HONOURS BA in PSYCHOLOGY
(Regular and Dept. Co-op)
(Home Faculty Arts)
Monitor your progress on a regular basis and think ahead about future course availability. It is your responsibility to ascertain that all requirements for graduation have been met.The information provided on this website is supplementary to the information provided in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Honours Psychology requires a minimum of 20.0 academic course units including:
- 9.0 PSYCH labelled units
- 4.0 units to complete the Faculty of Arts Course Requirements
- 7.0 additional units e.g., unspecified electives and/or requirements for an academic plan(s) other than Psychology
(Example: 1.0 academic units = 2 term course worth .5 credit weights each)
Specifics regarding the course requirements are provided in the sections below.
Click here for other requirements for the degree (e.g., averages, restrictions on double counting, residency requirements, etc.).
Psychology Course Requirements:
| 9.0 PSYCH labelled units including: | NOTES |
| 101 Introductory Psychology (or Psych 121R) | If you took Psych 120R (no longer offered), Psych 120R counts as an 'unspecified elective' in this academic plan. |
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All 5 Discipline Core Content Courses: 207 Cognitive Processes |
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All 5 Analytic and Methodological Courses: 291 Basic Research Methods (Fall) 1 Social Science Advanced Research Methods Course from (Fall):
1 Natural Science Advanced Research Methods Course from (Winter for Regular; Spring for Co-op):
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| 2 Advanced Psych Courses from the following: Psych 304 through 380 (excluding Psych 323R), 439, 481, 482: |
See Question 1 of FAQ for a complete list of the Advanced Psych courses. |
| 1 Honours Seminar from Psych 420, 453, 454, 455, 457, 458, 461, 462, 463, 485
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See question 3 of FAQ for further details. |
4 Psych Electives at the 300 and/or 400 level excluding Psych 323R Note: For those who choose to do an Honours Thesis (optional), PSYCH A/B/C is worth 1.5 units and will count for 3 of the 4 Psych electives.
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Additional Notes Regarding the Psychology Course Requirements:
- Check the prerequisites for the above Psych courses in the UG Calendar.
- See the Psych UG website for availability of Psychology courses.
- If you take more than 9.0 units in Psychology, put the extra Psych courses in the 'unspecified electives' section below.
- Any Psych courses that you take at the second year level beyond those required for the degree requirements (e.g., Psych 212, 213, 218, 222R, 230, 231, 232, 235, 264) will also count towards the 'unspecified electives'.
- The following four courses are 'cross-listed' as Psychology courses and therefore are considered to PSYCH labelled courses regardless of the rubric that the student enrolled in:
- GERON/HLTH/ PSYCH 218 (Psych of Death and Dying)
- PHIL/PSYCH 256 (Intro to Cognitive Science)
- PHIL/PSYCH 446 (Cognitive Modelling) - no longer offered
- PHIL/PSYCH 447 (Seminar in Cognitive Science)
As a result, the final grades for these four courses will be included in the cumulative Psychology average, and PHIL/PSYCH 446 or 447 will count towards the "3 PSYCH electives at the 300 or 400 level".
- Warning to Students Who Prefer to Study in the Evening and/or by Distance Education/Online:
- You must be available to take courses during the daytime in order to complete an Honours degree in Psychology.
- Courses such as Psych 291, 292, 391, 392-399, and 453-463 are never offered in the evening or by distance education/online and most are only offered once per year.
- The 5 'Discipline Core Courses' are rarely offered in the evening but 4 of the 5 are offered online.
- The Coop System of study will not be an option for part-time and distance education/online students.
Faculty of Arts Course Requirements (4.0 units for Psych Majors):
Normally these requirements are completed by the end of third year in case students want the option of switching to the Three-Year General Psych program.
For those admitted to the Faculty of Arts for the first time Sept. 2008 or later, you must complete the 'BA Breadth Requirements':
Click here for details.
Notes regarding the "Social Science" requirement:
- Any 2 of the Psychology courses (1.0 units) taken for the Psych Major will also satisfy 1.0 of the 2.0 units required in the "Social Science" category of the BA Breadth Requirements. You must complete at least 1.0 units in the Social Science category from a discipline(s) other than Psychology.
- As a result of that overlap in requirements (i.e., Psych req'ts versus BA Breadth req'ts), you will only require 4.0 units overall to satisfy the BA Breadth Requirements instead of the normal 5.0 units.
For those enrolled in the Faculty of Arts before Sept. 2008, you must complete the 'Faculty of Arts Group A & B Requirements' instead of the 'BA Breadth Requirements':
The easiest way to access those requirements is to check the 2006 2007 Undergraduate Calendar - click here.
(Close that file after using it so that you don't confuse the content with other calendars. Navigation between calendar years can be tricky.)
Notes regarding the Arts Group B requirement:
- Any 2 of the Psychology courses (1.0 units) taken for the Psych Major will also satisfy 1.0 of the 2.0 units required in the "Arts Group B" category of the Arts Group Requirements. You must complete at least 1.0 units in the Arts Group B category from a discipline(s) other than Psychology.
- As a result of that overlap in requirements (i.e., Psych req'ts versus Arts Group Req'ts), you will only require 4.0 units overall to satisfy the Arts Group Requirements instead of the normal 5.0 units.
7.0 'Additional Units' are Required for the Honours Psych (BA) degree including:
a) courses towards an academic plan in addition to Psychology - if applicable - see note 2 below
b) unspecified electives
- see note 1 below
Notes:
- Unspecified electives:
'Unspecified electives' generally means courses of your choice for which you have the appropriate background required for enrolment (e.g., prerequisites, antirequisites, corequisites taken into consideration). Space availability in courses depends on factors such as the course limit and whether or not spaces in the course have been reserved for particular target groups (e.g., Reserve Cap = First Year Students).
If you take more than the minimum number of Psychology courses required for the degree, record the 'extra' Psych courses in the 'unspecified electives' category (see note below regarding the Psych average). See "Additional Notes...." above regarding Psych 212, 213, 230, 231, 232, 235, 264, 464.
If you are required to take Math 103 before taking Psych 292, Math 103 counts as an 'unspecified elective'.
If there is a course(s) that you require as a prerequisite for admission to future study beyond the Bachelor's degree, include the course(s) in the 'unspecified electives' unless the course(s) has already been slotted towards the Psychology course requirements, the Arts and Business requirements, or the Faculty of Arts requirements in the degree requirement checklist above.
- Academic Plans in Addition to Psychology e.g., Minor, Option, or Specialization
See the Undergraduate Calendar for the requirements for those academic plans as well as consult with the academic advisor for the specific discipline.
Is it necessary to have an additional area of study? See FAQ #12 for the answer.
If you are taking courses towards a Minor, Option, or Specialization, include those courses in the 'additional units' required unless the courses have already been slotted towards the Psychology course requirements (note the 'double counting' restrictions below) or the Faculty of Arts Breadth requirements on this checklist.
For those pursuing the Specialization in Human Resources Management (HRM), click here for details.
Other Requirements for the Honours Psychology (BA) Degree:
Average Requirements:
75% cumulative Psych average
Note: All Psychology courses taken will count in the Psychology average calculation even if the student took more than the minimum number of Psychology courses required for the specific academic plan.
Exception to the Psych average calculation: Grades for Psychology courses that are officially "cleared" from the average calculations (e.g., because of a Faculty transfer or a 'Required to Withdraw' academic standing) will be excluded from the Psychology average calculation.
60% cumulative overall average
8.0 units above the 100 level
No more than 4 courses with 0.25 unit weight weights. Note: Courses with a 0.25 unit weight may be accumulated in pairs to equal 0.5 units to a maximum of 1.0 unit. Click here for further details.
Must satisfy the English Language Proficiency Requirement
Residency Requirements:
You must not exceed the amount of allowable transfer credits (including internal and external transfer credits) and you must satisfy the 'residency requirements' for both the Faculty of Arts and the Psychology Department. Click here for details.
Double Counting Restrictions:
- If you plan to use Psychology courses that were taken for the Psychology Major to also satisfy Psychology course requirements in another academic plan (e.g., Minors or Options that are available in 'Cognitive Science', 'Peace and Conflict Studies', 'Sexuality, Marriage, and the Family', or 'Speech Communication'), please review the 'double counting' restrictions with an academic advisor in each of your academic plans because rules can vary.
- click here for the Psychology Department rules regarding 'double counting'.
- click here for the Psychology Department rules regarding 'double counting'.
- 'Triple counting' is not allowed under any circumstances. This means that a single Psychology course cannot be used to satisfy Psychology course requirements in more than 2 academic plans.
- Specializations (e.g., the HRM Specialization) are exempt from the 'double counting' rules but not the 'triple counting' rules.
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For Students in the Co-op System of Study:
- Click here for the Work-Term Report Requirements
- Click here for the Professional Development (PD) Course Requirements
COURSE SEQUENCE INFORMATION
FOR THE HONOURS PSYCH BA PLAN
(If for any reason it is necessary for you to take Psych 291/292
in year 3 instead of year 2, click here for the
supplementary course sequence information
and consult with the Psychology Advisor.)
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YEAR ONE
Reminder - we strongly recommend no more than 1 Psych course per term in year one.Click here for further details. |
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YEAR TWO
Reminders:
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YEAR THREE
Reminders:
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YEAR FOUR
Reminders:
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Additional Notes:
Course Load:
- The normal course load is 2.5 units per term. For those seeking permission to do 3.0 units in a given term, see FAQ 36.
- If you have paid employment during school terms, click here details.
QUESTIONS
Please direct questions to the Psychology Undergraduate Advisor.

