of the following | 18-20 | |
| THEORIES OF PERSONALITY | ||
| ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| FOUNDATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY | ||
| CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT (only one developmental course will count towards the BA) | ||
or PSYC 201 | LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT | |
or PSYC 306 | ADULT DEVELOPMENT | |
| HUMAN MEMORY AND COGNITION | ||
| CONDITIONING AND LEARNING | ||
| EMOTION AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE | ||
| SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR | ||
| Cluster B Applied/Lab and Speciality Course Requirements–choose at least three of the following | 10-15 | |
| COMPUTER STATISTICAL ANALYSIS | ||
| TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS | ||
| HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| COMPUTERIZATION RESEARCH TECHNIQUES IN PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| BLACK PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| CARE AND CUSTODY OF FEMALE OFFENDERS | ||
| DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN | ||
| HUMAN SEXUALITY | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM | ||
| INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS | ||
| PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY | ||
| COMPASSION FOCUSED THERAPY | ||
| HAPPINESS AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| TRAUMA: THEORY, ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT | ||
| SOCIAL INFLUENCE | ||
| INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND TREATMENT | ||
| PREJUDICE AND STEREOTYPING | ||
| EXPERIMENTAL COURSE | ||
| WORKSHOP, SHORT COURSE, CONFERENCE, SEMINAR (may be counted as a cluster course or elective as approved by the department chair) | ||
| Electives–courses used as electives in the major must come from cluster A or B or Focus Experience list above (those not used to meet the minimum cluster requirements). | 6-15 | |
| Required Senior Capstone | ||
| PSYC 490 | SENIOR CAPSTONE: THE TRADITION OF PSYCHOLOGY (a UGR–senior capstone) | 4-6 |
| or PSYC 491 | SENIOR THESIS | |
| Total | 70 | |
University Competencies and Proficiencies
English
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
Placement and Clearance
Prior Learning/Sources of Credit AP, CLEP, IB
General Education Requirements (GER)
- Minimum Credits—180 cumulative credit hours
- 60 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
- 45 credits in residence (attendance) at Eastern, with at least 15 upper-division credits in major in residence at Eastern
- Minimum Cumulative GPA ≥2.0
Breadth Area Core Requirements (BACR)
Humanities and Arts
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
University Graduation Requirements (UGR)
Diversity Course List
Foreign Language (for Bachelor of Arts)
Global Studies Course List
Minor or Certificate
Senior Capstone Course List
Application for Graduation (use EagleNET) must be made at least two terms in advance of the term you expect to graduate (undergraduate and post-baccalaureate).
Use the Catalog Archives to determine two important catalog years.
Degree Works calculates based on these two catalog years.
- The catalog in effect at the student's first term of current matriculation is used to determine BACR (Breadth Area Credit Requirements) and UGR (Undergraduate Graduation Requirements).
- The catalog in effect at the time the student declares a major or minor is used to determine the program requirements.
Students who successfully earn a BA in Psychology from EWU should be able to do the following:
- evaluate empirical research in psychology;
- explain how APA’s principles of ethics can be applied to a research study in psychology;
- investigate a major theoretical perspective from psychology;
- utilize APA (American Psychological Association) style requirements when writing.