Psychology, B.A.

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Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page .

Prerequisites for Declaring the Major (3 Courses, 9 Credits)

Students must have a minimum 2.000 GPA for all psychology courses taken and have earned at least a C in each of the following courses (These prerequisite courses may be taken in any order, including concurrently):

PSYC 2005 - Research Methods and Data Analysis I Credits: 3
One of the following PSYC fundamental courses:
PSYC 2150 - Introduction to Cognition Credits: 3
PSYC 2200 - A Survey of the Neural Basis of Behavior Credits: 3
PSYC 2410 - Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 2600 - Introduction to Social Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 2700 - Introduction to Child Psychology Credits: 3
One of the following courses:
STAT 1601 - Introduction to Data Science with R Credits: 3
PSYC 3310 - RM: R Applications in Psychology Credits: 3

Requirements for Major

Students must complete 34 credits at the 2000-level or higher, distributed as follows:

Fundamentals (4 Courses, 12 Credits)

At least one course from each of these four pillars (Additional courses may sometimes be designated for a given Pillar)

Pillar I: Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2150 - Introduction to Cognition Credits: 3
PSYC 3160 - Cognitive Neuroscience Credits: 3
Pillar II: Systems & Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC 2200 - A Survey of the Neural Basis of Behavior Credits: 3
PSYC 3200 - Fundamentals of Neuroscience Credits: 3
BIOL 3050 - Introduction to Neurobiology Credits: 3 (*Satisfies Pillar II, does not contribute credit to the major)
Pillar III: Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2700 - Introduction to Child Psychology Credits: 3
Pillar IV: Clinical & Social Psychology
PSYC 2410 - Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 2600 - Introduction to Social Psychology Credits: 3

Research Methods and Data Analysis (2 Courses, 7 Credits)

PSYC 2005 - Research Methods and Data Analysis I Credits: 3
PSYC 3006 - Research Methods and Data Analysis II Credits: 4
Research Methods Topics (1-2 Courses, 3-6 Credits)
PSYC 3000-, 4000- or 5000- level Research Methods [RM Topic] Course Credits: 3
OR
PSYC 3990 - RM: Group Process and Facilitation I Credits: 3
PSYC 3991 - RM: Group Process and Facilitation II Credits: 2 to 3
The following RM courses are approved to meet this requirement:
PSYC 3210 - RM: Psychobiology Laboratory Credits: 3
PSYC 3310 - RM: R Applications in Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 3415 - Research Methods in Developmental Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 3439 - RM: Social Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 4215 - RM: Computational Methods in Psychology and Neuroscience Credits: 3
PSYC 4260 - RM: Genetic and Epigenetic Research in Behavior Credits: 3
PSYC 4410 - RM: Practical Longitudinal Sustainability Studies Credits: 3
PSYC 4420 - RM: Brain Mapping with MRI Credits: 3
PSYC 4500 RM Cognitive Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 4500 RM Community Health Psych Credits: 3
PSYC 4559 RM Neuroscience Writing Credits: 3
PSYC 4606 - Cognitive Biases in Anxiety and Related Disorders Credits: 3
PSYC 5270 RM Computational Neuroscience Credits: 3
PSYC 5323 RM R in Psychology Credits: 3
PSYC 5324 RM Research Methods in Human Neuroscience Credits: 3
PSYC 5332 Quantified Cognition Credits: 3
PSYC 5500 Analyzing Decision Making Using Regression Models Credits: 3
PSYC 5500 Applications of Brain Mapping with MRI Credits: 3
PSYC 5500 RM: Adv Mult Regress Models & Data Visualization Credits: 3
PSYC 5500 RM Electroencephalography Credits: 3
PSYC 5720 Fundamentals of Item Response Theory Credits: 3
PSYC 5559 RM Computational Methods in Neuroscience Credits: 3

Advanced Topics and Electives (4 Courses, 12 Credits)

One 2000-level or higher course.
Two 3000-level or higher courses, (3 Credits of PSYC 3590 - Research in Pyschology may fulfill one of the required 3000-level elective courses).
One 4000-level or higher course.
The following courses do not fulfill Advances Topics and Electives: Directed Readings in Psychology, Psychology Internship courses, RM: Group Process and Facilitation I & II, and DMP Seminars and Thesis courses.

Grade Standards

A grade of C or better is required in all Psychology courses that count toward the major.
All courses used to meet the requirements must be letter-graded*. Courses taken on a Credit/No Credit or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis do not count toward the major. *Directed Research in Psychology (PSYC 3590, 3 credits) used to fulfill an elective require a satisfactory “S” grade.
A 2.000 GPA in all Psychology coursework is required to complete the major.
Students who have less than a 2.0 GPA in all psychology coursework at the end of a semester will be put on probationary status in the major.
Students with two consecutive semesters with a psychology GPA below 2.0 will not be permitted to continue in the major.

Transfer Courses

Up to 12 credits of transfer coursework may be used toward the major requirements.

Distinguished Majors Program in Psychology

Outstanding majors with the following qualifications may apply prior to the beginning of the seventh semester:

GPA of at least 3.400, overall and in Psychology;
Grade of at least B+ in PSYC 3005 or PSYC 2005 - Research Methods and Data Analysis I ;
Agreement of a faculty member to serve as thesis mentor.

Students lacking either of the first two criteria may submit a petition to the DMP Admission Committee Chair (the Director of Undergraduate Studies) explaining why admission should still be considered.

The program includes a total of 6 credits (though they do not count toward the 34 required for the major) comprised by research culminating in a thesis.

PSYC 4970 - Distinguished Major Thesis I Credits: 3
PSYC 4980 - Distinguished Major Thesis II Credits: 3

Additional Information

For more information about the major, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Psychology, Gilmer Hall, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400; (434) 982-4750; psychology.as.virginia.edu.