Major Requirements (BA)

In addition to the requirements for the major, students must also satisfy all of the university general education requirements and the Letters & Science Degree Requirements. Degree requirements will vary depending on when you took your first college class. The sample below assumes a student took their first college class in Fall 2013 or later.

This sample shows just one possible pathway to earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in four years. This sample assumes you took no foreign language in high school and that your placement test scores were sufficient to start in college-level math and English. This sample also assumes that you maintain an average credit load of 15 credits per semester. Your schedule may look very different depending on your specific circumstances. Students may opt for a Bachelor of Science instead, but the requirements for that pathway are not reflected in this plan.

This plan does not replace the advice of your advisor, and you are cautioned to meet regularly with your advisor to create a personalized plan that matches your particular circumstances rather than following this verbatim. To clarify any degree requirements, please contact your L&S Undergraduate Advisor.

Psychology Major Requirements

The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. The undergraduate major consists of at least 32 credits in psychology, at least 15 of them at the advanced level (300 or above) taken in residence at UWM, including the following core courses:

Core Courses
PSYCH 101Introduction to Psychology3
Select one of the following:3-4
Psychological Statistics
Or other statistics course as approved by department
PSYCH 254Physiological Psychology3
PSYCH 325Research Methods in Psychology4
Select one of the following:3
Personality
Current Topics in Psychology:
Introduction to Conditioning and Learning
Social Psychology: Psychological Perspectives
Child Psychology
Upper-Level Courses
Select one of the following:16-17
Select one advanced laboratory course and four Systems and Foundations courses (16 credits)
Select two advanced laboratory courses and three Systems and Foundations courses (17 credits)
Total Credits32-34

Research Experience

The College of Letters and Science requires that students complete a research experience in their major. The Department of Psychology has structured its advanced laboratory courses to satisfy that requirement. In these laboratory courses, students run multiple experiments, collect and analyze data quantitatively, and write up the results in a standard journal article format, integrating the results with a critical survey of relevant professional literature. The Systems and Foundations courses are non-laboratory, upper-level courses designed to provide in-depth knowledge on specific topics in psychology. Students are welcome to take additional Systems and Foundations courses as electives.

PSYCH 502Applied Behavior Analysis4
PSYCH 505Cognitive Processes4
PSYCH 514Conditioning and Learning4
PSYCH 623Perceptual Processes4
PSYCH 654Advanced Physiological Psychology4
PSYCH 656Psychophysiology4
PSYCH 660Experimental Child Psychology4
PSYCH 677Experimental Social Psychology4

Cross-Listed Courses

The following courses offered by other academic units may be used to fulfill requirements of the undergraduate major in psychology:

BIO SCI 455Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology3
BUS ADM 442Industrial Psychology3

Sample Study Plan

Year 1
Fall Credits
ENGLISH 101
Introduction to College Writing
3
Math 103 or 105 (QL-A)
3
1st semester Foreign Language
3-5
L&S Humanities
3
Psych 101 (SS)
3
Spring Credits
ENGLISH 102
College Writing and Research (OWC-A)
3
L&S Social Science, not Psychology
3
2nd semester Foreign Language
3-5
Psych 205, 214, 230, or 260 (SS)
3
Arts GER
3
Year 2
Fall Credits
PSYCH 210
Psychological Statistics (formal reasoning, QL-B)
4
L&S Humanities
3
3rd semester Foreign Language (Int'l)
3-5
Psychology elective
3
PSYCH 254
Introduction to Neuroscience (NS)
3
Spring Credits
L&S Humanities/ Cultural Diversity
3
PSYCH 325
Research Methods in Psychology (OWC-B) (NS+)
4
4th semester Foreign Language (Int'l)
3-5
L&S Social Science, not Psychology
3
L&S Natural Science
3-5
Year 3
Fall Credits
L&S Humanities/ International
3
Psychology upper-level elective
3
Psych systems or foundation
3
L&S Natural Science
3-5
Elective
3
Spring Credits
Psych systems or foundation
3
L&S upper-level
3
Psych systems or foundation
3
Psych elective
3
Elective
3
Year 4
Fall Credits
Psych systems or foundation
3
L&S upper level
3
L&S upper level
3
L&S upper level
3
Elective
3
Spring Credits
Elective
3
Psych lab
3
L&S upper-level
3
L&S upper level
3
Elective
3

Key
(A) Arts GER (Int’l) International
(HU) Humanities (QL-A) Quantitative Literacy A
(NS) Natural Science (QL-B) Quantitative Literacy B
(SS) Social Science (OWC-A) Oral and Written Communication A
(CD) Cultural Diversity GER (OWC-B) Oral and Written Communication B