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Pre-2006 Psychology Major (For students starting JMU prior to August 2006)
Students who began taking classes at JMU prior to August 2006, who are using catalogs prior to 2006-2007 should follow the major described here.
Pre-2006 Psychology Major Pyramid
General Education Requirements
All students, regardless of their major, must complete 41-44 credit hours of General Education course work in five cluster areas For more information about General Education see http://www.jmu.edu/gened/
Psychology majors are free to select any General Education courses to fulfill graduation requirements. Students who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to count some courses for both Psychology requirements and General Education requirements should consider these recommendations.
Cluster 3. Students interested in majoring in Psychology should take Math 205, 220, 231 or 235 as soon as possible, preferably during your first semester at JMU. Math 220, Elementary Statistics, is the recommended course. A 200-level Math course is a requirement for admission to the Psycholology Major and it is a prerequisite for the required statistics and research methods courses in psychology.
Students complete a math placement examination before enrolling in the first Mathematics course. If the placement exam shows that you are not ready for 200-level math courses, you must take the recommended course before enrolling in 200-level Math. You should take your 200-level mathematics course during the following semester.
Cluster 5. Students interested in majoring in Psychology should take Gpsyc 101, General Psychology, as soon as possible, preferably during your first semester at JMU. This course begins the Psychology Major foundation sequence. The course will introduce you to the basic content of the discipline of Psychology, and will help you decide whether you are interested in pursuing Psychology as a major.
Gpsyc 101 can be taken as part of Cluster 5. Psychology Majors should take this course before GHTH 100A (Personal Wellness) or GKIN 100B (Lifetime Fitness and Wellness), or GEIC 101 (Individuals in the Human Community I: The Individual Perspective).
University Degree Requirements
Students who major in Psychology have the option of earning either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A .) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. A list of courses that can be taken to satisfy B.A. and B.S. degree requirements is available at http://www.jmu.edu/registrar/BA_and_BS_Degree_Courses.shtml .
To earn the B.A. degree, students must complete an additional Philosophy course and a Foreign Language that must be completed through the intermediate level (fourth college course). The Philosophy course can be any course with the Phil or Gphil prefix (as long as that course is taken in addition to General Education required courses).
To earn the B.S. degree, students must take an additional Mathematics course and an additional Social Science or Natural Science course. This B.S. Science course may NOT be a course in Psychology. Psychology Majors may count Psyc 210 and 211 as their mathematics B.S. degree course. The additional Science course may be any 3-credit course offered listed at http://www.jmu.edu/registrar/BA_and_BS_Degree_Courses.shtml Many students complete this requirement by taking a course from the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, or Sociology or selected other courses. The B.S. Science course can be one that is offered for General Education credit, but you must take it in addition to your General Education requirements. Details about requirements for the B.A. and B.S. degrees appear in the JMU undergraduate catalog. Students should carefully review the catalog to become familiar with university degree requirements.
Which degree, the B.A. or the B.S. is preferable? The two degrees receive the same measure of respect within the field of Psychology, so it is really not possible to identify one as the "preferred" degree. The decision to pursue either the B.A. or the B.S. degree is best based on one's personal interests and academic strengths.
Competence in a foreign language can be a valuable skill for a Psychology Major. The development of foreign language skills, especially Spanish, is extremely desirable for individuals who want to go into the helping professions. Because of its foreign language emphasis, the B.A. degree may be preferable for many Psychology Majors who wish to pursue careers in human service fields.
Required Psychology Courses
These requirements apply to students who are using JMU catalogs from 1995-96 through 2005-2006.
To major in Psychology, a student must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 38 hours as outlined below. ALL Psychology courses must carry the grade of “C-” or better to apply to the major. A Psychology course completed with a grade of “D” may be credited towards graduation requirements, but may not be included in courses credited towards the Psychology Major. Sped 200 may be used as a Psychology elective for the major.
All students majoring in Psychology will be required to successfully complete the following:
Psychology Foundation Courses (prerequisites to being admitted to the major)
- Gpsyc 101 General Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Math 220 (Statistics) or Math 205, 231 or 235 (Calculus)
Students must complete the Psychology Preparation Foundation Courses with a grade of C- or better, apply and be admitted into the Psychology Major before continuing with this program. All applicants who successfully complete these courses and have an overall G.P.A. of 2.6 are admitted to the Psychology Major. Please see http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/psyc_major/declare_psychology.html for admission procedures.
Methods Courses
- Psyc 210 Measurement and Statistics - 4 Credit Hours
- Psyc 211 Research Methods - 4 Credit Hours
or
- Psyc 212-213 Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis I-II – 8 credit hours
Students are encouraged to complete General Education requirements during freshman and sophomore year, and BA or BS degree requirement courses during sophomore or junior year.
Psychology majors must complete Gpsyc 101, Psyc 210 and Psyc 211 with a grade of C- or higher to enroll in courses numbered 330 and above.
Once the basic foundations and methods courses are completed, usually during the student's 4th semester, the program continues as follows:
Area A: Social Science - 6 Credit Hours
(Choose at least two of the following)
- Psyc 330 Psychology of Personality - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 335 Abnormal Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 345 Social Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 365 Developmental Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
Area B: Natural Science - 6 Credit Hours
(Choose at least two of the following)
- Psyc 375 Sensation and Perception - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 380 Cognitive Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 385 Biopsychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 390 Psychology of Learning - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 395 Comparative Animal Behavior - 3 Credit Hours
Psychology Electives - 12 Credit Hours
At least 6 hours of these electives must be at the 400 level. Six hours of these electives can be any Psychology courses (except Psyc 002, 100, 250, 290, 301 or 302) including additional courses from Areas A and B. Only 3 credit hours of Psyc 402 may count towards the 38-credit hour minimum requirement for the Psychology Major. Additional hours can count towards university graduation credits.
Capstone Course - 3 Credit Hours
(Choose one of the following)
- Psyc 492 History of Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 493 Laboratory in Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 495 Field Placement in Psychology - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 497 Senior Seminar - 3 Credit Hours
- Psyc 499 Honors - 3 Credit Hours
