Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires departmental approval. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Major Requirements

• 41 credit hours with grades of C or better and at least 15 credit hours at the 300 level or above 

Course Requirements

• PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding
      Human Behavior 4:1 (3) 
• PSYC-115 Psychology as a Natural Science 5:1 (3) 
• PSYC-116 Psychology as a Natural Science (1) 
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) 
• One course in Research Methods 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) 

• One course in Bio-Psychology from the following: 

PSYC-240 Drugs and Behavior 5:2 (3) 

PSYC-318 Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology (3) 

PSYC-325 Neurobiological Bases of Behavior (3) 

PSYC-360 The Evolution of Behavior (3) 

• One course in Learning and Cognition from the following: 

PSYC-200 Behavior Principles 5:2 (3) 

PSYC-220The Senses 5:2 (3) 

PSYC-300 Memory and Cognition (3) 

PSYC-370 Learning and Behavior (3) 

• Two courses in the Individual, the Situation, and Psychological Health from the following: 

PSYC-205 Social Psychology 4:2 (3) 

PSYC-215 Abnormal Psychology and Society 4:2 (3) 

PSYC-235 Theories of Personality 4:2 (3) 

PSYC-333 Health Psychology (3) 

PSYC-350 Child Psychology (3) 

• Psychology  electives 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-392 Cooperative Education Field Experience, PSYC-490 Independent Study Project in Psychology, and PSYC-491 Internship, will apply toward fulfilling major requirements. 

University Honors Program

 All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined B.A. and M.A. in Psychology

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs. The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. 

This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both the B.A. and M.A. 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 B.A. 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 B.A. in Psychology 

Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. 

• All requirements for the M.A. 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.