Major & Minor Requirements
Everything you need to plan the psychology major, the two minors, and the honors track. Use the tools below to track your progress, then open the sections that apply to you.
Major
B.A. in Psychology
Foundation courses, 4 core courses, 6 electives, 1 upper-level elective, 2.0 GPA in psychology courses
Minor
Psychology
18 credits: General Psychology plus 5 additional courses
Minor
Developmental Psychology
18 credits: General Psychology, Principles of Developmental Psychology, plus 4 electives
Honors
Honors Major
3.4 GPA in psychology, senior thesis, poster presentation, 47 psychology credits
Requirement Information
Requirements for the Major
1Foundation Courses
- General Psychology
- Quantitative Methods or an approved equivalent (prerequisite for all lab courses)
- One 4-credit content course and lab combination
To declare the major: complete General Psychology and Quantitative Methods (or an equivalent statistics course) with a grade of C or better.
To complete the major: earn a C or better in the 4-credit content course and lab combination. The content course also counts toward either the core course or elective requirement below.
2Four Sub-discipline Core Courses
Select one course from each of the four clusters below. All four must be taken within the 01:830 subject index of the SAS Department of Psychology.
Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience
| 830:310 | Neuropsychology |
| 830:311 | Learning Processes (formerly Conditioning & Learning) |
| 830:313 | Physiological Psychology |
Clinical Psychology
| 830:310 | Neuropsychology |
| 830:340 | Psychopathology |
| 830:346 | Atypical Development in Childhood and Adolescence |
| 830:394 | Community Psychology and Community Health |
Cognitive Psychology
| 830:301 | Sensation & Perception |
| 830:303 | Memory & Attention |
| 830:305 | Cognition |
| 830:351 | Psychology of Language |
Social Psychology
| 830:321 | Social Psychology |
| 830:338 | Personality Psychology |
| 830:377 | Health Psychology |
3Six Psychology Electives (18 credits)
Choose from the department's complete set of course offerings, including additional courses from the core clusters above (beyond the one required per cluster) and 400-level courses.
Limits on electives
- Non-classroom courses: no more than 6 credits of fieldwork, research, or internships count toward the major. Additional credits still count toward graduation, and students are encouraged to take them.
- Lower-level courses: no more than two lower-level psychology courses (7 credits) may be applied toward the elective requirement.
- Transfer courses: a maximum of 12 transfer credits in psychology may count toward the major, and no more than two elective courses (6 credits) may come from two-year institutions. At least 6 elective credits must be completed with the Rutgers–New Brunswick SAS Department of Psychology.
4Upper-Level Elective
Majors must complete one 400-level elective within the 01:830 subject index. 400-level courses require a declared psychology major, junior or senior standing, and at least one completed core course. Individual courses may have additional prerequisites, and instructors may grant special permission to enroll.
5GPA Requirement
A cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0 in all psychology (01:830) courses counting toward the major.
Minor in Psychology
The minor consists of 18 credits: General Psychology (01:830:101) plus five additional courses of 3 or more credits. Students must earn a C or better in General Psychology and a 2.0 GPA or better across all 01:830 courses.
- At least three of the six courses must be taken in the Rutgers–New Brunswick psychology program (01:830). Transfers from county or community colleges are limited to General Psychology and two additional electives.
- No more than one of the six courses may be experiential (fieldwork, internship, or research).
- No more than two 200-level courses may be applied toward the minor. College honors courses (non-830 subject index) do not count.
Minor in Developmental Psychology
The minor consists of 18 credits: General Psychology (01:830:101), Principles of Developmental Psychology (01:830:271), and four additional courses from the electives list below. Students must earn a C or better in General Psychology and a 2.0 GPA or better across all 01:830 courses.
- At least three of the six courses must be taken in the Rutgers–New Brunswick psychology program (01:830). Transfers from county or community colleges are limited to General Psychology (01:830:101) and Principles of Developmental Psychology (01:830:271).
- No more than one of the six courses may be a fieldwork course.
Developmental Psychology Electives
| 01:830:331 | Infant and Child Development |
| 01:830:333 | Adolescent Development |
| 01:830:335 | Adult Development and Aging |
| 01:830:346 | Atypical Development in Childhood and Adolescence |
| 01:830:361 | Developmental Psychobiology |
| 01:830:394 | Community Psychology and Mental Health |
| 01:830:431 | Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology |
| 01:830:432 | Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology |
| 01:830:484 | Language Acquisition |
Experiential Courses
Maximum of 3 credits toward the minor
| 01:830:380/381 | Fieldwork: Foster Care |
| 01:830:382/383 | Fieldwork: Autism |
| 01:830:388/389 | Fieldwork: Child Development |
Declaring a minor: both minors may be declared on the SAS website or in the office of your college dean. You may not declare both the psychology minor and the developmental minor, and neither minor may be combined with a psychology major. The minor in Developmental Psychology falls under the 835 subject code.
Honors Major Requirements
To earn the Honors Major, students must complete:
- A cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 in all psychology (830) courses, including 6 credits of Honors Research in Psychology.
- An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- At least nine 3- or 4-credit courses counting toward the Honors Major taken at Rutgers–New Brunswick (01:830).
- The 3-credit, writing-intensive seminar 01:830:490 Honors Research Design, Analysis and Presentation, a fall course normally taken senior year. Students are registered automatically after submitting the Honors Proposal.
- Honors Research in Psychology (01:830:497–498) during each of the final two semesters, with full participation in the departmental honors program.
- A minimum of 47 credits in psychology (830).
Acceptance: The Honors Proposal and Seminar
Honors projects take many forms. Most involve conducting an experiment: reviewing research and theory in an area of psychology, formulating hypotheses, designing a data collection strategy, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up the results and their interpretation. This is a significant undertaking, so many successful projects begin while the student is working in a faculty member's lab before senior year, though that is not required.
Acceptance into the program occurs in the first week of the senior year, when the student submits an Honors Proposal for departmental approval. The proposal is prepared jointly by the student and faculty sponsor and submitted to the Senior Undergraduate Administrator in the Office of the Undergraduate Vice Chair, Tillett 101, by the end of the first week of the fall semester.
A good proposal (about 5 pages) outlines the background and significance of the scientific question, proposes a hypothesis, and lays out the methods for data collection and analysis, including the experimental design. Where the thesis is part of a larger project, it should make clear what the student will actually do and set a clear endpoint for the student's role. Projects may be well underway or just getting started, and may vary widely in scope. The purpose is to ensure the student and adviser have clearly agreed on expectations and that the scope is appropriate. The Phillips Award is given annually for the best Honors Proposal, as judged by a faculty committee.
Seminar logistics: the mandatory weekly seminar (01:830:490) begins on the second Friday of the fall semester, 10:20 am–1:20 pm in ARC-105.
You cannot register for this course directly. Once your proposal is accepted, the department registrar enrolls you automatically. Keep that time open in your schedule, and if registration is delayed for any reason, attend the class anyway.
Completion: The Honors Thesis and Poster Presentation
Whatever the nature of the project, two final products are required:
Honors Thesis
A formal written thesis with an introduction to the background and significance of the research question, a clear statement of hypotheses, a description of the experimental design and methods for collecting and analyzing data, detailed results, and a discussion of conclusions and implications. Additional sections acknowledge support from others and list works cited.
Written by the student with feedback from the faculty adviser. Typically due in early April.
Honors Poster Presentation
A poster outlining the project: background, purposes, methods, results, and implications. All posters are presented at a single session in early April attended by students, friends and family, faculty advisers, and other members of the university community.
Both the thesis and the poster are evaluated by a faculty committee. If the committee judges the work to merit the Honors designation, the student receives Honors in Psychology at graduation. The top projects receive special awards at Commencement.
Departmental Awards
Alice M. and Walter F. Phillips Awards
Outstanding Honors Thesis · Outstanding Honors Proposal
Established by Walter F. Phillips in loving memory of his wife Alice and in appreciation for his education at Rutgers. Awarded to a student in the Psychology Honors Program for outstanding achievement in the senior year, as judged by the honors committee.
Marilyn L. Shaw Award
Most Research Promise
Given in memory of Professor Marilyn Shaw to the senior psychology major who shows the most promise of a creative and productive research career.
Charles F. Flaherty Award
Excellence in Undergraduate Research
Given annually to an undergraduate psychology major who has demonstrated exceptional performance in research in any area of psychology.
Tracey Shors Award
Behavioral Neuroscience
Given annually to an outstanding psychology honors major who has demonstrated exceptional performance in research in Behavioral Neuroscience.
John R. Z. Abela Award
Excellence in Research in Clinical Psychology
Given in memory of Professor John R. Z. Abela, an internationally renowned clinical psychology researcher who advanced understanding of positive psychology and the development of depression. Awarded to the honors major with the strongest record of empirical research in clinical psychology.
Each award is designated by the Psychology Honors Committee and includes a monetary prize. Recipients' names are permanently displayed on an engraved plaque in the Psychology Department.
School of Arts and Sciences Awards
Henry Rutgers Scholars Award
The Psychology Honors Committee or individual faculty may nominate outstanding honors students based on the quality of the thesis and overall academic record. To be considered, a student must have presented their research at the Aresty Research Symposium, a departmental research event, or a professional conference.
Paul Robeson Scholars Award
Conferred upon SAS students who have successfully defended a departmental or interdisciplinary senior thesis, as Paul Robeson himself did in 1919. An extraordinary student and Class of 1919 Valedictorian, Robeson became one of Rutgers' most distinguished alumni as a renowned scholar, orator, performer, and human rights advocate. The School honors his legacy each year as graduates follow in his footsteps.
Checking Your Progress (Major Checklist)
Use Degree Navigator to check your progress toward the major, and contact the department if anything is unclear. One requirement Degree Navigator does not display clearly: you may choose any lab/lecture combination to declare your major.
Took courses at Rutgers Newark or Camden? They appear on your Rutgers transcript, but some will not be incorporated automatically into your Degree Navigator profile for the major. Email
Focus Areas Within Psychology
All psychology majors earn the same degree, a B.A. in Psychology, but our students have a wide range of career and graduate school plans. If you know which area of psychology interests you, consider choosing your minor and free electives to build depth in that area. The clusters below are suggestions, not official areas of study.
Behavioral Systems & Neuroscience
For students interested in the biological side of psychology, neuroscience graduate programs, or medical school.
Psychology
- 01:830:301 Sensation and Perception
- 01:830:310 Neuropsychology
- 01:830:311 Learning Processes
- 01:830:313 Physiological Psychology
- 01:830:412 Neuropsychopharmacology
- 01:830:391, 392, 495, 496 Research in Psychology
Other departments
- 01:119:101–102 General Biology
- 01:160:161–162 General Chemistry
- 01:640:135, 138 Calculus
- 01:146:245 Fundamentals of Neurobiology
- 01:146:445 Advanced Neurobiology
- 01:447:380 Genetics
- 01:447:384 Genetic Analysis I
Clinical Psychology
Recommended courses for students with a particular interest in clinical psychology.
- 01:830:340 Psychopathology
- 01:830:310 Neuropsychology
- 01:830:311 Learning Processes
- 01:830:313 Physiological Psychology
- 01:830:338 Personality
- 01:830:348 Tests and Measurements
- 01:830:412 Neuropsychopharmacology
- 01:830:451 Advanced Topics in Clinical Psychology
- 01:830:453 Systems of Psychotherapy
Cognitive Psychology
Courses in cognition cover memory, language, attention, perception, cognitive development, thinking, and artificial intelligence. Students interested in careers in cognition are also encouraged to take courses in related fields such as computer science, mathematics, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience.
Consultation with cognitive faculty about course selection is strongly recommended.
Developmental Psychology
Recommended courses for students interested in developmental issues.
- 01:830:271 Developmental Psychology
- 01:830:331 Infant and Child Psychology
- 01:830:333 Adolescent Development
- 01:830:335 Adult Development and Aging
- 01:830:346 Atypical Development in Childhood and Adolescence
- 01:830:361 Developmental Psychobiology
- 01:830:431 Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology
Students are encouraged to take a balanced array of courses, participate in fieldwork, and carry out individual research projects with departmental faculty. Consult developmental faculty about relevant courses in other departments.
Health Psychology
For students interested in the psychological aspects of physical health. Because this is a research-oriented field, Independent Study and Honors Research are highly recommended.
Psychology
- 01:830:377 Health Psychology (required)
- 01:830:305 Cognition
- 01:830:313 Physiological Psychology
- 01:830:311 Learning Processes
- 01:830:321 Social Psychology
- 01:830:338 Personality
- 01:830:372 Psychological Approaches to Social Problems
Other departments
- 01:070:307 Medical Anthropology
- 10:832:232 Principles of Public Health
- 10:832:335 Epidemiology
- 01:920:210 Sociology of Medicine and Health Care
- 01:920:303 Social Gerontology
Social Psychology
Recommended courses for students with a particular interest in social psychology.
Core
- 01:830:321 Social Psychology
- 01:830:338 Personality
- 01:830:323 Research Methods in Social Psychology (to satisfy the lab course)
Four or more from
- 01:830:326 Small Groups
- 01:830:348 Psychological Tests and Measurements
- 01:830:372 Psychological Approaches to Social Problems
- 01:830:373 Organizational and Personnel Psychology
- 01:830:375 Prejudice and Conflict
- 01:830:377 Health Psychology
- 01:830:421 Advanced Topics in Social Psychology
- 01:830:441 Advanced Topics in Personality
Research in Psychology (01:830:495, 496) and Honors Research (01:830:497, 498) are highly recommended for students planning graduate study in social psychology.
Learning Objectives
Students graduating with an undergraduate degree in psychology from Rutgers have many different aspirations and follow varied career paths. Our curriculum therefore gives students flexibility in choosing the trajectory and intensity of their psychological training. Our aim is two-fold: to prepare students for graduate professional training in neurobiology, cognitive, social, or clinical psychology or a closely related discipline, and to equip all students with the basic concepts and skills in psychology needed to meet the ever-changing demands of a fast-paced world.
To accomplish both goals, there is a common set of core knowledge and concepts that students must acquire and a common group of skills that all psychology majors should master before graduation. The four learning objectives below are consistent with the Rutgers University Learning Goals and the American Psychological Association's recommendations for undergraduate programs.
Content in Psychology
Students should know the terms, concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
Research Methods in Psychology
Students should apply basic research methods, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation, to standard lab problems. Those pursuing research careers also design new experiments, use modern laboratory techniques, analyze information, and communicate research effectively in APA-style reports.
Higher-Order Cognitive Skills
Students should use critical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to ask, answer, and understand questions about behavior and mental processes. These skills are assessed in different ways across courses, from conceptual test questions to case critiques to presentations of research or programs.
Civic Engagement
Students should have opportunities to apply psychological concepts and content to become engaged citizens, for example by working in an applied setting under the supervision of trained mental health professionals, integrating academic concepts with personal observations, and providing programmatic and case reports.