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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Psychology, BA
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 Return to: Majors
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Chair: Joanne Davila
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Anne Moyer
Assistant to the Chair: Cynthia Forman
Undergraduate Program Coordinator: Diane DeSimone
Office: PSY B 109A
Phone: (631) 632-7802
Undergraduate Academic Advisors: Sarah Naqvi-Syed and Danielle Percoco
Office: PSY B 109
Phone: (631) 632-7812
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Psychology: Africana Studies (AFS), Women’s and Gender Studies (WST)
The study of psychology provides an understanding of the biological, cognitive, social, and clinical origins of behavior, thought, and emotion, and the methods that psychologists use to investigate these. Knowledge of psychological principles and the ability to evaluate theories and research are essential in our rapidly changing society.
The Department of Psychology offers undergraduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree or a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. The objective of both programs is to provide a broad overview of psychology, and both require extensive exposure to areas other than psychology as a context for study in the major. The B.S. program places relatively more emphasis on the natural sciences and mathematics. Both the B.S. and B.A. programs provide excellent preparation for graduate school.
The Psychology major provides students with a background of fundamental subject matter that will equip them for subsequent graduate study in related fields. The major is also beneficial for students seeking careers that involve knowledge about interpersonal relationships such as medicine, education, law, or management. Psychology expertise is also relevant to standard business settings in which a major goal is to adapt products and services to closely reflect human needs and capabilities.
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Degree Requirements
Completion of the major for either a B.S. or a B.A. in Psychology requires 58 to 67 credits. All courses required for either the B.S. or B.A. degree must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Study within Psychology
For both degree programs, 34 to 35 credits in psychology to be distributed as follows: Survey Courses in Psychology
One course from Group A, one from Group B, and a third course from Group A or B: For the B.A. student:
- One course numbered 200 or higher, excluding PSY 201 , PSY 273 , PSY 283 , PSY 310 , PSY 399, PSY 447 , PSY 475 , PSY 476 , PSY 487 , PSY 488 , PSY 495 -PSY 496 , the discontinued PSY 300, and 200-level survey courses used to satisfy requirement #2.
- Four more courses from among advanced courses numbered PSY 301 to PSY 383, excluding PSY 310 .
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
For students pursuing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC), a course that satisfies the “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline” (WRTD) learning objective must be completed in order to graduate. This WRTD requirement will routinely be satisfied by completing PSY 310 . However, in special cases, co-registration for the 0-credit PSY 459 while completing a substantial paper or writing sample in another Psychology course will satisfy the WRTD requirement. A student must obtain the permission of the course instructor prior to registering for PSY 459 . Although not required for B.A. or B.S. degrees, the Department strongly recommends that any student planning to attend graduate school should gain research experience by becoming a research assistant (PSY 273 ). Undergraduate Research Opportunities can be found through the Department of Psychology Web page. Courses Outside the Psychology Department
In addition to the 34 to 35 credits in psychology, students must also complete 24 to 32 credits of courses outside the Department. This requirement differs in some aspects between the B.S. and B.A. degrees. For the B.A. student
One 3-4 credit course from each of the 4 categories below: Notes:
Note: PSY 201 (or equivalent introductory statistics course) does not satisfy this requirement. Students who pass the Mathematics Placement Exam at Level 4 or above are not required to complete a course in this category. Biology:
Any one-semester BIO course. Note: ANT 101 , HAN 200 , or HAN 202 may be used as a substitute to fulfill this requirement. Philosophy:
Any one-semester PHI course A 12-credit (minimum four courses) concentration in one of the course subjects listed below
At least two courses must be upper-division (numbered between 300 and 499). Practica, research, and internship courses do not satisfy this requirement. The concentration requirement may also be satisfied by an approved minor or a second major in any department or program. Notes:
Note 1: If a student completes a concentration in Anthropology, Biology, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, or Sociology, the concentration will automatically satisfy the associated requirement listed in requirements 1 to 4 above for the B.A. student (e.g. completion of the Biology concentration also satisfies requirement number 2). Notes:
- Transfer students must take at least 12 credits of psychology in residence at Stony Brook.
- No more than six credits from among PSY 273 , PSY 283 , PSY 447 , and PSY 487 may be taken in one semester. Other restrictions on applying these courses toward graduation requirements exist; consult the Undergraduate Psychology Office and see also Course Credit and Grading Option Limits in the “Academic Policies and Regulations” chapter.
- Students interested in a major in Psychology should meet with a Psychology Department Undergraduate Advisor (Room B-109). Additional meetings should be scheduled periodically to review progress toward fulfilling Department requirements.
- Psychology courses may be repeated only ONE time.
Psychology Honors Program
The Psychology honors program features: - a faculty mentor and
- collaborative research with faculty which results in a senior thesis.
Departmental majors with a 3.50 g.p.a. in psychology courses, with a 3.20 cumulative g.p.a, and with the agreement of a faculty mentor to supervise the student’s independent project may apply to enroll in the Psychology honors program at the end of their junior year. The student, after asking a faculty member to be a sponsor, must submit a proposal to the Psychology Department describing the research project that is to be the subject of the honors thesis. If the project is approved by the Department, the student may enroll in PSY 495 and PSY 496 in the fall and spring semesters of the senior year, respectively. The student’s major paper or research project must be completed no later than two weeks prior to the end of the second semester and submitted to the Department. If the honors program is completed with distinction and the student has achieved a 3.5 g.p.a. in all psychology courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.
Conferral of honors in Psychology requires the following: - A cumulative g.p.a. of 3.00 and a 3.50 g.p.a. in psychology.
- Successful completion of a senior thesis while enrolled in PSY 495 and PSY 496 , see below.
The Psychology honors program is followed for two semesters. During the senior year they enroll in PSY 495 (first semester) and PSY 496 (second semester) Senior Honors Seminar. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | | | GLO | | | | HUM | | | | LANG (see Note 4) | | | | QPS | | AMS 102, AMS 110, MAT 118, MAT 122, MAT 123, MAT 125, MAT 126, MAT 131, MAT 132, POL 201, PSY 201, SOC 202 | | SBS | PSY 103 | | | SNW | | ANT 101 | | TECH | | | | USA | | | | WRT | | | | STAS | | | | EXP+ | | PSY 444, PSY 273, BUS 487 | | HFA+ | | | | SBS+ | | PSY 220, PSY 230, PSY 240, PSY 250, PSY 260, PSY 334, PSY 347 | | STEM+ | | AMS 310, PSY 250, PSY 260 | | CER | PSY 103 | | | DIV (see Note 5) | | PSY 240, PSY 342 | | ESI | PSY 310 | BUS 358, PSY 382, WRT 305, WRT 380 | | SPK | PSY 310 | | | WRTD | PSY 310 | PSY 382, PSY 459 | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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