Psychology Major
The psychology major provides a broad and rigorous base of knowledge and skills in the discipline while offering students freedom in shaping a program to suit their individual needs.
Our undergraduate program prioritizes critical, scientific thinking, teaching you to analyze psychological behavior and processes. We emphasize three primary goals in your undergraduate education:
- To prepare you for graduate study in psychology;
- To enable you to apply psychological skills and knowledge in psychology-related careers, and;
- To foster your understanding of complex human behavior as it is encountered in our personal and vocational lives.
Students officially begin the major with PSYC 1200 Foundations of Psychology, which offers an overview of the field and is a prerequisite for the majority of upper-level psychology courses. Psychology majors gain expertise in research methods by studying PSYC 2000 Statistics and then PSYC 2010 Research Methods Lab. Three content courses at the intermediate level provide majors with breadth through surveys of the knowledge about at least one basic process (e.g., learning, sensation and perception, cognition) and one complex process (e.g., abnormal, development, personality, social). Two courses at the advanced level offer students detailed and in-depth explorations of a variety of subject matters. The capstone course gives students an opportunity to integrate diverse areas of psychology or to interrelate psychology with other disciplines.
All students are required to take at least one content laboratory course beyond Research Methods Lab, which provides hands-on learning and skills in data analysis and research report writing. In addition to the variety of alternatives offered in the requirements mentioned above, the psychology major allows students to pursue individual interests and goals by including one course at any level that the student chooses as an elective. Finally, one advanced, capstone, or elective course must be a designated diversity course.
A grade of C- or better is required for each course counted toward the major requirement. In addition, a student must earn an overall psychology GPA of 2.0 or higher to fulfill the requirements of the major.
CIP Code
42.0101 - Psychology, General.
You can use the CIP code to learn more about career paths associated with this field of study and, for international students, possible post-graduation visa extensions. Learn more about CIP codes and other information resources.
Majors must complete 10 psychology courses, which include two distributive requirements. The requirements for the major are as follows. Lists of courses fulfilling each requirement follow the requirements.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 1200 | Foundations of Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 2000 | Statistics | 4 |
| PSYC 2010 | Research Methods Lab | 5 |
| Select one Basic Process course | 4 to 5 | |
| Select one Complex Process course | 4 to 5 | |
| Select one Basic Process or Complex Process course | 4 to 5 | |
| Select two Advanced courses | 8 to 10 | |
| Select one additional elective course 1 | 3 to 4 | |
| Select one Capstone course | 4 to 5 | |
- 1
Any course with the subject code PSYC numbered 1004, 1100, or 2100-4995 may fulfill this requirement, as may any course with the PSYC attribute (see list below).
Basic Process courses
Courses in this group have the PYBP attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 2200 | Learning | 4 |
| PSYC 2201 | Learning Laboratory | 5 |
| PSYC 2300 | Sensation and Perception | 4 |
| PSYC 2301 | Sensation and Perception Lab | 5 |
| PSYC 2401 | Memory Laboratory | 5 |
| PSYC 2500 | Cognition | 4 |
| PSYC 2501 | Cognition Laboratory | 5 |
Complex Process courses
Courses in this group have the PYCP attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 2600 | Social Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 2601 | Lab in Social Psychology | 5 |
| PSYC 2700 | Infant and Child Development | 4 |
| PSYC 2710 | Adolescent and Adult Development | 4 |
| PSYC 2800 | Personality | 4 |
| PSYC 2900 | Psychopathology | 4 |
Advanced courses
Courses in this group have the PYAC attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 3100 | Health Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3110 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 4 |
| PSYC 3270 | Clinical Child Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3300 | Industrial Organizational Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3320 | Consumer Behavior | 4 |
| PSYC 3330 | Family Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3340 | Urban Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3360 | Sports Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3400 | Psychology of Education | 4 |
| PSYC 3410 | Creativity | 4 |
| PSYC 3530 | Gender Roles | 4 |
| PSYC 3550 | Consciousness | 4 |
| PSYC 3600 | Multicultural Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3610 | Global Health and Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3640 | Cross-Cultural-Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3700 | Human Sexuality | 4 |
| PSYC 3730 | Men and Masculinities | 4 |
| PSYC 3810 | Trauma and Family Violence | 4 |
| PSYC 3820 | Forensic Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3850 | Psychology of Well-Being | 4 |
| PSYC 3930 | Introduction to Clinical Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3950 | Behavior Modification | 4 |
| PSYC 4015 | Language and Thought | 4 |
Capstone courses
Courses in this group have the PYCA attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CEED 4245 | Ethics in Research | 4 |
| PSYC 4000 | History and Systems of Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 4200 | Advanced Statistics w/Lab | 4 |
| PSYC 4245 | Ethics in Research | 4 |
| PSYC 4310 | Aging and Society | 4 |
| PSYC 4330 | Music and Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 4340 | Law and Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 4350 | The Psychology of Race, Place, and Power | 4 |
| PSYC 4370 | Disgust in Literature and Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 4820 | Community Psychology | 5 |
| PSYC 4850 | Community Mental Health | 4 |
| PSYC 4855 | Participatory Action Research | 4 |
| PSYC 4900 | Psychology and Human Values | 4 |
| PSYC 4910 | Global Mental Health & Psychosocial Humanitarian Aid | 4 |
| PSYC 4920 | Youth, Values, and Society | 4 |
| PSYC 4930 | Codes for Mental Health Services | 4 |
| PSYC 4997 | Honors Thesis in Psychology I | 4 |
| SOCI 4245 | Ethics in Research | 4 |
Non-Psychology Additional Elective courses
Courses in this group have the PSYC attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CEED 6015 | HIV/Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics | 3 |
| ENGL 4370 | Disgust in Literature and Psychology | 4 |
| LING 3010 | Bilingual Minds | 4 |
| LING 4015 | Language and Thought | 4 |
| NSCI 2050 | Foundations in Animal Behavior | 3 |
Distributive Requirements
Content Laboratory requirement
This is not an additional course. One of the courses taken for the major must be a content laboratory course.
Courses in this group have the PYCL attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 2201 | Learning Laboratory | 5 |
| PSYC 2301 | Sensation and Perception Lab | 5 |
| PSYC 2401 | Memory Laboratory | 5 |
| PSYC 2501 | Cognition Laboratory | 5 |
| PSYC 2601 | Lab in Social Psychology | 5 |
- *
PSYC 2201 Learning Laboratory and PSYC 2200 Learning cannot both apply to the major.
- *
PSYC 2501 Cognition Laboratory and PSYC 2500 Cognition cannot both apply to the major.
- *
PSYC 2601 Lab in Social Psychology and PSYC 2600 Social Psychology cannot both apply to the major.
Diversity requirement
This is not an additional course.
All students majoring in psychology must take at least one course designated as a diversity course. Diversity courses are designated advanced, capstone, or elective courses that highlight aspects of individual and cultural diversity and the interpersonal challenges that often result from diversity and context; assist students in recognizing potential for prejudice and discrimination in oneself and others; and explore how psychology can promote civic, social, and global outcomes that benefit others.
The diversity course requirement may be fulfilled by an advanced, capstone, or elective course.
Any of the following courses may count toward the diversity requirement.
Courses in this group have the PSDV attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 3530 | Gender Roles | 4 |
| PSYC 3600 | Multicultural Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3610 | Global Health and Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3640 | Cross-Cultural-Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 3700 | Human Sexuality | 4 |
| PSYC 3730 | Men and Masculinities | 4 |
| PSYC 4310 | Aging and Society | 4 |
| PSYC 4350 | The Psychology of Race, Place, and Power | 4 |
| PSYC 4820 | Community Psychology | 5 |
| PSYC 4850 | Community Mental Health | 4 |
| PSYC 4855 | Participatory Action Research | 4 |
| PSYC 4910 | Global Mental Health & Psychosocial Humanitarian Aid | 4 |
| PSYC 4920 | Youth, Values, and Society | 4 |
Availability
The major in psychology is available at Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Rose Hill, Lincoln Center, and Westchester.
Fordham College at Rose Hill students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.
Fordham College at Lincoln Center students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.
Professional and Continuing Studies students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the PCS Core Curriculum and any additional electives that may be required to earn a minimum of 124 credits.