Requirements

Psychology Major

The psychology major comprises ten courses; these are selected by students with their advisors and are subject to departmental review.

a

Only one of PSYC 3010—3019 may be used to fulfill the advanced seminar requirements.

b

Only one of PSYC 3020—3029 or may be used to fulfill the advanced seminar requirements.

c

Only one of PSYC 3030-—3039 may be used to fufill the advanced seminar requirements.

d

Only one of PSYC 3040—3049 may be used to fulfill the advanced seminar requirements.

e

Only one of PSYC 3050—3059 may be used to fulfill the advanced seminar requirements.

Psychology Minor

The psychology minor comprises six courses.

• Students may apply to pursue an independent study course. Independent study courses may count as elective credit for the major or the minor. 

• Majors may also apply to pursue honors in psychology. Honors is a two-semester sequence in the senior year, one semester of which can count as elective credit for the major. Guidelines for the honors program are available on the department website.  

•  Students considering a major in psychology are encouraged to enroll in PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology during their first year at Bowdoin, and to enroll in PSYC 2510 Research Design in Psychology and PSYC 2520 Data Analysis during their second year. 

•  Students must take PSYC 2510 Research Design in Psychology before PSYC 2520 Data Analysis. Students must take PSYC 2520 Data Analysis prior to any course numbered 2700 or higher. Students must take advanced seminar courses in their junior or senior year. 

• Students who plan to study away should plan their courses so that they can complete the major after returning to campus. Students should communicate with the department chair regarding their off-campus study plans and the transfer of credit toward the major. Research Design and Data Analysis courses taken elsewhere are typically not counted toward the major or minor. Laboratory or advanced seminar courses taken elsewhere may be counted as electives or topics-level credits, but are not normally counted toward the laboratory or advanced course requirements. 

• The psychology department does not limit the number of study-away courses that can be counted toward the major or minor. 

• Majors and minors may double-count certain courses with other departments or programs. For example, students who coordinate a major in psychology with digital and computational studies, education, or environmental studies often double count certain courses.  Psychology majors and minors may also double-count PSYC 2520 Data Analysis toward another major or minor that requires a quantitative or data-analytic course. The psychology department does not limit the number of psychology courses that may be counted toward other majors or minors. Please communicate with the department chair of the other department to discuss your options for double-counting. 

• Students who major or minor in psychology may not also major in neuroscience; students who major in neuroscience may not also major or minor in psychology.  

Grade Requirements

To fulfill a major or minor requirement in psychology, a course must be taken for a standard letter grade and a grade of C- or better must be earned. There is one exception: PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology may be taken with the Credit/D/Fail grading option, and it counts toward the major or minor if a grade of CR (Credit) is earned for the course.

Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB)

Students who receive a minimum score of 4 on the Psychology AP exam or a minimum score of 5 on the Higher Level Psychology IB exam are considered to have met the prerequisite for courses requiring PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology.  

Students who meet these minimum score requirements to place out of PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology​ are strongly urged to submit their scores to the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible to prevent any issues when registering for courses that have PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology as a prerequisite. Students who place out of PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology must still complete ten psychology courses for the major, and six for the minor; any psychology course including an independent study or honors project course in psychology may count as the additional course.   

Career Paths

The psychology major can serve as preparation for many career paths, although some positions may require additional education or specialized training. Careers options include the profession of psychology or counseling or social work, but they also include medicine, public health, early education, secondary school teaching, government, and many fields in the business world including advertising or market research, customer service, consulting, human resources, and data analytics. Psychology provides students with an understanding of human behavior that is applicable to most any career.

Some students will begin their careers soon after graduation, while others will continue their education or gain relevant work experience through internships, research positions, or entry-level positions that enhance their employability in specific fields. Prospective majors should discuss their career goals with someone in the department as soon as possible, as they may want to tailor their education and experiences accordingly. A student’s major advisor can help students reflect upon their interests and goals and chart their own path through the major. Regardless of career goals, psychology provides students with the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, enhance their writing abilities, and learn how to conduct research that allows them to ask and answer questions about the human experience.

For examples of career paths taken by recent alumni visit Alumni and Careers page. For resources on starting careers in psychology visit Resources and Opportunities. We also encourage students to reach out to the Office of Career Exploration and Development (CXD) for additional information and resources. 

Information for Incoming Students

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior of individuals (particularly humans). The first course in the department is PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology, which is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses. Offered every semester, this course provides a broad overview of the topics covered in psychology as well as an introduction to how psychological research is conducted. 

There is no placement test for PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology; we assume that most students have not had the opportunity to take a psychology course in high school. However, students who have earned a score of 4 or higher on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5 or higher on the IB Higher Level exam may skip PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology. For these students, we recommend the following courses: in the fall, PSYC 2010 Infant and Child Development, PSYC 2025 Psychopathology, PSYC 2034 Prejudice and Stereotyping, or PSYC 2060 Cognitive Neuroscience; in the spring, PSYC 2030 Social Psychology, PSYC 2040 Cognition: The Science of How We Learn, Think, and Act, PSYC 2012 Educational Psychology, or PSYC 2050 Biological Psychology. Although these students are also eligible to take PSYC 2510 Research Design in Psychology in the fall of their first year, we advise them to wait at least one semester before doing so.