Helpful tip # 1: Hours used to fulfill you major requirements are included in your overall minimum hours required by the College of Arts and Sciences to graduate.
In order to receive a B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences, you are required to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours, of which a minimum of 45 credit hours must be upper division. The minimum 31 overall hours (including the 18 upper division hours) of the required psychology major coursework are included in the College of Arts and Sciences minimum hours requirements.
Helpful tip # 2: Selecting courses to fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum requirements.
Students are required to complete The College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum, as well as major requirements for a bachelors of arts degree. The Core requirements are very specific and can be found at the back of the Registration Handbook and Schedule of Courses every semester as well as in the University of Colorado Catalog.
Because there are many interesting upper division courses on the College of Arts and Sciences Core requirements list, it is recommended that you not be in too much of a hurry to complete the A&S Core. Plan on some of the more interesting upper division courses; wait for them to become available to you -- many courses will not be available until students have completed 60 hours or more. Always remember to use the University of Colorado Catalog and the Registration Handbook and Schedule of Courses to see if a course has prerequisites or restrictions on enrollment and plan accordingly.
Helpful tip # 3: A word on the psychology ancillary natural science sequence requirement.
The College of Arts and Sciences requires that you complete a natural science sequence for the Core Curriculum. It is wise to select a sequence which is also accepted by the psychology department for its ancillary natural science sequence requirement. (For example: A & S will accept EBIO 1030 and 1040 as a natural science sequence whereas the psychology department will not.) If you have chosen a natural science sequence that is listed as both a Core Curriculum option and psychology department option, that sequence will satisfy both requirements. It is recommended that you finish this sequence by the end of your sophomore year.
PSYC 2012, Biological Psychology, is a major requirement; it may also be used as one of the non-sequence A&S Core Curriculum science requirements.
Helpful tip #4: Critical Thinking Requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum.
PSYC 3105 (Experimental Methods in Psychology), PSYC 4521 (Critical Thinking in Psychology), or PSYC 4001 (Honors Seminar 2), may be used to fulfill the Critical Thinking area in the A&S Core Curriculum. Both of the 4000 level classes are restricted to psychology majors with senior standing.
Helpful tip # 5: Psychology majors are exempt from the Contemporary Societies requirement of the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum.
As long as you are a psychology major at the time of graduation, you are exempted from the Contemporary Societies area of the A&S Core Curriculum. Additionally, PSYC 2606 (Social Psychology) is both a requirement for the major and fulfills the Contemporary Societies area of core, so it is not necessary to take another class in this area.
Helpful tip # 6: The College of Arts and Sciences limits the amount of coursework you may take in any one department to 45 credit hours.
Students may take up to 45 hours in psychology. However, the maximum is not necessarily recommended. Rather, it may be more beneficial to take other courses which lead to teaching licensure or pre-medical, pre-health or pre-law training. You also have the option to graduate with more than one major or a major and a minor. This can easily be accomplished within your 120 hours if you plan carefully. Remember, you will be receiving a liberal arts degree. You need not supersaturate your education with psychology courses. When and if you enter a graduate program in psychology, you will be focusing on one area of study (e.g. social, clinical, neuroscience, etc.).
The only exception to the above maximum hours in psychology is that a total of six hours additional are allowed in Senior Thesis (PSYC 4011) and/or Honors Seminars (PSYC 3001 and 4001).
Helpful tip # 7: A select few students majoring in psychology also choose to complete the certificate program in Neurosciences and Behavior or the Cognitive Science certificate program.
Students may also wish to consider a certificate in the neuroscience or cognitive area of psychology. Students completing the Neurosciences and Behavior Program or the Cognitive Science Program will receive an Undergraduate Certificate in these areas as well as a B.A. in Psychology.
Helpful tip # 8: Get to know your professors.
Instructors have "office hours." Attend their office hours. The hours are posted on their doors, as well as listed by the Psychology Advising Center in Muenzinger D243. Be sure to make contact with them if you do not understand the lecture or anything course related. They are there to help you.
In addition, many faculty members are doing research. Investigate what is going on in the department labs; try to get involved. Graduate programs are extremely competitive and often require that you have some, if not extensive, research experience in order to be a qualified candidate. It is recommended that you start looking into research possibilities early in your undergraduate education. Professors welcome undergraduate researchers. However, you must prove yourself by taking such courses as chemistry, biology, math or physics and making respectable grades. In addition, many of the professors require that students complete one of the "experimental courses" (e.g. Cognitive Psychology, Psychology of Perception, etc.) or they may have other minimum GPA requirements. It is always best to contact the professor directly and find out what they require.
Doing research with professors may then lead to a Senior Thesis and defense, making you eligible to graduate with departmental or general honors.
Helpful tip # 9: Mandatory assessment test for graduating seniors.
There is a mandatory Assessment Test for graduating seniors. The test is offered only once a year in April so anyone planning to graduate in August or December must plan ahead and take the previous April's exam. Information on access to this web-based assessment will be sent via CU email in late March or early April.
Helpful tip # 10: Utilize Professor Performance Guides.
Professor Performance Guides are published on-line and are based on the previous years Faculty Course Questionnaires (FCQ). These ratings are intended to offer you guidance about a particular course or professor. However, please keep in mind that everyone has different personal likes and dislikes which ultimately color their rating of a particular course or instructor. In addition, varying learning styles interacting with differing teaching styles can further affect whether or not an individual has a positive learning experience in a particular course taught by a specific professor.
Helpful tip # 11: Pay attention to deadlines.
Every semester you can find all the important deadlines on the University of Colorado at Boulder website . It is your responsibility to know when these dates are so you do not run into any problems with registration or financial issues, such as adding and dropping of courses on time or when you need to withdraw from the University in order to still receive a refund. It is also critical that you check your course schedule through the CU-PLUS (Personal Lookup System) just prior to the end of the schedule adjustment period. Remember, it is your responsibility to know what classes you are registered for at the end of the registration deadlines.
Helpful tip # 12: Make appointments early and often with your assigned primary advisor.
It is wise to come into the Psychology Advising Center very soon after receiving your "Invitation to Register." We are located in Muenzinger D243. Once you are aware of your time assignment for the following semester's registration, you will want to make an appointment with an advisor to make sure you are on track for graduation. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL IT IS TIME TO REGISTER! The registration months of November and April are the busiest time of the semester for advisors so be prepared to wait at least a few days or perhaps weeks to get an appointment. The sooner you get in touch with us, the sooner you'll get an appointment.
Click here for a word on academic advising.
Again, if you ever have any questions, please seek advice from your primary advisor. We are here to help you as much as possible:
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