Psychology majors have a wide range of interests. Anyone preparing for a career that involves contact with other people can benefit from taking classes in psychology. Among the common pre-professional concentrations for psychology majors are pre-medical, pre-physical therapy, pre-law, pre-occupational therapy, and pre-physical therapy. Many psychology majors have interests in communication studies such as advertising and public relations. Others have interests in business and can apply their knowledge of psychology to marketing, management, or organizational behavior. Psychology majors can approach the study of behavior from a variety of perspectives ranging from humanistic psychology, which focuses on human growth and potential, to biological bases of behavior, which focuses on relations among body, brain, and behavior. Written and oral communication skills are essential to success in psychology and related fields.
Admission into the Major
Students are expected to formally declare a major no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). Students can declare a major by completing the Change of Major/Minor Application online under the Student tab of myBama.
Special Opportunities
The Psychology Department Honors Program is designed to afford qualified majors the opportunity to participate in activities preparatory for graduate training in psychology. The two-year program is research-oriented and involves interactions with selected faculty and peers in an enriched and accelerated academic environment. Completion of the program is contingent on the submission of an independently conducted research project equivalent in quality to a master’s thesis. Psychology majors who are in the second semester of the sophomore year with nine hours of coursework in psychology (including PY 101 Intro to psychology, PY 211 or PY 212 Elem Statistical Methods, and a 300-level course) to be completed by the end of the semester may apply for admission to the Psychology Department Honors Program. A completed application and interview by the Departmental Honors Committee are required before acceptance. To be accepted, it is recommended that a student have at least a 3.5 GPA in psychology coursework and a 3.3 cumulative GPA; however, meeting these standards does not guarantee admission.
Students earning the bachelor of arts (BA) degree with a major in psychology must complete all University, College and departmental degree requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major requirements, all requirements for an approved minor and other sufficient credits to total a minimum of 120 applicable semester hours.
| Code and Title | Hours |
| PY 101 | Intro To Psychology | 3 |
| PY 211 | Elem Statistical Methods | 3 |
| PY 321 | Professional Issues | 1 |
| PY 355 | General Experimental Psych | 3 |
| PY 370 | History & Systems | 3 |
| 13 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 1 | 6 |
| Junior Honors Seminar
and Senior Seminar In Psychology | |
| Junior Seminar
and Senior Seminar In Psychology | |
| 9 |
| 15 |
| |
| 8 |
| Intro Biology Non Maj I | |
| Intro Biology Non Maj II | |
| Principles Of Biology I
and Laboratory Biology I | |
| Principles Biology II
and Laboratory Biology II | |
| Honors General Biology I | |
| Honors Gen Biology II | |
| General Chemistry | |
| General Chemistry | |
| Introductory Chemistry | |
| Introductory Org Chem | |
| Honors General Chemistry | |
| Honors General Chemistry | |
| General Physics I | |
| General Physics II | |
| General Physics W/Calc I | |
| General Physics W/Calc II | |
| Honors Gen Ph W/Calculus | |
| Honors Gen Ph W/Calculus II | |
| 8 |
| Total Hours | 39 |
Area Requirements
Students must complete courses from three of the following content areas for a total of nine hours. At least one course must be at the 400 level.
Developmental
| Code and Title | Hours |
| PY 352 | Developmental Psych | 3 |
| PY 365 | Psychology Of Aging | 3 |
| PY 461 | Child Psychology | 3 |
Learning/Cognition
| Code and Title | Hours |
| PY 361 | Psychology Of Learning | 3 |
| PY 381 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PY 470 | Intro Cognitive Psychlgy | 3 |
Social/Personality
| Code and Title | Hours |
| PY 358 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| PY 368 | Intro To Personality | 3 |
| PY 372 | Social Psychology | 3 |
Biologically Based
| Code and Title | Hours |
| PY 313 | Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PY 353 | Bio Basis of Psych Disorders | 3 |
| PY 413 | Physiological Psych | 3 |
Grade Point Average
A 2.0 grade point average in the major is required for completion of the degree. Please see the Grades and Grade Points section of this catalog for an explanation on grade point average calculations.
Upper-level Residency
A minimum of 12 hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be earned on this campus.
Required Minor
This major requires the completion of a minor.
Additional Major Requirements
Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all requirements. However, each student must meet with an adviser in the major department (or a College advisor during first year) for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisers are also available for additional assistance with minor, College and University requirements.
Prerequisites
PY 101 Intro To Psychology or PY 105 Honors Intro Psychology is a prerequisite for all higher-numbered psychology courses. Unless otherwise stated, all 400-level PY courses have as a prerequisite 12 hours in the psychology department, including PY 355 General Experimental Psych. PY 355 General Experimental Psych requires a grade of C- in PY 211 Elem Statistical Methods as a prerequisite.
Psychology majors choose from a wide range of occupations in business, academics, mental health/social services, human resources, human relations, and behavioral/medical research. A good resource for evaluating possible job opportunities for persons with a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree can be found at: http://www.apa.org/careers/index.aspx
Types of Jobs Accepted
Many psychology majors apply to a variety of graduate programs. There are doctoral and master's programs in both clinical and non-clinical aspects of psychology in graduate psychology departments. Doctorates and master's degrees may also be earned in school psychology and counseling in many colleges of education, human development, and social work.
Learn more about opportunities in this field at the Career Center
