The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology degree will provide you with a strong background in the biological and physical sciences. If you are interested in specialized fields (like medicine, dentistry, neuroscience, or psychopharmacology) that require additional study in graduate school, this program may be a good fit for you.
Students in this program take more chemistry, biology, physics, and other lab-based courses in addition to math courses like statistics and courses on research methodologies.
Two courses in English composition of at least 3 credits each and 3 credits of speech are required. Students may choose either ENG-W 270 or ENG-W 231. A grade of C (2.0) or better must be obtained in both composition courses (a C- does not count).
ENG W131 Reading, Writing, & Inquiry I
ENG W270 Arg. Writing or ENG W231 Prof. Writing (P: ENG-W 131)
COMM R110 Fund. of Speech Communication
One course in Arts & Humanities is required. One additional course can be taken from the Arts and Humanities List or the Social Science list. Choose one course from each list or two from the Arts/Humanities List.
Arts/Humanities
Art History (HER)
H100 Art Appreciation
E101 Beginning Drawing
English (ENG)
L202 Literary Interpretation L207 Woman and Literature
Music (MUS)
E241 Intro to Music Fundamentals Z201 History of Rock and Roll Philosophy (PHIL)
P110 Introduction to Philosophy
P120 Personal and Social Ethics
Religious Studies (REL)
R133 Introduction to Religion R173 American Religion
R180 Introduction to Christianity R212 Comparative Religions
Social Sciences
Business (BUS)- X100 Bus Administration: Intro
Communication Studies (COMM)
C180 Interpersonal Communication
Criminal Justice (CJUS)
P100 Intro to Criminal Justice
Economics (ECON) E201 Introduction to Microeconomics
E202 Introduction to Macroeconomics
History (HIST)
H105 American History I
H106 American History II
H108 World History I
H109 World History II
Sociology (SOC)
R100 Introduction to Sociology
A minimum of 4 content courses totaling a minimum of 12 credit hours. One of the courses must include a lab, or a lab must be completed in addition to the 4 courses. Please see course overlap list for certain BIOL and CHEM courses. Students must obtain grades of C- or higher in Area IV courses; a grade of D+ or D will be allowed for one course only.
These courses cannot be used to fulfill this requirement for the degree: BIOL N100, N200, CHEM C100, GEOL G130; all agriculture courses.
Choose from: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics. For Bachelor of Science students, 2 of the 4 courses must be biology and/or chemistry courses.
At least two courses beyond algebra and trigonometry, totaling a minimum of 6 credit hours, are required for the Bachelor of Science Degree. One course in computer science is required for each degree. Students must obtain grades of C- or higher in their Area V courses; a grade of D+ or D will be allowed for one course only.
CSCI-N 207 Data Analysis Using Spreadsheets
Choose two courses from: MATH M118, M119, 165, 166, or 171.
The psychology major requires 41 credit hours of selected course work. Students may wish to consult with faculty or an advisor to select courses appropriate to their future career plans. No grade lower than a "C-" will be accepted in any course used to fulfill the major requirements. *PSY B 110 (Social Science) and PSY B 203 (Cultural Understanding) satisfy general education requirements.
Introductory Psychology (All Required)
PSY B103 Orientation to Major in Psychology
PSY B110 Introduction to Psychology
PSY B203 Ethics and Diversity in Psychology
PSY B303 Career Planning for Psychology Majors
Statistics/Research Methods (All Required)
PSY B305 Statistics (P: MATH 118, 119 or 153)
PSY B306 Statistics Lab (C: PSY-B 305)
PSY B 311 Research Methods (P: PSY-B305 +306) PSY B 312 Research Methods Lab (C:PSY-B 311)
Capstone (P: PSY-B 311 and 312) Choose one
PSY B 425 (Personality), PSY B 471 (Social)
or PSY B 497 (Individual)
Foundations Courses (All Required)
PSY B 310 Lifespan Development
PSY B 320 Behavioral Neuroscience
PSY B 340 Cognition
PSY B 370 Social Psychology
Content Courses: Select 3 courses from the following
PSY B307 Tests and Measurement
PSY B334 Perception
PSY B344 Learning
PSY B346 Theories of Personality
PSY B356 Motivation
PSY B358 Intro to I/O Psychology
PSY B360 Child and Adolescent Psychology PSY B375 Psychology and Law
PSY B380 Abnormal Psychology
PSY B386 Intro to Counseling
PSY B394 Drugs and Behavior
PSY B396 Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Overall Credits and General Electives: Degree is comprised of approximately 84 required credits from the above categories and approximately 36 elective credit hours to complete a minimum of 120 total hours for graduation. No more than 6 credit hours of clinical, athletic, or performing arts course work will count towards the credit total. Students must complete 32 300-level credits or higher as an IUPUC student. Students must graduate with a 2.0 G.P.A or higher.
The following courses do not count for any credit towards any degree program in the Division of Science: CSCI-N 100-level courses, UCOL-U 112, MATH 001, MATH 130, MATH 132 or any remedial credit. Credit is not given for overlapping courses. Common overlaps are MATH-M 119 and MATH 165; BIOL-N 217/261 and BIOL-N 212/213/214/215; CHEM-C 101 and CHEM-C 105; BIOL-K 101 and BIOL-N 100; STAT 301 and PSY-B 305. Check with the Division of Science for a complete list.
Academic advising
As a psychology student at IU Columbus, you'll work closely with your academic advisor to select and register for classes that apply toward your degree program. Your advisor will help you monitor your progress to ensure you are on the right track to graduate on time.
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