Department of Psychology
Important Note: This is the archived version of the 2013–2015 Undergraduate Catalog. The information on these pages was archived on August 6, 2013 and will not be updated as requirement and/or program changes are approved. Please see www.uic.edu/ucat for the most up-to-date requirements.
IntroductionBA with a Major in Psychology
- Preparatory Courses
- Degree Requirements—General Psychology Concentration
- Degree Requirements—Applied Psychology Concentration
- Distinction
1009 Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB)
(312) 996–3036
http://home.psch.uic.edu
Administration: Acting Head, Professor Michael E. Ragozzino
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Dina Birman, dbirman@uic.edu
Students interested in an education that emphasizes an understanding of human behavior should consider a major in psychology. Psychology as a major/minor can lead to a broad range of career possibilities. An education that focuses on behavior principles is valuable for anyone whose future involves interacting with others.
Psychologists pursue careers in such areas as clinical services, health services, business, industry, testing, education, and behavioral research. There are plenty of career opportunities for students with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, particularly in the areas of social work, healthcare, business, and human resources. Career opportunities in some specializations may require a master’s degree, while career opportunities in others require a doctorate. Therefore, students should take time to examine their own interests, values, and goals in addition to job requirements and career options in their area of interest before embarking on an educational journey in psychology.
The Department of Psychology offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Psychology. A student has the option of completing a General or Applied Psychology concentration. Students may graduate with departmental distinction in either program. Both concentrations require students to take an introductory course in psychology, as well as courses in research methods and statistics.
The General Psychology concentration is appropriate for students who want to emphasize psychology within the context of a general liberal arts education. This concentration provides students with a strong base of knowledge for understanding the theories and scientific method of psychology. Many students choose this concentration when they are considering continuing their education beyond the bachelor’s level, but students go to graduate school from either concentration.
The Applied Psychology concentration is designed to give a student not only a strong base in the core curriculum of psychology, but also an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field. Students in the Applied Psychology concentration take an additional 8 credit hours as described below.
Students may graduate with Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction in either the Applied or General concentrations. Students who are considering attending graduate school should consider following the program for majoring with Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction. See below for details.
Majors in Psychology must complete a concentration in either General Psychology or Applied Psychology.
Students may declare a major in Psychology at any time. The first courses students should complete are the following preparatory courses, which are prerequisites for enrollment in many upper-level psychology courses.
| Courses |
| PSCH 100—Introduction to Psychologya |
| PSCH 242—Introduction to Research in Psychology |
| ENGL 161—Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research |
| One of the following courses: |
| MATH 090—Intermediate Algebra |
| MATH 118—Mathematical Reasoning (or the equivalent or higher) |
a This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
Students must earn a minimum 2.40/4.00 GPA in these courses AND receive a grade of C or higher in each of the four courses. Students who do not meet these requirements will be put on probation in the major. To be reinstated to full status in the major, students must (a) retake the course(s) in which they scored less than a C and earn a C or higher in that course(s), and (b) if that does not raise their GPA in the 4 preparatory courses to 2.40, students must also complete two other psychology courses at UIC and earn a 3.00/4.00 GPA. Students must complete those two additional courses within one semester of being notified that they are on probation. If a student has completed additional psychology courses while taking the four required preparatory courses, those additional courses will be counted in the calculation of the GPA to remove the student from probation.
Degree Requirements—General Psychology Concentration
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Psychology degree requirements for the General Psychology Concentration are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| BA with a Major in Psychology—General Psychology Concentration Degree Requirements | Hours |
| Major Requirements | 28 |
| General Education and Electives to reach Minimum Total Hours | 92 |
| Minimum Total Hours—BA with a Major in Psychology— General Psychology Concentration | 120 |
Major Requirements
| Courses | Hours |
| PSCH 100—Introduction to Psychologya | 4 |
| PSCH 242—Introduction to Research in Psychology | 3 |
| PSCH 343—Statistical Methods in Behavioral Scienceb | 4 |
| At least one from the following to fulfill Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement: | 3 |
| PSCH 313—Laboratory in Social Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 321—Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 331—Laboratory in Community and Prevention Research (3) | |
| PSCH 333—Laboratory in Clinical Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 351—Laboratory in Perception (3) | |
| PSCH 353—Laboratory in Cognition and Memory (3) |
|
| PSCH 361—Laboratory in Learning and Conditioning (3) | |
| PSCH 363—Laboratory in Physiological Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 367—Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience (3) | |
| At least one of the following courses in addition to the course taken to fulfill the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement: | 3 |
| PSCH 262—Physiological Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 350—Sensation and Perception (3) | |
| PSCH 351—Laboratory in Perception (3) | |
| PSCH 352—Cognition and Memory (3) | |
| PSCH 353—Laboratory in Cognition and Memory (3) |
|
| PSCH 360—Learning and Conditioning (3) | |
| PSCH 361—Laboratory in Learning and Conditioning (3) | |
| PSCH 363—Laboratory in Physiological Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 366—Cognitive Neuroscience (3) | |
| At least one of the following courses in addition to the course taken to fulfill the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement:c | 3 |
| PSCH 210—Theories of Personality (3) | |
| PSCH 231—Community Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 270—Abnormal Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 312—Social Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 313—Laboratory in Social Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 320—Developmental Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 321—Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 324—Cultural Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 331—Laboratory in Community and Prevention Research (3) | |
| Additional psychology courses for minimum of 28 semester hours | 8 |
| Total Hours—Major Requirements | 28 |
a This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
b PSCH 343 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
c Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog to determine which of these courses are approved General Education courses.
To view a recommended plan of study for the major in General Psychology, please visit the LAS website http://www.las.uic.edu/students/prospective-undergraduate/degree-programs/four-year-model-plans.
Degree Requirements—Applied Psychology Concentration
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Psychology degree requirements for the Applied Psychology Concentration are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| BA with a Major in Psychology—Applied Psychology Concentration Degree Requirements | Hours |
| Major Requirements | 36 |
| General Education and Electives to reach Minimum Total Hours | 84 |
| Minimum Total Hours—BA with a Major in Psychology—Applied Psychology Concentration | 120 |
General Education
See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements.
Major Requirements
| Courses | Hours |
| PSCH 100—Introduction to Psychologya | 4 |
| PSCH 242—Introduction to Research in Psychology | 3 |
| PSCH 340—Psychological Testing | 3 |
| PSCH 343—Statistical Methods in Behavioral Scienceb | 4 |
| PSCH 385—Field Work in Applied Psychologyc | 6 |
| At least one of the following courses: | 3 |
| PSCH 262—Physiological Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 350—Sensation and Perception (3) | |
| PSCH 351—Laboratory in Perception (3) | |
| PSCH 352—Cognition and Memory (3) | |
| PSCH 353—Laboratory in Cognition and Memory (3) |
|
| PSCH 360—Learning and Conditioning (3) | |
| PSCH 361—Laboratory in Learning and Conditioning (3) | |
| PSCH 363—Laboratory in Physiological Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 366—Cognitive Neuroscience (3) | |
| At least one of the following courses:d | 3 |
| PSCH 210—Theories of Personality (3) | |
| PSCH 231—Community Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 270—Abnormal Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 312—Social Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 313—Laboratory in Social Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 320—Developmental Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 321—Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 324—Cultural Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 331—Laboratory in Community and Prevention Research (3) | |
| At least one of the following courses: | 3 |
| PSCH 330—Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3) | |
| PSCH 381—Psychology of Interviewing (3) | |
| PSCH 382—Psychological Interventions (3) | |
| PSCH 383—Psychology of Groups (3) | |
| PSCH 386—Crisis Counseling Techniques (3) | |
| Additional psychology courses for a minimum of 36 semester hours | 7 |
| Total Hours—Major Requirements | 36 |
a This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
b PSCH 343 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
c PSCH 385 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.
d Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog to determine which of these courses are approved General Education courses.
To view a recommended plan of study for the major in Applied Psychology, please visit the LAS website http://www.las.uic.edu/students/prospective-undergraduate/degree-programs/four-year-model-plans.
Departmental Distinction. In addition to completing the degree requirements for either the General or Applied concentration, a candidate for Departmental Distinction must earn a 3.50/4.00 cumulative GPA in psychology courses and a 3.40/4.00 cumulative overall GPA. The GPA will be calculated using all of the credits that are being applied to the degree—from UIC and from any transfer institution. The actual awarding of distinction is made when credentials are evaluated for graduation.
High Departmental Distinction. In addition to completing the degree requirements for either the General or Applied concentration, the candidate for High Departmental Distinction must meet the requirements for Departmental Distinction. The candidate must also complete PSCH 443—Advanced Statistics; and either one additional laboratory course in psychology (PSCH 313, 321, 331, 333, 351, 353, 361, 363, or 367) or 3 hours of PSCH 396—Directed Research. The actual awarding of distinction is made when credentials are evaluated for graduation.
Highest Departmental Distinction. In addition to completing the degree requirements for either the General or Applied major, the candidate for Highest Departmental Distinction must meet the requirements for Departmental Distinction. The candidate must also complete PSCH 443—Advanced Statistics and an independent research project in PSCH 399—Independent Research (3 credits), under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
The proposal for a Highest Distinction independent research project should be submitted to the Psychology Department Advising Office after approval by the faculty advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The student’s final report of the independent research project must be reviewed by the Departmental Reading Committee. The form for proposing this project is available in the Psychology Department Advising Office and online. The actual awarding of distinction is made when credentials are evaluated for graduation.
Students may also minor in Psychology. A minor is structured very much like the General Psychology major, except that fewer courses are required. A Psychology minor can be beneficial to anyone who values a basic understanding of behavior. Students from other disciplines who want to minor in Psychology must take a total of 18 hours distributed as follows.
| Required Courses—Psychology Minor | Hours |
| PSCH 100—Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| PSCH 242—Introduction to Research in Psychology | 3 |
| Additional psychology courses at the 200-level or above for a minimum of 18 semester hours | 11 |
| Total Hours—Psychology Minor | 18 |
