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Psychology Undergraduate Program
A Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology (B.S.) provides students with the first level of education required to pursue careers in more specialized fields. Students deciding to major in other areas find that a minor in psychology can be very helpful.
Major Requirements for B.S. in Psychology (Post-Fall 2024)
The major requires a total of 42 hours in Psychology:
-
Core (12 hours)
- PSY 150, PSY 250, PSY 271, PSY 272
-
Guided Electives (18 hours; one course from each category below)
- Developmental Processes
- PSY 319, PSY 320, PSY 322, PSY 325
- Personality and Social Behavior
- PSY 309, PSY 430
- Biological Bases of Behavior
- PSY 340, PSY 440, PSY 445, PSY 448, PSY 450
- Learning and Cognition
- PSY 444, PSY 446
- Applications in Psychology
- PSY 363, PSY 375, PSY 470, PSY 474, PSY 475
- Advanced Elective
- PSY 455, PSY 483, PSY 495
- Developmental Processes
-
Other Psychology Electives (12 hours)
B.S. in Psychology Eight-Semester Plan – Post-Fall 2024
Minor Requirements for Psychology
The minor requires 18 hours total, including:
- PSY 150 - General Psychology Credits: (3)
- 15 hours of Psychology electives.
Major Requirements for B.S. in Psychology (Pre-Fall 2024)
The major requires a total of 42 hours in Psychology:
- Core (18 hours)
- PSY 150, PSY 250, PSY 271, PSY 272, 455, 495
- Guided Electives (15 hours; one course from each category below)
- Developmental Processes
- PSY 319, PSY 320, PSY 322, PSY 325
- Personality and Social Behavior
- PSY 309, PSY 430
- Biological Bases of Behavior
- PSY 340, PSY 440, PSY 445, PSY 448, PSY 450
- Learning and Cognition
- PSY 444, PSY 446
- Applications in Psychology
- PSY 363, PSY 375, PSY 470, PSY 474, PSY 475
- Developmental Processes
- Other Psychology Electives (9 hours)
B.S. in Psychology Eight-Semester Plan
Transfer Students
If you graduate from a North Carolina Community College then you will arrive at Western with only three things to complete before you graduate. You can and typically will graduate in four semesters.
- You need to earn 56 more credits to graduate with 120 credits. Every course in which you earned a C or better will transfer into Western.
- You need 42 credits for the Psychology major. Depending on which courses you took at your community college you may transfer in up to four required courses and all of your psychology courses that transfer to Western can be electives if they don’t meet a requirement.
- You need to complete the requirements for a minor, between 18 and 24 credits, to complete your degree.
Psychology Scholarships and Awards
Presented annually to the outstanding senior psychology major. Recipients of this award have demonstrated:
- Excellence in classroom scholarship
- Scholarly activities, activities outside the classroom such as involvement in research, conference participation, or other creative endeavors,
- Other psychology-related activities: internship or volunteer work, participation in the psychology Club and/or Psi Chi, committee service, or other contributions to the department and university.
Presented to the psychology major that has shown excellence in the area of research. This student also receives a monetary award and his or her name on a plaque. Recipients are selected using the following criteria:
- Involvement in research; active involvement in research projects with one or more faculty members over at least a year’s period
- Recognition: recognition of the students’ research activities through publication or presentation of research findings at professional meetings.
Awarded for unusual service to the Department of Psychology by a student who has a major, minor, concentration, or disciplinary focus area in psychology. The criteria for the award include:
- Involvement: active service in professional affairs such as the Psychology Club, Psi Chi, other honor societies at the university, tutoring, community work, advisement, etc.
- Volunteerism: volunteer work in the organization of the department, including maintenance of labs, classrooms, bulletin boards, the Cecil Mann Library, care of plants, production of newsletters, and contact with prospective students at the department, school or university levels.
This scholarship award was established to honor the memory of Linda Elaine Glenn, who was a student at WCU majoring in Psychology in the College of Education and Allied Professions. Entering and continuing junior and senior female students majoring in psychology or education are eligible for the scholarship. Preference will be given to students majoring in psychology. Candidates must meet all general university admission requirements or be current student in good standing. The amount of the award varies. Recipients are selected on the basis of: overall ability, past achievement, potential for development in the field of psychology, and other criteria that ensure selection of recipients who possess trait of character like those of Ms. Glenn.
This scholarship award was established to honor the memory of Hedy White, a Psychology Professor at WCU, and her daughter, Vanessa. Preference given to undergraduate or graduate students in Psychology, with financial need, in good standing with WCU and having no sanctions at the time of award.
Contact
Dr. Annie Wilson
Undergraduate Advising and
Recruitment Coordinator
Phone: 828.227.2938
Email: amwilson@wcu.edu