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Honours BA in Psychology

April 8, 2013

 

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.

It may take more than eight full-time school terms to complete the degree if:
- you enrol in the Psychology Major beyond the 2A level,
- you participate in an international exchange program.

 

Honours Psychology requires a minimum of 20.0 academic course units including:

(Example: 1.0 academic units = 2 term courses worth .5 credit weights each)

Specifics regarding the course requirements are provided in the sections below.

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.

All 5 Discipline Core Content Courses:

207 Cognitive Processes
211 Developmental Psych
253 Social Psych (or Psych 220R)
257 Psychopathology (or Psych 323R)
261 Physiological Psych

  1. At least 4 of these courses should be completed by the end of year 2 so that you have adequate prerequisites for third year Psych courses. Before deciding which 1 of the 5 courses to take in year 3, review the prerequisites for the third year courses.

  2. Most students prefer not to take both Psych 207 and 261 in the same term.

All 5 Analytic and Methodological Courses:

291 Basic Research Methods (Fall)
292 Basic Data Analysis (Winter)
391 Advanced Data Analysis (Fall)

1 Social Science Advanced Research Methods Course from (Fall):

  • 393 Developmental
  • 395 Social
  • 397 Personality & Clinical
  • 399 Industrial/Organization
  • 484 Directed St. - SS Res.

1 Natural Science Advanced Research Methods Course from (Winter for Regular; Spring for Co-op):

  • 392 Human Cognitive Neuroscience
  • 394 Cognition/Perception
  • 396 Behavioural Neuroscience
  • 398 Memory
  • 483 Directed Studies - NS Res.

 
  1. Click here for details about the Math prerequisite for enrolment in Psych 292. If Math 103 is required, plan on taking Math 103 and Psych 291 in the same term.

  2. Psych 291 (2A Fall),
    Psych 292 (2B Winter), and
    Psych 391 (3A Fall),
    must be taken in sequence.

  3. 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.

  4. See question 2 of FAQ for further details regarding the Third Year Advanced Research Methods Courses.

  5. Those who choose not to do an Honours Thesis (Psych 499A/B/C) may substitute one of Psych 465 or Psych 467 for one of (not both) the following two requirements: either the Social Science Adv Research Course (the Psych 393 etc list) or the Natural Science Adv Research Course (the Psych 392 etc list). See question 6 of FAQ for further details about Psych 465/467 including prerequisites.

  6. For those whose last school term was Fall 2009 or later, Psych 492 (Tests and Measurement) is no longer a required course in the "Analytic and Methodological' section. However, Psych 492 is a valuable course that we hope you will consider taking.
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

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.


 
  1. These courses must be different from those used to satisfy psych requirements above.

  2. For those interested in taking Psych 492 (Psychological Measurement) as one of the Psych electives, Psych 492 will be offered Winter 2013 but not Winter 2014.

  3. For those choosing to do an Honours Thesis in Psychology, Psych 499A/B/C can be taken over 2 or 3 terms. Please read carefully the enrolment restrictions for Psych 499.

Additional Notes Regarding the Psychology Course Requirements:

  1. Check the prerequisites for the above Psych courses in the UG Calendar.

  2. See the Psych UG website for availability of Psychology courses.

  3. If you take more than 9.0 units in Psychology, put the extra Psych courses in the 'unspecified electives' section below.

  4. 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'.

  5. 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".

  6. Warning to Students Who Prefer to Study in the Evening and/or 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 those who study part-time and/or online only.

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':

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 above link is to the 2006/2007 Undergraduate Calendar. 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:

  1. 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.

  2. Academic Plans in Addition to Psychology e.g., Minor 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 a secondl area of study? See FAQ 12

    If you are taking courses towards a Minor or Specialization, include those courses in the 'additional units' required unless the courses have already been slotted towards the Psychology course requirements or the Faculty of Arts Group/Breadth requirements on this checklist. Don't write an individual course on the checklist more than once.

Other Requirements for the Honours Psychology (BA) Degree:


Average Requirements:

75% cumulative Psych average
Note: The final grades for all Psychology courses taken will count in the cumulative Psychology average even if you take more than the minimum number of Psychology courses required for the specific Psychology 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.

Courses 'cross-listed with Psych courses

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., Social Development Studies Minor), please review the 'double counting' restrictions in the 2013/2014 Undergraduate Calendar carefully and consult with each of your academic advisors.

  • 'Triple counting' is not allowed under any circumstances (UW Policy). 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.
For Students in the Co-op System of Study:

COURSE SEQUENCE INFORMATION
FOR THE HONOURS PSYCH BA PLAN

YEAR ONE
1A FALL / 1B WINTER

  • Psych 101 (Fall)
  • 1 of the 5 discipline core courses (Winter)

We strongly recommend no more than 1 Psych course per term in year one.

YEAR TWO
2A FALL / 2B WINTER

  • Psych 291 (Fall)
  • Psych 292 (Winter) - See notes above regarding the Math prerequisite for Psych 292.
  • 3 of the 5 Discipline Core Courses

Reminders:

  1. Requests to delay taking Psych 291/292 are strongly discouraged and must be approved by the Psych UG Advisor (PAS 4006).
  2. If you didn't take a discipline core course in year 1, you'll need 4 discipline core courses in year 2 instead of 3.
  3. We recommend no more than 3 Psych courses per term in year two.
  4. If you are required to take Math 103 before taking Psych 292, take Math 103 in the Fall term concurrently with Psych 291.

YEAR THREE
3A FALL / 3B WINTER (IF CO-OP - 3A FALL / 3B SPRING)

  • Psych 391 (Fall)
  • 1 of Psych 393, 395, 397, 399, 484 (Fall)
  • 1 of Psych 392, 394, 396, 398, 483 (Winter for Regular; Spring for Co-op)
  • 1 of the 5 discipline core courses (typically taken Fall term)
  • 2 Advanced Psych (these can be delayed to fourth year if necessary)

Reminders:

  1. Requests to delay taking Psych 391 must be approved by the Psych UG Advisor (PAS 4006).
  2. See Priority Enrolment Information regarding the Third Year Research Courses and Honours Seminars.
  3. To Co-op students:
    Typically only 1 Natural Science Research Methods Course is available in the Spring term (e.g., Psych 394 or 398)
  4. We recommend no more than 3 Psych courses per term in year 3.
  5. For those admitted to the Psychology Major beyond the year two level and taking Psych 291/292 in year 3 or 4, please read carefully the supplementary course sequence information.

YEAR FOUR
4A FALL / 4B WINTER (IF CO-OP - 4A WINTER / 4B FALL)

  • 1 honours seminar (Can be taken in third year).
  • 4 Psych at the 300 or 400 level excluding Psych 323R
    (OR Psych 499A/B/C plus 1 Psych at the 300 or 400 level excluding Psych 323R)

Reminders:

  1. See Priority Enrolment Information regarding the Honours Seminars.
  2. For those admitted to the Psychology Major beyond the year two level and taking Psych 291/292 in year 3 or 4, please read carefully the supplementary course sequence information.

Additional Notes:

Course Load:

  1. 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.
  2. How many courses can you handle while working?

 

QUESTIONS

Please direct questions to the Psychology Undergraduate Advisor.