COLLEGE of ARTS and SCIENCES
PSYCHOLOGY
Associate Professor Dominic A. Simon, department head
Professors Cowie, Thompson, Trafimow; Associate Professors Guynn, Ketelaar, Kroger, Madson, Rice; Assistant Professors Dolgov, Marks, MacDonald; Affiliated Caplan, Ogden; Emeriti Johnston, McDonald, Stephan
(575) 646-2502
http://www.psych.nmsu.edu/
DEGREE: Bachelor of Arts
MAJOR: Psychology
MINOR: Psychology
Students may take a major in psychology either as an area of emphasis in a liberal arts program or in preparation for further graduate education leading to professional careers in psychology. A major in psychology may be appropriate for the liberal arts student who wishes to pursue a career involving extensive social interaction and requiring solutions to people-related problems. Such careers include law, business, parenting, government, education, and management. Professional careers in psychology generally require some postbaccalaureate education. These careers include provision of clinical and counseling services, conducting research, applying research findings in industrial or government settings, and doing teaching and research in colleges and universities. Students planning to apply to graduate school are encouraged to take PSY 310, Experimental Methods I, no later than the Spring semester of their junior year.
The requirements listed below should provide an adequate exposure to psychology for the liberal arts student and a basic foundation for students seeking a career in psychology. While all majors should consult with the departments advising center and with a faculty advisor, students wishing to prepare for a professional career in psychology are especially encouraged to work closely with an advisor, as early as possible. The advising center maintains several model programs that help prepare majors to fulfill various career goals.
DEGREE: Bachelor of Arts
MAJOR: Psychology
General Requirements
Students must receive a C or better in courses used to satisfy the departmental and nondepartmental requirements of the psychology major.
Departmental Requirements
| PSY 201G, Introduction to Psychology, or HON 203G, Understanding the Science of Human Behavior | 3 |
| Three credits from the following core: | |
| PSY 302, Abnormal Psychology; PSY 350, Developmental Psychology: Conception through Childhood; PSY 440, History and Systems of Psychology | 3 |
| Eight credits in research methods: | |
| PSY 310 (prerequisite of PSY 201G, and either STAT 251 or 271 or A ST 311, Statistical Applications; and PSY 311, Advanced Research Seminar | 8 |
| The following requirements are to be met after the student has completed PSY 310(which has prerequisites of PSY 201G, and either STAT 251 or 271 or A ST 311: | |
| At least 3 credits in Basic Mechanisms from the following: | |
| PSY 301, Introduction to Psycholinguistics; PSY 375, Introduction to Biopsychology; PSY 376, Evolutionary Psychology; PSY 380, Perception | 3-4 |
| At least 3 credits in Acquisition and Use of Knowledge from the following: | |
| PSY 320, Learning; PSY 340, Cognitive Psychology; PSY 383, Memory; PSY 442, Thinking | 3-4 |
| At least 3 credits in Understanding Behavior from the following: | |
| PSY 315, Emotion and Motivation; PSY 317, Social Psychology; PSY 321, Psychology of Personality; PSY 358, Individual and Group differences | 3 |
| Additional electives to bring total credits in psychology to at least 34, with at least 24 of those 34 credits being upper division. |
Nondepartmental Requirements
| STAT 251 or 271 or A ST 311 | 3 |
| Three credits from any Philosophy course 300-level or above | 3 |
| At least three credits of introductory biology. A course that includes a laboratory is highly recommended: | |
| BIOL 101G, Human Biology, and BIOL 101L, Human Biology Laboratory, or BIOL 111G, Natural History of Life, and BIOL 111L, Natural History of Life Laboratory | 3–4 |
| BIOL 211G and 211L are also recommended (Prerequisite: CHEM 110G or CHEM 111G) |
Second Language
Students seeking the B.A. in Psychology must meet the second language requirement by completing one of the following three skills requirements:
- C S 171, Introduction to Algorithmic Computation
- C S 272, Introduction to Data Structures
- C S 271, Introduction to Object- Orientated Programming
- MATH 190, College Algebra
- MATH 191, Calculus & Analytic Geometry I
- MATH 192, Calculus & Analytic Geometry II
- STAT 251, Statistics for Business and the Behavioral Sciences, or
- STAT 271, Statistics for Psychological Science
Option 1: Traditional Language track (student must pass the second-language requirement as described in item 3 under "College Degree Requirements" under College of Arts & Sciences)
Option 2: Computer science track (the student must complete the following courses:
OR the student must complete MATH 190 and one of the following three courses: (C S 167 or C S 177 or 187)
Option 3: Math/ Statistics Track (the student must complete the following courses:
MINOR: Psychology
A student must pass at least 18 credits in Psychology courses with grades of C or higher, and at least 9 of those credits must be upper division. A student may not earn both a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Psychology.