Psychology (BS)
Loyola offers the Bachelor of Science in Psychology which provides students with a broad-based introduction to the science of psychology as well as opportunities to learn how psychology is applied to solving individual and social problems. Students may also want to consider pairing the Psychology BS with the Neuroscience major to focus on the biological aspects of psychology or the 5-year BSW/MSW program in Social Work if they are interested in a career in Mental Health Therapy.
Curriculum
A total of 14 psychology courses plus two ancillary quantitative courses are required. Psychology Honors requires 15 courses including PSYC 369 Psychology Honors Readings / PSYC 370 Psychology Honors Research, plus two ancillary quantitative courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Psychology Courses | ||
| PSYC 101 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 201 | Psychology Advising and Career Development | 1 |
| PSYC 304 | Statistics | 3 |
| PSYC 306 | Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| Diversity and Inclusion Requirement Course | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | ||
| Psychology of Human Sexuality | ||
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | ||
| Gender & Sex Differences & Similarities | ||
| Understanding Bias and Inclusivity | ||
| Understanding Prejudice | ||
| Community Psychology | ||
| Biological Pillar | 3 | |
| Psychology-Biology of Perception | ||
or NEUR 101 | Introduction to Neuroscience | |
| Cognitive Pillar | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Learning and Memory | ||
| Psychology of Language | ||
| Behavorial and Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Developmental Pillar | 3 | |
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Lifespan Development | ||
| Mental Health Pillar | 3 | |
| Psychopathology | ||
or PSYC 346 | Psychopathology of Childhood | |
| Social Pillar | 3 | |
| Social Psychology | ||
| Advanced Lab | 1 | |
| Choose one of the following: | ||
| Lab in Psychobiology | ||
| Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Lab in Behavioral Neuroscience | ||
| Lab in Experimental Psychology: Cognition | ||
| Lab in Tests & Measurements | ||
| Lab in Experimental Psychology: Sense & Perception | ||
| Lab in Developmental Psychology | ||
| Laboratory-Social Psychology | ||
| Lab on Body Image | ||
| Two (2) Electives | 6 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Psychology Honors Research (Capstone) | ||
2nd Advanced Lab Course | ||
| PSYC 369 | Psychology Honors Readings (Honors only) | 3 |
| Ancillary Quantitative Requirement | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| Real World Modeling with Mathematics | ||
| Precalculus I | ||
| Precalculus II | ||
| Applied Calculus I | ||
| Applied Calculus II | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Object-Oriented Programming with Mathematics | ||
| Visual Information Processing | ||
| Introduction to Computing | ||
| Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming | ||
| Computing and Data Analysis for the Sciences | ||
| Fundamentals of Modern Data Science with R | ||
| Fundamentals of Statistics | ||
| Total Hours | 47 | |
List of Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMP 386 | Computational Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYC 235 | Psychology of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSYC 274 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| PSYC 276 | Philosophy of Mind | 3 |
| PSYC 280 | Psychology of Judgment and Decision-Making | 3 |
| PSYC 332 | Affective Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYC 340 | Psychology of Women | 3 |
| PSYC 348 | Psychology of Adolescence | 3 |
| PSYC 350 | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYC 352 | Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 355 | Neuroethics | 3 |
| PSYC 362 | Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 368 | Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 371 | Psychology of Political Behavior | 3 |
| PSYC 372 | Psychology & Law | 3 |
| PSYC 373 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 375 | Psychology of Addiction | 3 |
| PSYC 376 | Psychology of Religion | 3 |
| PSYC 377 | Psychology of Music | 3 |
| PSYC 378 | Drugs and Behavior | 3 |
| PSYC 386 | Psychology Seminar: Selected Topics | 3 |
| PSYC 387 | Seminar in Behavorial and Cognitive Neurosciences | 3 |
| PSYC 399 | Special Studies in Psychology | 1-3 |
Independent Study Opportunities
Loyola's psychology department offers countless opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research under the supervision of faculty members—an experience that is highly valued by employers and graduate schools. More information on Research in the department can be found under the Research Tab of the Psychology Department Website. Students can earn course credit for this research experience through independent studies and research courses, PSYC 397 Independent Research and PSYC 399 Special Studies in Psychology. Qualified students may also plan and conduct psychological research by enrolling in the two-course honors sequence (PSYC 369 Psychology Honors Readings and PSYC 370 Psychology Honors Research). PSYC 397 Independent Research and PSYC 370 Psychology Honors Research count towards the Loyola's engaged learning requirement, while PSYC 399 Special Studies in Psychology does not. More information on Independent Study courses in Psychology are available on the Independent Research webpage or by clicking the hyperlinks for the individual courses above.
Internship in Psychology
PSYC 390 Internship in Psychology is an intensive, work/academic experience that combines 100 hours (minimum) of supervised work at a psychology-related job site, arranged by the student prior to the start of the semester. PSYC 390 Internship in Psychology class meetings include class discussions and activities, reading and writing assignments, and an independent project. This is a unique and time-intensive opportunity that allows students to learn how psychology is applied in real-world settings. The course is open to psychology juniors and seniors. Students interested in the program should learn more by visiting the Internship in Psychology Webpage. Questions about the program should be addressed to the internship coordinator (psyc-internship@luc.edu). Admission to the internship course is by application only. Applications are due midway through the semester before the internship is to be taken.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
Recommended Sequence of Psychology Courses
Students should take PSYC 101 General Psychology and PSYC 201 Psychology Advising and Career Development their first year. Students should then take their Knowledge Pillar courses. It is recommended that students complete at least one of their Ancillary Quantitative Courses prior to beginning the PSYC 304 Statistics-PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology sequence. Note that PSYC 304 Statistics is a prerequisite for PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology. No other statistics course (including STAT 103 Fundamentals of Statistics) or a statistics course from another Loyola department can serve as a prerequisite for PSYC 306 if you are a Psychology Major. Students may not take PSYC 304 Statistics and PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology at the same time. Electives may be any 200 or 300 level psychology courses or NEUR 101 Introduction to Neuroscience. PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology and their specified Knowledge Pillar courses serve as prerequisites for advanced lab courses.
Recommended Sequence of Math Courses
Students should discuss the Ancillary Quantitative Requirement with their Psychology Faculty advisor as early as possible after declaring the major. It is expected that students will have completed at least one, and preferably both courses before beginning the PSYC 304 Statistics-PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology sequence. Thus, students should plan to take these courses during their first two years. Assuming a strong background in math, a computer science course is strongly recommended to prepare students for future academic and non-academic careers.
Advising for Psychology Majors
Students must take PSYC 101 General Psychology, PSYC 201 Psychology Advising and Career Development, PSYC 304 Statistics, PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology, one course for the Diversity and Inclusion Requirement, one course for each of the five Knowledge Pillars, one Advanced Lab Course, and one capstone course (or a 2nd Advanced Lab Course). Students graduating with Psychology Honors must take PSYC 369 Psychology Honors Readings / PSYC 370 Psychology Honors Research as their Capstone. Remaining courses may be any psychology course except PSYC 100 Psychological Perspectives on the Experience of Globalization.
When planning your course schedule with your Psychology Department Faculty Advisor, please consult the Psychology Major Checklist. The Psychology Course Matrix may also be of use in planning your course schedule. You can also view Psychology Course Descriptions or look at many past Psychology Course Syllabi.
Psychology Majors should complete PSYC 201 Psychology Advising and Career Development as soon after taking PSYC 101 General Psychology as possible. During that course you will receive a Psychology Faculty Advisor, but if you want to be assigned an advisor before you take the class please fill out this form. It is your responsibility to contact your advisor. Before meeting with your Advisor please take time to review the requirements found on this page and the Psychology Career Finder. More information on student advising at Loyola maybe found by visiting the Advising Webpage.
Co-Majoring
Psychology majors are to abide by Academic Council's double dipping policy which instructs that not more than three courses offered by one department may count towards two different majors. There are two notable exceptions for the Psychology Department:
- Co-Majoring in Neuroscience. Neuroscience Majors/Minors may count any psychology courses they take that count towards the Neuroscience Major/Minor towards both majors.
- Co-Majoring in Social Work. Social Work Majors may count PSYC 101 General Psychology and PSYC 304 Statistics and any other three PSYC classes approved by the School of Social Work towards both the Psychology and Social Work Majors.
Core Course Exemptions for Psychology Majors
Psychology majors are exempt from the “Societal and Cultural Knowledge” and “Quantitative Literacy” areas of the core. Additional information about the Core can be found here.
Transferring Courses
Three courses of the major (or the minor) can be fulfilled with courses transferred into Loyola. Please consult with your CAS Advisor to ensure that you have received transfer credit for courses taken at other universities.
Honors in Psychology
Students able to maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA and interested in psychology independent research, should discuss the possibility of participating in the Honors in Psychology program with their Psychology Faculty Advisor or ideally their psychology research mentor. For more information on the program please visit the Honors in Psychology Webpage. Questions about the program should be addressed to the program director, Dr. Jeff Huntsinger.
Answers to additional questions about the major may be found on the Department Website or by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions Webpage.
College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements
All Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take two Writing Intensive courses (6 credit hours) as well as complete a foreign language requirement at 102-level or higher (3 credit hours) or a language competency test. More information can be found here.
Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements
All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101. SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101. Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101. You can find more information in the University Requirements area.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire a broad understanding of fundamental psychological principles and concepts, including the biological, cognitive, developmental, mental health, and social pillars of psychological science.
- Learn to use scientific knowledge to make reasoned and ethical judgments promoting the health and well-being of the individual, community, and society.
- Develop the ability to design, conduct, and communicate the results, both orally and in writing, of basic psychological research.
- Develop the ability to think quantitatively about psychological concepts, and to quantitatively analyze experimental results.
- Participate in scientific inquiry using the methodologies and tools of psychological science in laboratory and field settings.
- Expose students to theoretical approaches that deal with privilege, oppression, and social justice and encourage appreciation of differences in psychology across cultures.