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Department of Psychology

Goals and Requirements for Majors and Minors

Goals for Majors and Minors

Students who successfully complete the psychology major will have:

  • A basic understanding of major areas of psychology such as development, personality, social, cognition, biopsychology, abnormal psychology;
  • The ability to read and comment on primary research in psychology;
  • The ability to design, carry-out, and evaluate research in psychology;
  • Knowledge in personally identified and selected specialties in psychology;
  • Basic knowledge of psychology as a scientific discipline.

Requirements for Majors and Minors

The psychology major is available as a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree.

For a major: A total of 40 credits including: 101, 250 and 485;   

  • one introductory course from each concentration for a total of 12 credits:
    • social/personality (option A): 187 or 188
    • developmental/abnormal (option B): 181 or 186
    • biopsychology/cognition (option C): 182 or 183
  • one seminar from one of the concentrations and one other upper division course (may be another seminar) from a different concentration for a total of 8 credits:
    • social/personality (option A): 387, 388
    • developmental/abnormal (option B): 381, 386, 341, 352, 372
    • biopsychology/cognition (option C): 382, 383, 325
  • one research class
    • social/personality (option A): 492
    • developmental/abnormal (option B): 493
    • biopsychology/cognition (option C): 494
  • an additional 5 credits of electives in Psychology

For a minor: At least 20 credits hours including the following: 101, 250; one course from 181, 182, 183, 186, 187, 188; one seminar other than the Senior Seminar, or one elective selected from Psychology courses numbered 300 and higher; additional Psychology credits to total 20.

For Oregon Initial Teaching Licensure in Social Studies, a student must complete the Linfield Teacher Education Program  requirements. In order to complete these requirements, a student must begin taking education courses no later then his/her sophomore year. The student must be advised by an Education Department faculty member each semester prior to registration.