Majoring

For complete information about majoring, see the online catalog.

The mission of the department of psychology is to give you:

• a strong, scientifically rigorous foundation in the primary areas of psychology;
• exposure to each area’s applications;
• competence in evaluating, conducting, and presenting psychological research.

Our courses provide you with a scientifically rigorous base in each area of psychology. The psychology curriculum covers each area of psychology in both breadth and depth, while highlighting the connections between areas. These connections help you to form an integrated, well-rounded perspective on human behavior and mental processes.

As such, our major curriculum is designed to accomplish these goals by providing you with:

• A shared, core experience that introduces you to the basic areas, applications, and quantitative/methodological skills that are critical for all upper-level courses. All students are required to take our three-course core sequence, PSY 100 (Introduction to Psychology), PSY 200 (Statistics I), and PSY 300 (Psychology Methodology).
• A breadth of exposure to content and applications of the different domains of psychology in 200- and 300-level courses.
• A 300-level laboratory-based experience that both enhances content knowledge and also allows students to utilize and hone research and quantitative skills learned in the core sequence.
• An integrative capstone experience. Our seminar-based capstone courses offer you one of the following types of integrative experiences: integration of various areas within psychology, integration of psychology and other disciplines, or application of psychological principles and methods to real-world problems and/or basic scientific questions. All 400-level Psychology courses except 495 and 499 are capstone courses.

Psychology Major Requirements

Note: Psychology does not offer a Minor, but many psychology majors also choose a minor. The most popular minors for our Psychology majors are: Neuroscience, Gender Studies, or Ethnic Studies.

Introductory sequence

• PSY 100: Introductory Psychology
• PSY 200: Statistics I (ECON103 is equivalent)
• PSY 300: Psychology Methodology

One course from Social Area

• PSY 230: Developmental Psychology
• PSY 240: Abnormal Psychology
• PSY 260: Social Psychology

One course from Cognitive area

• PSY 220: Thinking, Memory, and Problem Solving (Cognition)
• PSY 280 Brain and Behavior

One laboratory course

• PSY 310: Cognition lab (PSY220 is prerequisite)
• PSY 350: Behavioral Neuroscience lab (PSY280 is prerequisite)
• PSY 355: Cognitive Neuroscience lab (PSY220 or PSY280 are prerequisites)

Three PSY elective courses; two must be at 300/400 level

One 400-level (capstone) course

Psychology Course Offerings

(Not all courses are offered every year.)

100-Level Courses

PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology

PSY 105 Perspectives in Film

PSY 190 Culture, Film, and Psychology

200-Level Courses

• PSY 200 Statistics I
• PSY 220 Thinking, Memory, and Problem Solving
• PSY 230 Infant and Child Development
• PSY 240 Abnormal Psychology
• PSY 244 Practicum
• PSY 252 Intro to Neuroscience
• PSY 260 Social Psychology
• PSY 280 Brain and Behavior
• PSY 295 Faculty Directed Research
• PSY 299 Independent Study

300-Level Courses

• PSY 300 Psychology Methodology
• PSY 310 Cognition with Lab
• PSY 311 Statistics II
• PSY 325 Social Norms
• PSY 330 Adolescent and Adult Development
• PSY 340 Personality Theory
• PSY 345 Overseas Internship
• PSY 350 Behavioral Neuroscience with Lab
• PSY 355 Cognitive Neuroscience with Lab
• PSY 360 Psychology of Gender
• PSY 370 Clinical Psychology
• PSY 375 Health Psychology
• PSY 380 Drugs and Behavior
• PSY 390 Cross-Cultural Psychology
• PSY 395 Issues in Psychiatric Health

400-Level Courses

• PSY 400 Advanced Topics in Psychology
• PSY 410 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
• PSY 425 Human-Computer Interaction
• PSY 435 Advanced Applied Developmental
• PSY 440 Social Construction of Madness
• PSY 444 Practicum
• PSY 445 Psychology Internship
• PSY 460 Community Psychology
• PSY 465 Advanced Topics in Social Psychology

PSY490 Honors Thesis

• PSY 495 Advanced Faculty Directed Research
• PSY 499 Independent Study

Co-Curricular Opportunities in Psychology

• We have a strong internship program with connections throughout the Portland metro area. Our students have had placements at hospitals, schools, research institutes, social services agencies, mental health facilities, government offices, and many more
• We offer a study abroad program to Dublin, Ireland during Spring of every odd-year where students participate in a psychology internship and fulfill their international studies requirements.
• Many psychology students participate in research either by working directly with faculty in their labs for credit or through independent study.