Sophomore & Junior Advising University of Alabama Psychology Department Fall 2014

1. Sophomore & Junior AdvisingUniversity of AlabamaPsychology DepartmentFall 2014 Contact Information: psychadvising.ua.edu

2. General Studies Requirementssee Degreeworks for Core Designated Classes 1. Freshman Composition (3 – 6 hours) EN 101 and EN 102 (6) or EN 103 or 104 (3) 2. FA, LIT, & HU (12 hours distributed as follows) Fine Arts (3 hours Required) Literature (3 hours Required) Fine Arts or Literature or Humanities (6 hours) 3. HI & SB (social behavioral sciences – 12 hours distributed as follows) History (3 hours Required) Social/Behavioral Science (6 hours required) History or Social/Behavioral Science (3 hours) 4. NS & MATH (11 or 12 hours distributed as follows) Natural Science (MUST BE BSC, CH, or PH - 8 hours) Math 110 or Higher (BS degree requires MATH 125) 5. CS or FL (4 – 8 hours) Foreign Language 101 AND 102 or 103 (4 or 8 hours) OR Computer Science (CS 102 PLUS two more classes) 6. Writing (Satisfied by PY 391 and PY 491 required for major). A sequence is required in EITHER Literature or History (Satisfied by ANY TWO Literatures or by Two Western Civilization (HY 101 AND 102) or Two US Histories (HY 103 AND 104: Formerly 203 AND 204)

3. Psychology Major Requirements At least 32 hours in Psychology, to be composed of: PreReqs • PY 101 Introductory Psychology • PY 211 Elementary Statistics (with at least a C-) PY 101 or 105 • PY 355 Experimental Psychology PY 211 (C-) • PY 356 Research Lab PY 211 (C-) • PY 370 (or 471) PY 101 or 105 • PY 491 (2 491 courses will fulfill the W requirement for General Studies) PY 355/356 • At least 9 hours at the 400 level (not counting PY 471) as listed • One course from 3 of the 4 areas (listed below) . At least 1 at the 400 level (400 level courses require PY 355/356) • Developmental Areas - PY 352, 365, or 461 • Socio/Cultural Areas - PY 358, 368, or 372 • Learning and Cognition - PY 361 or 470 • Biological Bases of Behavior - PY 313 or 413 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ • Ancillary Requirements: 8 hours in BSC, CH, or PH

4. General Rules of Thumb The suggested plan is just a recommendation – you do not have to follow it exactly. It is reasonable, for example, to switch the semesters that you complete Natural Science and Language. Or, take the HONORS equivalents of suggested CORE. It is reasonable to take fewer hours in a given semester if you plan to take summer classes or have AP credit for several hours. The goal of the suggested plan is to keep you on sequence to take required classes (e.g., MATH 100 is a pre-requisite for PY 211) and to allow you to plan to graduate in FOUR years. Overall, students can take about 20 – 25 hours that do not satisfy CORE, MAJOR REQUIREMENTS, or MINOR REQUIREMENTS (these are Electives). Note that: Some of these classes are your pre-requisites for CORE such as CS 102, MATH 100. Some MINORS (e.g., Business) have MANY pre-requisites that are treated as electives.

5. Suggested PlanFirst Year General Plan for 1st year: Take MOSTLY core classes. Take ONE Psychology class (PY 101 or PY 105) Take one or two electives and find a possible minor (all A&S students need EITHER a minor or second major). Take at least MATH 100 (to be eligible to take PY 211 in Sophomore year). Suggested Academic Plan Year 1 Semester 1Semester 2 EN 101 EN 102 PY 101 Fine Arts (e.g., MUS 121) BSC, CH or PH (Natural Science I) BSC, CH, or PH (Natural Science II) MATH 110 or 110 (by Placement) MATH 110 or SB II (e.g. HD 101) HY 101, 102, 103, or 104 HY for sequence or ELECTIVE

6. Suggested PlanSecond Year General Plan for 2nd year: Complete most core classes. Take TWO Psychology classes (PY 211 and PY 300 Level like PY 352 or 358) Consider PY 355 and PY356 Find a possible minor and take two classes that satisfy the minor. DECIDE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PY DEPARTMENT HONORS PROGRAM AND APPLY IN THE SPRING. Suggested Academic Plan Year 2 Semester 1Semester 2 Literature 1 (EN 205 – 210) Literature for Sequence or HU I PY 211 PY 355 CS 102 OR FL 101 or FL 103 PY 356 Minor 1 CS 202 or 285 OR FL 102 PY 300 level area course HU II or SB3 III (As Needed – Check Core) Elective or Other Gen Ed Minor 2

7. Suggested PlanThird Year General Plan for 2nd year: Complete the rest of your core classes. Make sure to take PY 355 and PY 356 if you haven’t already Finish 300-level area requirements Take PY 370 Take a 400 level area requirement (PY 355 & 356 is a pre-req) Continue to take minor classes. Suggested Academic Plan Year 3 Semester 1Semester 2 Finish Gen Ed requirements Finish Gen Ed requirements PY 300 level or PY 355 & 356 PY 400 level course from an area PY 370 Minor Minor Minor Elective

8. Using DegreeworksBasic Points Top panel reports COMPLETED hours and GPA. Check MAJOR, MINOR, and DEGREE information. Change through mybama is incorrect. Ignore the Degree Progress information that follows and go to the Legend. A green box with a check means you have taken and passed coursework to satisfy the requirement, a blue box with a tilda (~) means you are taking a class that will satisfy the requirement once passed, an empty red box means you need to register for a class that will satisfy the requirement. You take classes to fill the empty red boxes. ALL UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS ARE LISTED SEPARATELY. MANY COURSES SATISFY MULTIPLE REQUIREMENTS. PY 491 satisfies the “W” requirement for core, the Seminar requirement for psychology, 90 hours in A&S coursework for the College, and the Upper Level coursework requirement for the University. HOWEVER, a single course cannot satisfy both a MAJOR requirement and a MINOR requirement.

9. Using DegreeworksSelecting Courses Each Block of requirements has a separate listing (for example, General Education – Arts & Sciences) Status of Completion and the Requirement are on the Left. Completed courses that partially or fully satisfy the requirement are list middle of the page or the words “Still Needed” appear in red. If “Still Needed” appears – then courses you can use to satisfy the requirement are printed next (or a link to those courses if the list is too long). You can click on the course to find pre-requisites and a course description. Select a course from the list. Always check for “Ancillary Requirements” in the major or minor. Cores that satisfy COLLEGE requirements ,may not be sufficient to satisfy MAJOR requirements. For example, PSYCHOLOGY requires that your sciences be from BSC, CH, or PH and the College does not.

10. Transfer Hours and Course Substitutions If you have completed statistics in another department (e.g., ST 260, BER 345, CJ 481), you will not be required to take PY 211. HOWEVER: 1. You will need to get a pre-requisite permit to register for PY 355/356 for the semester you intend to register (they are only good for one semester). You can request one through psychadvising@ua.edu. 2. You must substitute another PY course for PY 211 to reach the required hours in the major. We do not allow courses taken in other departments to count in the MAJOR. Transfer Credit is determined by the College – if you have questions you must start with them (200 Clark Hall). They will contact the department if assistance is needed. Courses taken at a two year college MAY NOT transfer as equivalent to a 300 or 400 level course at UA. For example, Abnormal Psychology at a junior college may transfer as PY 197 (elective in Psychology) but NOT as PY 358.

11. Other Requirements to Consider 120 Hours are Required for Graduation 90 Hours of Coursework must be in A&S Disciplines. 36 Hours must be 300/400 level courses – including at least 12 hours in the major and 6 hours in the minor. NO MORE THAN 4 Activity Credits (Check catalog for listing). NO MORE THAN 42 Hours in your Major can apply to graduation. Cumulative GPA, Major GPA, and Minor GPA must ALL be at least 2.0. All of these requirements can be found on Degreeworks (in the small print).

12. BA vs BS Degree The BA requires MATH 110 or MATH 112. The BS requires MATH 125 (you will probably need MATH 112 and 113 first). Which do you do? Most PY majors earn a BA. Most graduate programs treat them the same. If you do not like MATH, a BA is fine for most graduate programs. THE EXCEPTION is that if you are interested in NEUROSCIENCE or HEALTH SCIENCE programs, you need to have a lot of SCIENCE and MATH in your background. For these programs think BS with Biology for Majors and Organic Chemistry as important pre-requisites for your graduate application.

13. Honors Program in Psychology Research Based Honors Program for Select Juniors in Psychology (2 year Program). Task is to complete and Honors Thesis with a Faculty Mentor. Application is made Feb/March for the next year’s entering Junior class. Requirements: 9 hours of coursework in psychology (including PY 101, PY 211, and a 300-level course) to be completed by the end of the semester you apply for admission to the psychology department honors program.  Application requires a 3.3 GPA in psychology coursework and a 3.0 GPA overall. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. In fact, the median GPA in the last two years has been about 3.75.

14. Special Concentrations Pre-Medical Professions – Take BSC I and II for Majors, MATH 112, 113 (or 115), and 125 (and your CHEM Classes) Pre-Physical Therapy - Take BSC I and II for Majors, MATH 112, 113 (and your CHEM Classes) Pre-Occupational Therapy - Take BSC I Majors, BSC 215 & 216, CH 101 or PH 101, MATH 112, 113 ***See Pre-Health Advisors for additional specific requirements. Pre-Law – Suggested courses include PSC 101, PHL 101 and 200, History Classes, EC 110 and 111, COM 123, etc. ***See Pre-Law Advisors for specific requirements.

15. Proof of Completion – Request for Registration Clearance for Spring 2015 Please copy and complete the following: I have reviewed the PY Department advising tutorial and do not require an advising appointment: Name _______________________________ CWID ______ Date ______ Send via email to psychadvising@ua.edu