Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.S. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.S. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page.
Departmental Requirements for the B.S. in Psychology
Students may not earn both a B.A. and a B.S. in Psychology. Students wishing to graduate with a B.S. in Psychology must comply with the following:
- Calculation of Major GPA: A minimum GPA of a 2.0 is required in all courses applied to major requirements, with a minimum grade of C- in PSYC 101, PSYC 203, PSYC 204, PSYC 301, and PSYC 302. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
- Writing and Communication Skills requirement: The Psychology Bachelor of Science is a SpeakWrite Certified ProgramTM. SpeakWrite Certified programs incorporate and develop students’ written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills across the curriculum.
-
Residence Requirement: To graduate from WVU with a major in Psychology, a student must have successfully completed (with a passing grade) a minimum of 10 credit hours of 300- and 400-level psychology coursework at WVU. Completion of the following courses does NOT count towards the residency requirement: PSYC 304, PSYC 315, PSYC 490, PSYC 491, PSYC 495, PSYC 497, and PSYC 498.
-
Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course: PSYC 480, PSYC 481, PSYC 485, PSYC 486, PSYC 487, or PSYC 489.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 45 | |
| Eberly Edge Requirements | 15 | |
| Psychology Major Requirements | 60 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 5 and 6 | 12 | |
| PSYC 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 32 | |
| Total Hours | 45 | |
Eberly Edge Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDG 1: Data and Society | 3 | |
| EDG 2: Effective and Civil Communication | 3 | |
| EDG 3: Ethics and Civil Responsibility | 3 | |
| EDG 4: Global and Regional Perspectives | 3 | |
| EDG 5: Practicing Arts and Sciences (ARSC 380) | 3 | |
| EDG 6: High Impact Experience (PSYC 480, PSYC 481, PSYC 485, PSYC 486, PSYC 487, PSYC 489) | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Psychology Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STEM FOUNDATIONS * | 19 | |
| Applied Calculus | ||
or MATH 155 | Calculus 1 | |
| Select 2 pairs of courses: | ||
| Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory and Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Survey of General Organic Biological Chemistry 2 and Survey of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory and Introductory Physics 2 and Introductory Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory and General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| Sustainable Earth and Sustainable Earth Laboratory and Earth System Science and Earth System Science Laboratory | ||
| Sustainable Earth and Sustainable Earth Laboratory and Climate System Science and Climate System Science Laboratory | ||
| CORE COURSES | 27 | |
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Psychology as a Profession | ||
| Research Methods and Analysis 1 and Research Methods and Analysis 1 Laboratory | ||
| Research Methods and Analysis 2 and Research Methods and Analysis 2 Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Human Development | ||
| Introduction to Social Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Psychological Disorders | ||
| Biological Foundations of Behavior and Biological Foundations of Behavior Laboratory | ||
| Behavior Principles and Behavior Principles Laboratory | ||
| EMPIRICAL PSYCHOLOGY REQUIREMENT | 3 | |
| Select one course from the list below: | ||
| Advanced Behavior Principles | ||
| Cognition and Memory | ||
| Perception | ||
| Physiological Psychology | ||
| Neuroscience of Sleep | ||
| Hormones and Behavior | ||
| Clinical Neuroscience | ||
| Applied Behavior Analysis | ||
| RESEARCH REQUIREMENT | 2 | |
| Complete at least 2 credits of one of the following: | ||
| Research Exploration in Psychology | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Research | ||
| UPPER-DIVISION PSYCHOLOGY ELECTIVES | 6 | |
Alternate 300- or 400-level PSYC courses ** | ||
| CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 3 | |
| Select one option from the list below: | ||
| Psychology Teaching Apprenticeship Capstone | ||
| Psychology Field Experience Capstone | ||
| Psychology Research Capstone | ||
| Behavior Analysis Field Experience Capstone | ||
| Behavior Analysis Research Experience | ||
| Psychology Honors Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- *
STEM Foundation courses are common to STEM majors and excluded from the 50% count of upper-division courses.
- **
Excluding PSYC 304, 315, 490, 491, 495, 497, and 498.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PSYC 191 | 1 | PSYC 241 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | EDG 2: Effective and Civil Communication | 3 |
| EDG 1: Data and Society | 3 | Science Course 2 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| MATH 150 (GEF 3) | 3 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| GEF 2 (Science Course 1) | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PSYC 203 & 203L | 3 | PSYC 204 & 204L | 3 |
| PSYC 281 (GEF 7) | 3 | PSYC 251 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| PSYC 201 | 1 | Science 2 Course 2 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| EDG 3: Ethics and Civil Responsibility | 3 | EDG 4: Global and Regional Perspectives | 3 |
| Science 2 Course 1 (GEF 8) | 4 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PSYC 301 & 301L | 4 | PSYC 302 & 302L | 4 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | ARSC 380 (EDG 5) | 3 |
| Research Requirement | 1 | Research Requirement | 1 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Empirical Course | 3 | PSYC Upper-Division Elective | 3 |
| PSYC Upper-Division Elective | 3 | Capstone (EDG 6) | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Psychology B.S.
Upon successful completion of the B.S. in Psychology, program majors will be able to:
- Summarize key concepts, basic principles, theories, and methodologies of major areas of psychology, including:
- Developmental psychology
- Social Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Behavior analysis
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Describe and discuss advanced principles and research findings in areas of psychology relevant to one’s professional and personal goals.
- Demonstrate critical thinking, by:
- applying scientific principles of psychology to analyze and solve basic and applied problems.
- critically evaluating primary source research in psychology.
- Demonstrate research skills by:
- Designing, conducting, analyzing, and interpreting simple psychological research studies.
- Engaging with research design, analysis, and interpretation related to advanced principles in psychological science.
- Working both independently and collaboratively on research projects that contribute to the mission of the psychology department.
- Employ ethical standards in psychological research, applied practice, and academic pursuits.
- Communicate scientific information in writing for both professional audiences (using APA format) and general audiences.
- Create and deliver effective oral presentations for both professional and general audiences.
- Develop a professional direction, and cultivate interpersonal, self-regulation, and leadership skills that will facilitate this direction.