Psychology, BA

Location(s): Main Campus

The psychology major is designed to foster an understanding of human behavior, cognition, emotion, and their underlying processes. Psychology is a science; therefore, the program emphasizes an empirical methodological approach to understanding behavior, cognition, emotion and other topics. The goal of the program is to provide students with the framework of the scientific method, which they can then use to evaluate any topic in psychology.

The psychology major offers three tracks: psychology tracks, foundations in psychology track, and the psychology major track in autism spectrum disorder.

The psychology major track in Autism Spectrum Disorder is designed to prepare students who have a strong interest in children’s services for graduate school and/or careers in human services, specifically applied behavior analysis, clinical psychology, education, speech-language pathology, research and public policy. The Autism Spectrum Disorder track includes training in methods commonly used in applied behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis refers to the precise analysis of behavior and learning patterns and the conditions that serve to elicit and maintain these behaviors and patterns. This track places a strong emphasis on knowledge of basic and applied research, professional ethics and practical skills.

Admission Requirements

Students interested in the major are advised to seek information directly from the psychology academic advisor no later than their fourth semester. It is very important for transfer students intending to major in psychology to contact the psychology undergraduate academic advisor when they arrive on campus. Before declaring their major, students are encouraged to go to the Psychology Department Advising Office (Science 4, Suite 175) or schedule an appointment with an advisor through B-Successful.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Prerequisites

The Psychology and Foundations in Psychology major tracks do not have prerequisites. Admission to the Autism Spectrum Disorders track is open only to students who have completed PSYC 355. To declare this track, students must meet with an academic advisor in the Psychology Department.

Psychology Track Course Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 15 four-credit courses as follows for the Psychology Track major:

A. Core Courses

B. Complete both of the following requirements:

Three courses from:

C. Additional Course Requirements

Two four-credit PSYC courses** numbered between 400 and 489
24 additional elective credit hours from the Division of Science and Mathematics***, 16 credits of which must be taken outside the Psychology Department, and of those, at least 8 credits must be taken from the same department.

Notes:

*PSYC 344 is a required prerequisite for all labs, except PSYC 355, which allows PSYC 344 as a pre- or co-requisite

**With approval of the undergraduate director, eight credits of PSYC research (PSYC 397, 490, 493, 494 or 499) or internship (PSYC 395, CDCI 385 or 395) may substitute for one of the 400-level courses. A combination of research and internship credits is acceptable as long as eight in total are completed.

***MATH 107, 108, 147 and 148 may not be taken to fulfill this requirement. Some psychology majors may take MATH 224. If students do not place into MATH 224, then MATH 223 and, if needed, MATH 108 are also required.

Foundations in Psychology Track Course Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 15 four-credit courses as follows for the Foundations in Psychology major:

A. Core Courses

B. Two courses from the following:

C. Complete both of the following requirements:

Three courses from:

D. Additional Course Requirements

Two four-credit PSYC courses** numbered between 400 and 489
16 additional elective credit hours from the Division of Science and Mathematics*** outside of the Psychology department, 8 credits of which must be taken from the same department

Notes:

*PSYC 344 is a required prerequisite for all labs, except PSYC 355, which allows PSYC 344 as a pre- or co-requisite

Psychology Major Track in Autism Spectrum Disorder Course Requirements:

Students must complete a minimum of 15 courses as follows for the Autism Spectrum Disorder track major:

A. Core Courses

B. Additional Course Requirements:

PSYC 356, plus two courses from PSYC 350, 351, 358, 360, 362 and 385
PSYC 476 or PSYC 476R
PSYC 220 and 223
PSYC 355, 493 and 494 (by consent of instructor only); note that PSYC 493 and 494 are not counted toward Harpur’s 16-credit limit on independent study
12 additional elective credit hours from the Division of Science and Mathematics* outside of the Psychology department, 8 credits of which must be taken from the same department

Notes:

*MATH 107, 108, 147 and 148 may not be taken to fulfill this requirement. Some psychology majors may take MATH 224. If students do not place into MATH 224, then MATH 223 and, if needed, MATH 108 are also required.

The following seven courses form the Autism Spectrum Disorder track core:

PSYC 220 Developmental Psychology
PSYC 223 Behavior Disorders
PSYC 356 Experimental Psychology (Learning)
PSYC 355 Lab in Applied Behavior Analysis
PSYC 493 Advanced ABA and Research Design
PSYC 494 ASD and Behavioral Assessment
PSYC 476 Society, Science and ASD

In addition to the psychology major requirement that all courses be passed with a grade of C- or higher (see Additional Information section below), all of the courses in the Autism Spectrum Disorder track core must be passed with a grade of B or higher.

Practicum: Undergraduates enrolled in courses within the Psychology Major Track in Autism Spectrum Disorder will complete practicum experiences at the Institute for Child Development (ICD) for PSYC 493 and 494. These practicum experiences will include direct contact with children enrolled in the ICD’s programs on the Binghamton University campus.

Students in the Autism Spectrum Disorder track may also take PSYC 490G, which is additional supervised study for advanced students, once they have completed the core courses for the Autism Spectrum Disorder track. This course is considered independent study by Harpur and does count toward the 16-credit limit on independent study.

Additional Information About the Program

Note: Due to significant overlap in course requirements, it is not possible to double major in psychology and integrative neuroscience.

A list of math/science electives is available on our website.

Students must complete PSYC 111 and 243 with a grade of C or higher, and all other courses for the major (including courses from other departments) with a grade of C- or higher. No course taken to fulfill the major requirements may be taken more than twice.

Only one of the four elective courses required outside of the department in the Division of Science and Mathematics may be taken Pass/Fail. Additionally, a Pass grade is accepted for eight credits of Independent Study (PSYC 397 or 490) or internship (PSYC 395). No other courses may be taken pass/fail to fulfill the major requirements.

MATH 147 or a similar math/statistics course from another institution, or the AP statistics exam, is not acceptable as a substitute for PSYC 243.

No independent studies, supervised teaching or internships may count toward satisfaction of the four elective courses required outside of psychology in the Division of Science and Mathematics.

Residency Requirement: Students must take a minimum of 16 credits of the major while in residence at Binghamton University. Except under very special circumstances, the minimum number of two 400-level courses in psychology must be taken at Binghamton. Students are encouraged to take these upper-level courses under the instruction of two different faculty members in the Psychology Department. Faculty may offer more than one seminar with related content. Due to significant overlap, students are prohibited from receiving credit for taking a second seminar on the same topic. These exclusions, while rare, are explicitly stated in the course descriptions.

For more information on the Psychology BA program, please refer to the Psychology Department website. To apply to the Psychology BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.