Psychology (BA)

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Offered by the Department of Psychology , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires departmental approval.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better
Completion of college writing requirement
Completion of university mathematics requirement

General Education Requirements

A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas
At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component
No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline

Major Requirements

41 credit hours with grades of C or better and at least 18 credit hours at the 300-level or above.
- No more than a combined total of 6 credit hours of PSYC-390 Independent Reading Course in Psychology (1-6) , PSYC-490 Independent Study Project in Psychology (1-6) , and PSYC-491 Internship (1-3) , will apply toward fulfilling major requirements.

Course Requirements

Required (11 credit hours)

Research Methods (3-4 credit hours)

Complete one of the following:

Bio-Psychology (3 credit hours)

Complete one of the following:

Learning and Cognition (3 credit hours)

Complete one of the following:

The Individual, the Situation, and Psychological Health (6 credit hours)

Complete two of the following:

Electives (14-15 credit hours)

14-15 credit hours in psychology elective courses to complete the required credit hours. Students will be advised concerning 300-500-level courses available as electives.

Note: No more than a combined total of 6 credit hours of PSYC-390 Independent Reading Course in Psychology (1-6) , PSYC-490 Independent Study Project in Psychology (1-6) , and PSYC-491 Internship (1-3) , will apply toward fulfilling major requirements.

Combined Psychology (BA) and Psychology (MA)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Students must have a minimum 3.00 grade point average in psychology and statistics courses and must have completed at least half of the credit hours required for the BA in Psychology, including STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) , before applying to the program. Students must submit a completed graduate application form, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the General examination (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic), two letters of recommendation, and copies of all college transcripts. Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework to satisfy the requirements for both degrees.
A minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.