Department of Psychology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences

The discipline of Psychology is normally associated with the social sciences, the biological sciences, and the health professions. Specialization in Psychology at Guelph is available as a B.A. Honours program major and minor and a B.A. General program area of concentration, all of which are described below, as well as a B.A. Honours program Co-op major (PSYC:C).

Through its different undergraduate programs, the Psychology Department provides:

1. a broad general education emphasizing psychological theory and methodology, with an empirical basis in course work (e. g., experiments and projects);
2. an appropriate background in psychology for those who leave the University with an undergraduate degree to embark on careers in related areas; and
3. a sound preparation for graduate study in Psychology.

Students intending to apply to research-focussed Psychology graduate programs (i.e., those involving a Masters or PhD thesis), and students who want a structured, intensive research experience, may apply to enrol in the Honours Thesis courses (See Option B – Honours Thesis Stream). In addition, students intending to apply for admission to graduate programs in Psychology should note most graduate programs require the applicant to have at least an A- average in order to be considered for admission.

Advising Notes

We advise students to take PSYC*1000 Introduction to Psychology  in their first semester and PSYC*1010 Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research  in their second semester. PSYC*1500 Foundational Skills for Psychology  can be taken in either the first or second semester. 

The maximum number of PSYC credits students can take at each level is as follows:

• 1000 level courses: no cap
• 2000 level courses: 3.50 credits
• 3000 level courses: 3.50 credits
• 4000 level courses: 3.00 credits

Students intending to apply to research-focussed Psychology graduate programs (i.e., those involving a Masters or PhD thesis), and students who want a structured, intensive research experience, may apply to enrol in the Honours Thesis courses (See Option B - Honours Thesis Stream). Most graduate programs require the student to have at least an A- average in order to be considered for admission. They also require students to follow the Honours Thesis Stream.

Major Requirements (Honours)

This is a major within the degree: Bachelor of Arts.

A total of 9.00 credits are required:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Year 1
PSYC*1000	Introduction to Psychology	0.50
PSYC*1010	Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research	0.50
PSYC*1500	Foundational Skills for Psychology	0.50
Year 2
PSYC*2070	Teams, Leadership, and Professional Behaviour	0.50
PSYC*2360	Psychological Methods and Statistics	0.50
Select 1.00 credits from the following:
PSYC*2330	Principles of Learning	0.50
PSYC*2390	Sensation and Perception	0.50
PSYC*2410	Behavioural Neuroscience I	0.50
PSYC*2650	Cognitive Psychology	0.50
Select 1.00 credits from the following:
PSYC*2020	Clinical Psychology and Mental Health	0.50
PSYC*2310	Social Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2450	Developmental Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2740	Personality	0.50
Select one of the following options for years 3 & 4:
Option A - Honours Regular Stream
Year 3
PSYC*3000	Historical and Critical Perspectives on Psychology	0.50
PSYC*3290	Conducting Statistical Analyses in Psychology	0.50
1.50 additional credits in Psychology at 3000 level.		1.50
Year 4
PSYC*4290	Psychological Measurement	0.50
PSYC*4540	Practical Applications of Psychology	1.00
0.50 additional credits in Psychology at 4000 level.		0.50
Option B - Honours Thesis Stream 1
Year 3
PSYC*3000	Historical and Critical Perspectives on Psychology	0.50
PSYC*3290	Conducting Statistical Analyses in Psychology	0.50
1.0 additional credits in Psychology at 3000 level.		1.00
Year 4
PSYC*4290	Psychological Measurement	0.50
PSYC*4780	Advanced Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics	0.50
or PSYC*4790	Qualitative Methods in Psychology
PSYC*4870	Honours Thesis I 2	0.50
PSYC*4880	Honours Thesis II 2	1.00

¹

The Honours Thesis stream is recommended for students considering research-focussed graduate programs in Psychology (i.e., those involving a Masters or PhD thesis). These programs expect that students will have completed an undergraduate thesis or equivalent. The two honours thesis courses (PSYC*4870 Honours Thesis I and PSYC*4880 Honours Thesis II) are normally taken in a Fall-Winter sequence. Registration for these courses requires Department approval, which is normally granted to those students whose academic performance meets the minimum admission requirements of Psychology graduate programs.

²

Students should note that the Honours Thesis courses are normally taken in a Fall-Winter sequence and are worth the equivalent of 1.50 credits toward the 20.00 credits Honours B.A. degree requirements.

Co-op Requirements (Honours)

This is a major within the degree: Bachelor of Arts.

The Co-op program in Psychology is a four year program, including three work terms. Students must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). 

Academic and Co-op Work Term Schedule

Co-op Information

Year	Fall	Winter	Summer
1	Academic Semester 1	Academic Semester 2 COOP*1100	Off
2	Academic Semester 3	COOP*1000 Work Term I	Academic Semester 4
3	COOP*2000 Work Term II	Academic Semester 5	COOP*3000 Work Term III
4	Academic Semester 6	Academic Semester 7	Academic Semester 8

Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements.

For additional program information students should consult with their Co-op Co-ordinator and Co-op Faculty Advisor, listed on the Co-operative Education web site.

Credit Summary

(21.50 Total Credits)

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses		9.00
Humanities credits from at least two areas (BA distribution requirement)		1.50
Social Science credit outside of PSYC (BA distribution requirement)		0.50
Natural Science credits (BA distribution requirement)		1.00
Electives		8.00
Co-op Work Terms		1.50
Total Credits		21.5

Note: When selecting core and elective credits the student should keep in mind the prerequisites for their desired 3000- and 4000-level courses. When selecting courses beyond Psychology the student should keep in mind both their second specialization (if relevant) and courses appropriate for potential work-term placements.

A total of 9.00 credits are required for the Psychology Co-op BAH. Students must complete 1.50 credits at the 1000 level and 3.00 credits at the 2000 level in Psychology. For those in the Honours Regular Stream, students must complete 3.00 credits at the 3000 level and 1.50 credits at the 4000 level in Psychology. For those in the Honours Thesis Stream, students must complete 2.50 credits at the 3000 level and 2.00 credits at the 4000 level in Psychology.

Students wanting to move more quickly through the program are recommended to take two DE courses in the summer of their first year and/or one DE course during each work term. If they do so, the number of electives required in Semester 8 will depend on how many additional courses the student has taken throughout the program to meet the 20.00 credit requirement.

Recommended Program Sequence

A total of 9.00 credits are required:.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Year 1
Semester 1 - Fall
PSYC*1000	Introduction to Psychology	0.50
2.00 additional credits		2.00
Semester 2 - Winter
COOP*1100	Introduction to Co-operative Education	0.00
PSYC*1010	Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research	0.50
PSYC*1500	Foundational Skills for Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2390	Sensation and Perception	0.50
or PSYC*2650	Cognitive Psychology
PSYC*2020	Clinical Psychology and Mental Health	0.50
or PSYC*2740	Personality
0.50 additional credits		0.50
Summer Semester
If students want to progress more quickly through the program or plan to apply to graduate school, they should complete: 1.00 PSYC credits at the 2000 level. If not taken in the summer semester, they must be completed by the end of semester 4.
Year 2
Semester 3 - Fall
PSYC*2070	Teams, Leadership, and Professional Behaviour	0.50
PSYC*2360	Psychological Methods and Statistics	0.50
PSYC*2330	Principles of Learning	0.50
or PSYC*2410	Behavioural Neuroscience I
PSYC*2310	Social Psychology	0.50
or PSYC*2450	Developmental Psychology
0.50 additional credits		0.50
Winter Semester
COOP*1000	Co-op Work Term I	0.50
Semester 4 - Summer
0.50 credits in PSYC at the 3000 level		0.50
2.00 additional credits		2.00
Select one of the following options for years 3 & 4:
Option A - Honours Regular Stream
Year 3
Fall Semester
COOP*2000	Co-op Work Term II	0.50
Semester 5 - Winter
PSYC*3000	Historical and Critical Perspectives on Psychology	0.50
PSYC*3290	Conducting Statistical Analyses in Psychology	0.50
1.00 additional credits in PSYC at the 3000 level		1.00
0.50 additional credits		0.50
Summer Semester
COOP*3000	Co-op Work Term III	0.50
Year 4
Semester 6 - Fall
PSYC*4290	Psychological Measurement	0.50
0.50 additional credits in PSYC at the 4000 level		0.50
1.50 additional credits		1.50
Semester 7 - Winter
PSYC*4540	Practical Applications of Psychology	1.00
1.50 additional credits		1.50
Semester 8 - Summer
2.50 credits		2.50
Option B - Honours Thesis Stream
Year 3
Fall Semester
COOP*2000	Co-op Work Term II	0.50
Semester 5 - Winter
PSYC*3000	Historical and Critical Perspectives on Psychology	0.50
PSYC*3290	Conducting Statistical Analyses in Psychology	0.50
1.00 additional credits in PSYC at the 3000 level		1.00
0.50 additional credits		0.50
Summer Semester
COOP*3000	Co-op Work Term III	0.50
Year 4
Semester 6 - Fall
PSYC*4780	Advanced Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics	0.50
or PSYC*4790	Qualitative Methods in Psychology
PSYC*4870	Honours Thesis I	0.50
0.50 additional credits in PSYC at the 3000 level		0.50
1.00 additional credits at the 3000 or 4000 level		1.00
Semester 7 - Winter
PSYC*4880	Honours Thesis II	1.00
PSYC*4290	Psychological Measurement	0.50
1.00 additional credits		1.00
Semester 8 - Summer
2.50 credits		2.50

Minor Requirements (Honours)

This minor cannot be combined with a major in Psychology.

A total of 5.00 credits are required, including: 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PSYC*1000	Introduction to Psychology	0.50
PSYC*1010	Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research	0.50
PSYC*2360	Psychological Methods and Statistics	0.50
Select an additional 2.00 credits from the following:
PSYC*2020	Clinical Psychology and Mental Health	0.50
PSYC*2310	Social Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2330	Principles of Learning	0.50
PSYC*2390	Sensation and Perception	0.50
PSYC*2410	Behavioural Neuroscience I	0.50
PSYC*2450	Developmental Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2650	Cognitive Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2740	Personality	0.50
1.50 additional credits at the 3000 level in Psychology		1.50

Note: There is a maximum number of Psychology credits a student may complete. Please refer to the major for further information.

Area of Concentration Requirements (General)

This is an area of concentration within the degree: Bachelor of Arts.

A total of 6.00 credits are required:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Year 1
PSYC*1000	Introduction to Psychology	0.50
PSYC*1010	Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research	0.50
PSYC*1500	Foundational Skills for Psychology	0.50
Year 2
PSYC*2070	Teams, Leadership, and Professional Behaviour	0.50
PSYC*2360	Psychological Methods and Statistics	0.50
Select 0.50 credits from the following:
PSYC*2330	Principles of Learning	0.50
PSYC*2390	Sensation and Perception	0.50
PSYC*2410	Behavioural Neuroscience I	0.50
PSYC*2650	Cognitive Psychology	0.50
Select 1.00 credits from the following:
PSYC*2020	Clinical Psychology and Mental Health	0.50
PSYC*2310	Social Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2450	Developmental Psychology	0.50
PSYC*2740	Personality	0.50
Year 3
PSYC*3470	Putting Psychology to Work	0.50
1.00 additional credits in PSYC at the 3000 level.		1.00
0.50 additional credits in PSYC at the 2000 level or above.		0.50