Degree Options
The Psychology department offers the student a major program that
allows choices of courses from among a wide variety of fields in psychology:
experimental, clinical, cognitive, developmental, physiological, and
social. In addition to the considerable breadth offered, the program
encourages the student to focus on more specialized areas through
advanced coursework, seminars, and especially through supervised research.
Bryn Mawr Psychology majors find that the major program provides a
strong foundation for graduate study in all areas of psychology, as
well as for graduate work in medicine, social work, law, business,
and education. The Psychology department also offers an interdepartmental
concentration in neural and behavioral sciences available as a specialized
track within the major.
While the Psychology major provides students with a solid background
to prepare them for further training in graduate or professional schools,
we envision our mission more broadly. Consistent with the general
goals of a liberal arts college, we seek to educate our students as
critical thinkers and consumers of research so that they may apply
these skills in whatever post BA endeavors they pursue.
Requirements are as follows: (Effective for students graduating
in 2009 or after)
Psychology 101 or 102* -
Experimental Psychology 101 taught by Mr. Thomas (biological psychology
& animal learning) and Ms. Rescorla (psychosocial development
& abnormal psychology). Experimental Psychology 102 taught by
Ms. Cassidy (cognitive and cognitive development) and Mr. McCauley
(social psychology). These are laboratory courses.
*If a student chooses to take both Psychology 101 and Psychology 102,
she only needs 7 courses in addition to Statistics.
Psychology 205 - Experimental Methods and Statistics (Lab)
as well as eight additional courses - 4or 5 "200" level courses such as:
Psychology 201 - Learning theory and behavior (Lab)
Psychology 203 - Educational Psychology
Psychology 206 - Developmental Psychology
Psychology 208 - Social Psychology
Psychology 209 - Abnormal Psychology
Psychology 212 - Human Cognition (Lab)
Psychology 214 - Behavior Modification (Praxis)
Psychology 218 - Behavioral Neuroscience
and 3 or 4 "300" level courses such as:
Psychology 312 - History of Modern American Psychology
Psychology 323 - Advanced Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience (Lab)
Psychology 326 - From Chanels to Behavior (Lab)
Psychology 328 - Exploring Animal Minds
Psychology 340 - Women's Mental Health
Psychology 346 - Pediatric Psychology
Psychology 351 - Developmental Psychopathology
Psychology 352 - Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology (Lab)
Psychology 364 - Behavior Analytic Theory
Psychology 395 - Psychopharmacology
Psychology 398 - Cognitive Issues
in Personality & Social Psychology
The Psychology major requires two courses with a laboratory, one at
the 100 level (101 or 102) and one at the 200 or 300 level. The selection
of courses to meet the major requirements is made in consultation
with the student's major adviser.
Departmental honors (called Honors in Research in Psychology) are awarded on the merits of a report of research (the design and execution, and the scholarship exhibited in the writing of a paper based on the research). To be considered for Honors, students must have a G.P.A. in psychology of 3.6.
A student may minor in psychology by taking Psychology 101 or 102 and any other five courses that meet the requirements of the major.
An interdepartmental concentration in Neural and Behavioral Sciences is available as an option to students majoring in either biology or psychology. Students electing this option must fulfill requirements of both the major and the concentration, which is administered by an interdepartmental committee. Psychology students interested in the concentration in the Neural and Behavioral Sciences should consult the catalogue description for that program.
