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Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Students on Summer 2022, Fall 2022, or Spring 2023 requirements PSYBA

The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology provides broad coverage of modern scientific psychology and the strategies and methods by which knowledge is acquired in this field. B.A. students learn about concepts, theories, strategies and tactics that apply to human behavior. The B.A. program offers the opportunity to pursue a concentration or specialization in the field, such as human development, memory and cognition, animal behavior, clinical psychology, or social psychology. Courses emphasize improvement of an individual's critical-thinking, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. The program also requires sufficient background in science and psychology to enable strong students to qualify for demanding graduate programs. Furthermore, B.A. psychology students are encouraged to engage in research and participate in internships and other hands-on activities to enhance their learning experience. Psychological knowledge, techniques, and skills obtained in the B.A. program are applied in many careers and provide background for students entering graduate work in psychology and related areas, as well as the professions of medicine, dentistry, law, and business.

Requirements

The major requires at least 33 credit hours (42–46 with the Addenda Requirements), including the requirements listed below.
  1. Entry-Level Sequences. One of the following options:
    • Option One. Two (2) courses:
      1. Introduction to Psychological and Brain Sciences. One (1) course:
        • PSY-P 155 Introduction to Psychological and Brain Sciences
      2. Methods of Experimental Psychology. One (1) course:
        • PSY-P 211 Methods of Experimental Psychology
    • Option Two. Three (3) courses:
      1. Introductory Psychology I. One (1) course:
        • PSY-P 101 Introductory Psychology I
      2. Introductory Psychology II. One (1) course:
        • PSY-P 102 Introductory Psychology II
      3. Methods of Experimental Psychology. One (1) course:
        • PSY-P 211 Methods of Experimental Psychology
  2. Career Planning Sequence.
    1. Careers Module 1. One (1) course:
      • PSY-C 109 Careers Module 1 - Welcome to PBS
    2. Careers Module 2. One (1) course:
      • PSY-C 209 Careers Module 2 - Self Exploration
    3. Careers Module 3. One (1) course:
      • PSY-C 309 Careers Module 3 - Practical High Gear Exploration
  3. Statistics. One (1) course:
    • PSY-K 300 Statistical Techniques
    • PSY-K 310 Statistical Techniques
    • ANTH-A 306 Anthropological Statistics
    • CJUS-K 300 Techniques of Data Analysis
    • ECON-E 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics
    • ECON-S 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics: Honors
    • LAMP-L 316 Junior Seminar: Analytical Problem Solving
    • MATH-M 365 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
    • POLS-Y 395 Quantitative Political Analysis
    • SOC-S 371 Statistics in Sociology
    • STAT-K 310 Statistical Techniques
    • STAT-S 300 Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods
    • STAT-S 301 Applied Statistical Methods for Business
    • STAT-S 303 Applied Statistical Methods for the Life Sciences
    • EDUC-Y 402 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR BEHAVIORAL AND EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
    • SPEA-K 300 STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES
    • SPH-Q 381 INTRODUCTION TO BIOSTATISTICS
  4. Social Psychology. One (1) course:
    • PSY-P 304 Social Psychology and Individual Differences
  5. Cognitive Psychology. One (1) course:
    • PSY-P 335 Cognitive Psychology
  6. Neuroscience. One (1) course:
    • PSY-P 326 Behavioral Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 346 Neuroscience
  7. Advanced Course. One (1) course:
    • PSY-P 337 Clinical Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 349 Cognitive Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 351 Psychobiology, Self, and Society
    • PSY-P 366 Consumer Psychology
    • PSY-P 386 Social Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 405 Elementary Mathematical Psychology
    • PSY-P 406 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 407 Drugs and the Nervous System
    • PSY-P 409 Neural Bases of Sensory Function
    • PSY-P 410 Development of the Brain and Behavior
    • PSY-P 411 Neural Bases of Learning and Memory
    • PSY-P 416 Evolution and Ecology of Learning
    • PSY-P 423 Human Neuropsychology
    • PSY-P 425 Behavior Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence
    • PSY-P 430 Behavior Modification
    • PSY-P 434 Community Psychology
    • PSY-P 437 Neurobiology of Addictions
    • PSY-P 438 Language and Cognition
    • PSY-P 440 Topics in Cognitive Psychology
    • PSY-P 441 Neuropsychology of Language
    • PSY-P 442 Infant Development
    • PSY-P 443 Cognitive Development
    • PSY-P 444 Scientific Writing in the Psychological and Brain Sciences
    • PSY-P 446 Group Processes
    • PSY-P 447 Social Influence Processes
    • PSY-P 448 Social Judgment and Person Perception
    • PSY-P 449 Social Psychology of Public Opinion
    • PSY-P 452 Psychology in the Business Environment
    • PSY-P 453 Decision-making and the Brain
    • PSY-P 455 The Role of Psychology in Legal Doctrine
    • PSY-P 456
    • PSY-P 457 Topics in Psychology
    • PSY-P 459 History and Systems of Psychology
    • PSY-P 460 The Psychology of Women
    • PSY-P 461 Human Memory
    • PSY-P 466 Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
    • PSY-P 467 Diseases of the Nervous System
    • PSY-P 469 Stress Effects on Brain and Behavior
    • PSY-P 470 Molecular Methods in Neuroscience Research
    • PSY-P 475 Evidence-based Clinical Science
    • PSY-P 478 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination
    • PSY-P 482 Biobehavioral Processes in Substance Use Disorders
    • PSY-P 484 The Science of Moral Judgment
    • PSY-Y 408 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 412 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 413 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 414 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 415 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 419 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • PSY-Y 488 The Science Behind Brain Development and Function
    • PSY-Y 427 when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • BIOL-L 423 Brain, Behavior and Evolution
    • BIOL-Z 460 Animal Behavior when taken Summer 2024 or later
    • BIOL-Z 463 Comparative Neurobiology of Animal Behavior
    • HPSC-X 424 Neuropsychological Pathography
    • ENGR-E 399 TOPICS IN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS ENGINEERING when taken Summer 2024 or later
  8. Electives. Two (2) courses:
    • Additional course(s) from the Advanced Course list
    • Additional course from the Capstone list (limit of one (1) additional course)
    • PSY-P 303 Health Psychology
    • PSY-P 315 Developmental Psychology
    • PSY-P 316 Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence
    • PSY-P 318 Foundations of Clinical Science
    • PSY-P 319 Psychology of Personality
    • PSY-P 323 Industrial/Organizational Psychology
    • PSY-P 324 Abnormal Psychology
    • PSY-P 325 Psychology of Learning
    • PSY-P 327 Psychology of Motivation
    • PSY-P 329 Sensation and Perception
    • PSY-P 330 Perception/Action
    • PSY-P 336 Psychological Tests and Individual Differences
    • PSY-P 347 Science of Human Sexuality
    • PSY-P 350 Human Factors/Ergonomics
    • PSY-P 357 Topics in Psychology
    • PSY-P 375 Intimate Relationships
    • One 3 credit hour research course may substitute for an elective course:
      • PSY-X 397 Supervised Research I
      • PSY-X 398 Supervised Research II
      • PSY-X 497 Supervised Research III
  9. Capstone. One (1) course:
    • PSY-P 404 Computer and Statistical Models in Psychology
    • PSY-P 421 Laboratory in Social Psychology
    • PSY-P 424 Laboratory in Sensation and Perception
    • PSY-P 426 Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 429 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology
    • PSY-P 433 Laboratory in Neuroimaging Methods
    • PSY-P 435 Laboratory in Human Learning and Cognition
    • PSY-P 457 Topics in Psychology (Approved topics: "APPLICATIONS OF LEARNING SCIENCE TO THE CLASSROOM" (TPC 157); "COG DEV: TRANSLATING THEORY TO PRACTICE" (TPC 145); "HUMAN SEXUALITY RESEARCH" (TPC 320); "INTRO TO MATLAB CODING FOR PSYCH BRAIN SCIENCES" (TPC 154); "LAB IN COGNITIVE NEURO" (TPC 347); "LABORATORY IN FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY" (TPC 155); "NETWORK SCIENCE IN THE COG AND PSYCH SCIENCES" (TPC 336) when taken prior to Summer 2024; "PSY INTERVENTIONS & EVALUATION" (TPC 107); "PSYCHOLOGY IN EDUCATION" (TPC 179) when taken Summer 2024 or later; "RESEARCH & APP OF SLEEP & CIRCADIAN SCIENCE" (TPC 150); "THERAPEUTIC INTRVNTNS-EARLY CHLDHD BEHAVIOR PRBLMS" (TPC 137))
    • PSY-P 472 Laboratory in Brain Electrical Activity
    • PSY-P 473 Laboratory in Molecular Neuroscience
    • PSY-P 474 Psychology of Adolescent Girls
    • PSY-P 480 Psychotherapy: Empirically Supported Treatments
    • PSY-P 483 Clinical Supervision and Skill Acquisition
    • PSY-P 499 Honors Thesis Research
    • PSY-X 370 Real-World Program Evaluation: Applying Psychology Research to Service Learning
    • PSY-X 498 Capstone Supervised Research
    • PSY-Y 403 when taken Summer 2024 or later
  10. Addenda Requirements*.
    1. Mathematics. One (1) course:
      • Both of the following:
        • MATH-D 116 Introduction to Finite Mathematics I
        • MATH-D 117 Introduction to Finite Mathematics II
      • MATH-J 113 Introduction to Calculus with Applications
      • MATH-M 106 The Mathematics of Decision and Beauty
      • MATH-M 118 Finite Mathematics
      • MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I
      • MATH-M 120 Brief Survey of Calculus II
      • MATH-S 118 Honors Finite Mathematics
      • MATH-M 211 Calculus I
      • MATH-M 212 Calculus II
      • MATH-M 301 Linear Algebra and Applications
      • MATH-M 303 Linear Algebra for Undergraduates
      • MATH-M 311 Calculus III
      • MATH-M 312 Calculus IV
      • MATH-M 321 Intuitive Topology
      • MATH-M 330 Exploring Mathematical Ideas
      • MATH-M 343 Introduction to Differential Equations with Applications I
      • MATH-M 344 Introduction to Differential Equations with Applications II
      • MATH-M 348 Discrete Mathematical Models
      • MATH-M 353 Discrete Mathematics
      • MATH-M 365 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
      • MATH-M 371 Elementary Computational Methods
      • MATH-M 380 History of Mathematics
      • MATH-M 384 Logic
      • MATH-M 385 Mathematics from Language
      • MATH-M 391 Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning
      • MATH-M 403 Introduction to Modern Algebra I
      • MATH-M 404 Introduction to Modern Algebra II
      • MATH-M 405 Number Theory
      • MATH-M 409 Linear Transformations
      • MATH-M 413 Introduction to Analysis I
      • MATH-M 414 Introduction to Analysis II
      • MATH-M 415 Elementary Complex Variables with Applications
      • MATH-M 420 Metric Space Topology
      • MATH-M 435 Introduction to Differential Geometry
      • MATH-M 436 Introduction to Geometries
      • MATH-M 441 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations with Applications I
      • MATH-M 442 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations with Applications II
      • MATH-M 447 Mathematical Models and Applications I
      • MATH-M 451 The Mathematics of Finance
      • MATH-M 453 Cryptography
      • MATH-M 463 Introduction to Probability Theory I
      • MATH-M 464 Introduction to Probability Theory II
      • MATH-M 466 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
      • MATH-M 471 Numerical Analysis I
      • MATH-M 472 Numerical Analysis II
      • MATH-M 482 Modal Logic
      • MATH-M 490 Problem Seminar
      • MATH-S 211 Honors Calculus I
      • MATH-S 212 Honors Calculus II
      • MATH-V 118 Finite Mathematics with Applications
      • MATH-V 119 Applied Brief Calculus I
      • Course approved by director of undergraduate studies.
    2. Biology. A one-semester course in biology.
    3. Science Elective. One (1) additional course for at least three (3) credit hours selected from one of the following departments: Anthropology (ANTH-B 200 Bioanthropology only), Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Computer Science (excluding CSCI-A 110), Mathematics, or Physics.
  11. Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. Major GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
    2. Major Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
    3. Major Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
    4. Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    5. College Breadth. At least 58 credit hours must be completed in courses from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines outside of the major area.

Major Area Courses

Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:

  • Any course at the 100–499 level with the PSY subject area prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent
  • Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements at the time the course is taken—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
  • Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception

This program of study cannot be combined with the following:

  • Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychological Science (CLPSYSCIBS)
  • Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychological Science - TSAP Version (CLPSYSTSBS)
  • Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Business Psychology (OBPSYBS)
  • Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Business Psychology - TSAP Version (OBPSYTSBS)
  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology (PSYBS)
  • Minor in Psychology (PSYMIN)
  • [Name unavailable] (PSYTSBA)
  • [Name unavailable] (PSYTSBS)

Exceptions to and substitutions for major requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.