Students who entered Tulane before Fall 2006
Students who entered Tulane University prior to Fall 2006 should follow the "old" catalog from 2005–2006. No capstone experience is required in the major, nor do continuing students need to satisfy the college public service requirements. Students who entered Tulane prior to Fall 2006 and declared a B.A. in psychology are 'grandparented' into that curriculum (i.e., this cohort still can earn the B.A. in psychology). Students who wish to change to a B.S. should visit our main office, Percival Stern 2007.
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Welcome to the Psychology major at Tulane University. You are joining a large and diverse group of students. There are over 350 Psychology majors at Tulane, the most popular major at the University.
Many Psychology majors prepare for careers in the scientific or applied disciplines of psychology or in related professions such as social work, health care, education, industry, and human factors. The Psychology major is an excellent choice for the student interested in a general liberal arts education. Many of our Psychology majors pursue careers in medicine, law, business, or the military. Since 2002, the department also has offered a 4+1 Master's program that is open exclusively to students who earn the bachelor's degree at Tulane.
If you have any additional questions about the major or minor, please ask your assigned Psychology advisor, or Dr. Terry Christenson, Chair of the Curriculum, or Dr. Gary Dohanich, Associate Chair. All Psychology faculty can be reached by calling the department at (504) 865-5331.
The major is designed to provide students with a broad base in psychological science. Training includes the 100-level survey course, univariate statistics, at least two psychology laboratory courses, and at least one course in psychobiology, social/developmental psychology, and psychological techniques and applications. Tulane's status as a Research I University combined with moderate size also provides ample opportunity for independent research and laboratory experience. Students must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in the major to graduate. The major grade point average is computed on all courses completed in Psychology at Tulane. All courses toward the major must be taken for a letter grade, not S/U.
Many sample syllabi are on the web and can be found at our course descriptions page at:
Current Psychology Course Offerings.
Psychology 100 or H101. An introductory survey course will address fundamentals of contemporary psychology, including topics such as heredity and behavior, principles of learning, physiological substrates of behavior, perception, social interaction, and mental health. An AP Psychology grade of 4 or 5 substitutes for Psyc100 or Psyc101. The University can award credit for IB or AP, not both.
Psychology 209. Univariate Statistics I is required for the Psychology major or minor. It is an applied statistics course with emphasis on analysis of data from psychological research. There is no mathematics prerequisite. This course is a prerequisite for all laboratory courses in Psychology, and should be taken early in the major sequence. A high grade in this course can be critical to acceptance into graduate school. This course previously held the number Psyc 212.
Laboratory Courses. Prerequisite: Psychology 209/212. Psychology 322, 344, 345, 369, 381, 480, 481, 482, 500, 652, 654, 656, 658, and 660 have additional prerequisites. Psychology majors must complete 2 psychology laboratory courses, beyond Psyc 209/212. Some laboratory courses are offered every semester, but most are offered only once a year. It is a good idea to complete at least one of the laboratory course requirements by the end of your junior year. Doing so might mean taking a course that is your second choice, if your first choice is only offered once a year and is very popular.
Each laboratory course will involve empirical work. In most laboratory courses, several experiments or studies will be performed by each student, each semester.
Most laboratory courses will include the following features:
The laboratory courses in psychology currently offered are:
* The Department accepts NSCI601 as a substitution for one psychology laboratory course, and counts those credits toward the major or minor.
Psychobiology Group. One course must be taken from among these courses: 367, 368, and 370.
Social, Developmental, and Cognitive Processes Group. One course must be taken from among these courses: 321, 324, 325, 331, 339, 340, 343, 363, and 432.
Techniques and Applications Group. One course must be taken from among these courses: 301, 313, 318, 320, 333, 365, 371, 611, 613, and 650. Notice that 313 and 318 are laboratory courses, and would satisfy two requirements with one course.
Graduate Courses. One possibility for seniors who want additional depth in one specific area of Psychology may be to take a graduate (700-level) course. The department faculty encourages undergraduates to take graduate courses under certain conditions. It is important to determine whether this opportunity is an appropriate one for you. Such courses are best taken by undergraduates who already have had several courses at the undergraduate level in the area. For example, to take a graduate course in developmental psychology, it is good to have had at the very least 321, 322 and one or two courses at a more advanced level in child or developmental psychology. Courses 700-710 are graduate "core" courses, intensive introductions to broad areas (e.g., 700 is Social Psychology, 710 is Psychopharmacology) offered primarily to first-year and second-year graduate students. Other 700 level courses are usually more focused and narrow, often research seminars in which recently published research is discussed in detail. Undergraduates interested in this option should first speak with their major advisor and if she or he agrees, then talk to the instructor of the graduate course.
Some courses in psychology (e.g., H101) are designated as writing intensive, or can carry a 1 credit intensive writing practicum (e.g., 461). By petition and with support of the faculty advisor, the honor's thesis (500) can satisfy the college writing intensive requirement. Students are not required to complete the intensive writing requirement in their own majors.
By petition and with the support of the regular full-time faculty instructor, a writing intensive experience can be added to a regular offering. This petition must be approved by the LAS curriculum committee. Non-regular faculty (e.g., adjunct instructors and graduate student instructors) may not offer writing intensive experiences for courses not designated as writing intensive.
Permission for transfer credit from other baccalaureate degree-granting colleges and universities may be recommended on a course-by-course basis, depending on similarity to Psychology courses offered at Tulane. The Transfer Credit form from your Dean's office must be completed and submitted to the Departmental Curriculum Committee along with a photocopy of the official course description and course syllabus from the other college or university (for more detail on Transferring Course Credit; and see Dr. Terry Christenson). The maximum number of transfer credits that may count toward the Psychology Major or Minor is 50% of the required credits (i.e., 15 credits toward the major and 8 credits toward the minor).
The department does not grant transfer credit for courses taken at junior or community colleges. Similarity of a course description at such a school to a Tulane University departmental course offering is not, by itself, a sufficient reason for varying from this policy.
Students wishing to count an Advanced Placement (AP) course in Introductory Psychology must have earned at least a 4 on the AP Exam.
In some cases where transfer credit is not recommended, there may be special circumstances which would justify reconsideration upon petition to the Departmental Curriculum Committee. Contact Dr. Terry Christenson regarding a petition.
International study is a valuable option for some students. Interested students should contact one of Tulane's study abroad programs as soon as possible, no later than October of your sophomore year. Psychology majors planning to spend a year abroad, or even a semester abroad, should make careful plans in advance. Early consultation with your advisor is important. We advise completion of Psychology 209 and one Psychology laboratory course before you go abroad to allow preparation for taking courses abroad and advanced courses when you return. The honors thesis advisor and topic ordinarily are selected before the beginning of the senior year. If you will not be on campus the second semester of your junior year, some special planning may be necessary. Some faculty members expect specific coursework to be completed before students begin honors thesis research under their direction.
