Undergraduate

Undergraduate

1. What kind of degree can I get in psychology at Baylor University?
The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience offers three undergraduate degrees, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology, the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology, and the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Neuroscience.

2. What is the difference between B.A. and B.S. Degrees?
The B.A. and B.S. degrees in Psychology both provide liberal arts education iwth required courses in the humanities, mathematics, natural science, and social science. The B.A. degree has a greater emphasis in the humanitites and the B.S. degree has a greater emphasis in science and mathematics. The choice of the B.A. degree versus the B.S. degree is more a matter of your interests and abilities than career choice, as most careers are equally accessible with the B.A. or the B.S. Graduate and professional schools in psychology and other disciplines place much greater emphasis on the courses you take, your grade point average and career-related experience, than whether your degree is a B.A. or a B.S. Approximately 85% of our majors earn the B.A. degree.

3. Where can I find out more about careers in Psychology?
There is extensive career information located in the blue pamphlet entitled, "CAREER BOOKLET" and can be found in the departmental office (Baylor Science Building B309 ). Career information can also be obtained by attending Career Night (sponsored by the department and Psi Chi one evening every fall). Finally, you may set up an appointment with your advisor for career advice aimed specifically to your personal situation.

4. What about graduate programs at Baylor?
Baylor offers two graduate degrees in psychology, the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience. In addition, several faculty from the department are involved with the Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics, which is offered through the Institute of Graduate Statistics. However, being a Baylor undergraduate does not mean you be able to get an advanced degree from Baylor as well. Students from all over the country apply for these programs, and only a select few are chosen. You can find out more about graduate programs at Baylor and at other institutions by stopping by the departmental office.

5. What do I do once I decide to major in Psychology?
Once you declare Psychology as your major, you must complete the requirements listed in your degree plan. You can obtain your degree plan in the Degree Plan Office located in Burleson Hall (710-2200). The degree plan is how the univresity determines if you have met the degree requirements and are eligible to graduate. You should use the degree plan to help you plan which courses you need when you register.

6. What are the requirements for the Psychology major?
1. A grade of "C" or better is required in each psychology course. 2. You must complete all of the courses specified in the major (34 psychology hours for the B.A. and 37 for the B.S.). A list of the courses you must complete for the major can be found in the Degree Requirements section of this website

7. What about the requirement for advanced hours?
Advanced hours (also called upper-level electives) are achieved by taking any course that is at the "3000-4000" level. The university specifies that you must have at least 36 hours of advanced coursework. When you complete the requirements for the psychology major, you will have taken 19 hours of advanced courses (22 hours if you complete the B.S.). All of these psychology hours count toward the university requirement. In addition to the advanced hours you complete in the psychology major, you must take at least 6 hours outside of the major. To get the final 11 hours of advanced coursework, you have lots of choices: you can take any combination of courses inside or outside of psychology to get these final advanced hours. However, most students find that the final 11 hours of advanced coursework is taken mostly outside of psychology because of limited availability or prerequisites that are needed for advanced psychology courses.

8. What are some suggestions for advanced courses outside of Psychology that are still related to the field of Psychology?
Below is a partial list of advanced courses from other departments relevant to psychology. As the content of and instructors for these courses change from time to time, the Department of Psychology makes no recommendation regarding these courses. The "Academic and Career Advisement" booklet, however, suggests which non-psychology courses are most relevant for given career goals. Anthropology: 3301, 3304, 3305, 3320, 4320 Biology: 3330, 3340, 3403, 3422, 4330, 4375, 4380, 4470 Communication Studies: 3306, 3322, 3312, 4301 English: 3300 Health: 3320, 4321 Management: 3305, 4305, 4315, 4336, 4350 Marketing: 3305, 3310, 3320, 3325, 3330 Philosophy: 4310, 4311, 4361 Quantitative Business Analysis: 3306 Religion: 3390, 4394, 4395 Social Work: 3311, 3313, 3354, 3380, 3381, 3382, 4329, 4342, 4352 Sociology: 3311, 3322, 3330, 3354, 3360, 4310, 4320, 4322, 4352, 4393, 4395

9. What are additional requirements specified by the University?
1. A minimum of 60 hours must be completed at Baylor University, including your last 30 hours. 2. You are required to have a 2.00 GPA overall and in the major. 3. You must complete a total of 124 credit hours. A maximum of 45 hours from your major can be used toward this total requirement.

10. Where do I go for advisement?
It depends on how many hours you have completed and what major you have officially declared. Freshmen are advised by The Office of Academic Advisement, which is located in Suite 101 of Morrison Hall (710-3478). This office advises new freshman students, including psychology majors. If you are a freshman or sophomore the number of courses that you still need to complete is overwhelming. As a consequence, you will probably wonder, "What do I take next?" Except for the specific recommendations given below, our general response is that you should concentrate on completing your basic requirements. The specific courses you use to fulfill these requirements and the sequence in which you take them are up to you. The Office of Academic Advisement has a "Two-Year Planner" for both the B.A. and B.S. degrees, which is very beneficial for freshman and sophomore students. Sophomores are advised by the College of Arts & Sciences Advisement (CASA), which is located in Room 120 of the Mars McLean Science Building (710-1524). Juniors and Seniors are advised by the department. You can find out your advisor by checking a current listing that is posted outside the main office in the department in the Baylor Science Building B309. Pre-Profesional Students: Students in a number of pre-professional programs (e.g., pre-med, pre-dent, pre-vet, optometry) who are majoring in psychology are advised by the pre-med advisers during their freshman and sophomore years and by a psychology adviser in their junior and senior years.

11. How do I decide which courses I should take?
You will probably want to read the College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin for a description of all of the courses that you are considering. You will also find it beneficial to consult the blue pamphlet entitled "CAREER BOOKLET" which lists recommended courses for specific careers. Other students are also a good source of information about courses, although you must often evaluate this information within the proper context (e.g., how interested was the student in the course content). In preparing to register you should have a list of 6-10 coursees that you would like to take in the next semester. The consult the Schedule of Classes for the availability of these courses and the class meeting times. Also check outside of the Baylor Science Building B309 for any posted changes in psychology course offerings. Arrange your desired schedule and a back-up schedule.

12. With so many psych majors, are there any special recommendations about completing the requirements for the major?
Yes. Here are some specific suggestions: 1. Introduction to Psychology (1305) and Introduction to Neuroscience (NSC 1306 and 1106) should be taken very early, preferably in your freshman year. 2. Your Math requirement should be fulfilled very early, preferably in your freshman year. 3. Statistics (2402) and Introduction to neuroscience (NSC 1306/1106) are the prerequisites for most other psychology courses. 4. Try to enroll in Research Methods (2405) the semester after you complete Statistics. 5. Try to plan all of the psychology courses you want to take and which semesters (including summer semesters) you want to take them. If you don't plan well in advance, you may not get the courses you want and it's possible that you might not graduate on time. Although we can't guarantee when a given course will be offered, a list of when courses are usually offered can be found in the Degree Requirements section of this website. 6. Plan your schedule carefully so that you are not overburdened with too many laboratory courses (foreign language, general science, psychological science, statistics) in the same semester. 7. It is better to arrange your course schedule around psychology coursees as it usually easier to find available courses and sections outside of psychology.

13. What do I need to know about Drop/Adds?
Before adding or dropping a class, check in the Baylor Science Building B309 to see if the coursees and sections you need are available. Once you drop a class it will show as an available seat and soemone will likely be admitted to that class in your place. You may find yourself having dropped a seat in one class and unable to get into another class or even back into the one you just dropped.

14. Can I get into a class if I don't have the necessary prerequisites or into a closed class?
You may request admittance into a closed class by completing a form located in the Baylor Science Building B309. Although the catalog says you may get consent of the instructor for prerequisite waivers those decisions are made only by the department chair. Because of the large number of requests we get, do not be surprised if your request is turned down. In fact, you will probably be turned down unless you meet all of the following conditions: (1) you went through pre-registration at your assigned time; (2) you are a graduating senior; and (3) your schedule cannot be rearranged to accommodate classes which are open and/or without prerequisites.

15. How do I make sure I have all the coursees I need to graduate?
Formally, the degree plan is how the university determines your eligibility for graduation. Therefore, you should get a copy of your degree plan every semester to make sure you are meeting all your necessary requirements for graduation. In addition, the department has developed worksheets to help you keep track of your requirements for the major as well as the advanced hours requirement. You can access these worksheets at the Planning Schedule section of this website.

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