Psychology—Honours/Major/Minor
Note: PSYC 1013 and 1023 Introduction to Psychology are normally prerequisites for all other psychology courses.
Minor in Psychology
Students who wish to obtain a Minor in psychology are required to complete PSYC 1013 & 1023 Introduction to Psychology, and 12 additional credit hours in psychology.
Major in Psychology
1. Specific requirements:
- A minimum of 36 credit hours in psychology is required for a major
- PSYC 1013 and 1023
- PSYC 2013 and 2023 - both must be taken in 2nd year
- at least two 3 credit-hour psychology courses at the 3000 level
- at least one 4000 level seminar course in Psychology
2. at least 6 credit hours from the following division:
FUNDAMENTALS Division:
2013 Introduction to Statistics
2023 Introduction to Research Methods
3953 Quantitative Methods
3933 Advanced Statistics
3943 Advanced Research
3963 History of Psychology
4963 Seminar in the History of Psychology
3. at least 3 credit hours from each of the following divisions:
BIOLOGICAL Division:
2113 Sensation
2123 Perception
2153 Biological Psychology
2163 Drugs and Behaviour
3113 Hearing
3123 Visual Perception
3153 Advanced Biological Bases of Psychology
3423 Motivation and Emotion
CLINICAL Division:
2253 Psychology of Personal Growth
2643 Abnormal Psychology (CRIM; GERO)
2653 Abnormal Child Psychology
2663 Dangerous Offenders: Assessment and Intervention
2823 Community Psychology
3223 Health Psychology
3613 Models of Psychotherapy with Adults
3713 Madness and Medicine
3813 Psychological Testing and Assessment
4433 Seminar in Women and Mental Health (GEND)
4453 Seminar in Stress and Health
4513 Seminar in Popular Psychology
DEVELOPMENTAL Division:
2613 Physical and Emotional Development
2623 Cognitive and Social Development
2673 Adult Development and Aging (GERO)
3623 Adolescent Development
3633 Children, Adolescents, and the Media
3733 Developmental Psycholinguistics
4623 Seminar in Developmental Psychology
LEARNING & COGNITION Division:
2143 Introduction to Linguistics I (ROML 2013)
2213 Principles of Learning
2243 Introduction to Linguistics II (ROML 2023)
2683 Psychology of Music
3213 Behaviour Modification
3263 Cognitive Psychology
4213 Seminar in Behaviour Management
4233 Seminar in Creativity
4243 Seminar in Behaviour Psychology
4263 Seminar in Cognitive Psychology
SOCIAL & PERSONALITY Division:
2183 Human Sexuality
2313 Personality Psychology
2413 Social Psychology
2443 Environmental Psychology
3413 Advanced Social Psychology
3433 Psychology of Social Influence
3523 Psychology of Gender and Gender Relations
3533 Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology
4223 Seminar in Psychology and the Law
4313 Seminar in Personality
4323 Seminar in Romantic Relationships
4413 Seminar in Prejudice and Discrimination
4423 Seminar in Social Psychology
4443 Seminar in Environmental Psychology
4483 Seminar in the Psychology of Women
4493 Seminar in the Psychology of Men and Masculinity
4533 Seminar in Industrial and Organizational Psychology
4. The remaining credits can be taken from any of the courses offered by the Department including the following list:
2823, 2833, 2843 Special Topics
3823, 3833, 3843 Special Topics
4823, 4833, 4843 Special Topics: Seminar
4883 Independent Study
Honours in Psychology
Students who are interested in pursuing graduate study in Psychology are advised to complete the Honours BA programme. This programme provides greater breadth and depth in the substantive and methodological areas of Psychology. Although not a requisite for advanced study in psychology, many universities strongly recommend the completion of an Honours degree and Honours thesis as an important part of preparation for graduate study in Psychology. In addition to meeting the general norms of the University for an Honours degree, students who wish to take the Honours B.A. programme in Psychology must meet specific regulations of the Psychology Department.
The Department of Psychology offers courses leading to the BA (Honours) degree. Faculty
can provide expertise in the substantive areas of cognition, neuropsychology, history of psychology, human development, child development, social psychology, social cognition, clinical psychology, personality, quantitative and qualitative methods, and psychometrics.
1. Admission to Honours
Entrance into the Honours programme is competitive and the number of spaces available is limited. Usually, students accepted to the Psychology Honours programme have a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Given the workload of the Honours programme, students with a GPA of less than 3.7 are encouraged to seek the advice of the Department Chair before applying.
Successful applicants will normally meet the following criteria:
- completion of PSYC 1013 and 1023
- completion of PSYC 2013, 2023, 3933, and 3943, with a minimum grade of B in each (prior to entry to the Honors programme)
- satisfactory indication of interest in pursuing a research-based graduate degree or
career involving research skills following graduation from St. Thomas
- satisfactory indication that a tentative arrangement for pursuing a thesis project has been made with a member of the Department.
Important: As early as possible, students planning to apply to the Honours programme must discuss a course plan that adequately prepares them for the Honours thesis, and subsequent career goals, with either the Department Chair or a full-time Faculty Member in the Department of Psychology. Students interested in applying for the Honours programme in Psychology should submit to the Chair of Psychology by January 31 of their third year:
- a letter of interest, which should include a summer contact address and telephone number
- indication that a tentative arrangement for pursuing a thesis project has been
made with a faculty member in the Psychology Department
- a copy of a paper submitted for undergraduate upper division course work (i.e., for a 3rd or 4th year course in Psychology).
Thesis: Students admitted to the Honours programme are required to complete an Honours Thesis, which is an independent re s e a rch project undertaken in collaboration with a full-time Faculty Member who serves as the project advisor. Topics for Honours theses are developed in consultation with a full-time Faculty Advisor, and the re s e a rch may employ quantitat i ve or qualitative methods. Honours students are required to present orally their thesis proposals and completed thesis in a Proposal and Thesis Departmental Colloquium. Proposal colloquia are typically held in late October, while completed thesis colloquia usually are presented in April (exact dates will vary from year to year).
2. Programme Requirements
1. Specific requirements:
- a minimum of 54 credit hours in psychology
- PSYC 1013 and 1023
- PSYC 2013 and 2023 must both be taken in 2nd year
- PSYC 3933 (Advanced statistics)
- PSYC 3943 (Advanced Research)
- PSYC 3963 (History of Psychology)
- PSYC 4996 (Honours thesis)
- at least one additional psychology course at the 3000 level
- at least one additional 4000 level psychology seminar course
2. The Divisions referred to are as outlined in the Major section. At least 15 credit hours from the following division:
FUNDAMENTALS Division
3. At least 3 credit hours from each of the following divisions:
BIOLOGICAL Division
CLINICAL Division
DEVELOPMENTAL Division
LEARNING & COGNITION Division
SOCIAL & PERSONALITY Division
4. The remaining credits can be taken from any of the courses offered by the Department including the following list:
2823, 2833, 2843 Special Topics
3823, 3833, 3843 Special Topics
4823, 4833, 4843 Special Topics: Seminar
4883 Independent Study
3. Degree Requirements
To be awarded the Honours degree in Psychology upon graduation, students must meet the following requirements:
- The programme must include 54 credit hours in psychology, and normally not more than 60 credit hours, including those specific course requirements outlined above.
- In addition to grade requirements for admission to the Honours programme (students usually have a GPA of 3.7 or higher), students must obtain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 (B) in all psychology courses taken, normally with no grade less than C+ in any psychology course.