Majors

Bachelor of Arts Major – 42 credit hours, including:

• PSYC 101, 242, 499
• One of PSYC 310, 315, 320, or 330
• Two of PSYC 440, 442, 448, or 481
• At least two semester hours from PSYC 495, 496, or 497
• 12 semester hours of elective psychology courses
• STAT 232 (psychology class) and accompanying lab are required.

To declare a B.A. in psychology, contact the department chair (psyc@plu.edu).

Bachelor of Science Major – 62 semester hours, including:

• PSYC 101, 242, 481, 499
• One of PSYC 310, 315, 320, 330
• One of PSYC 440, 442, 448
• At least two semester hours from PSYC 495, 496, or 497
• 12 semester hours of elective psychology courses
• STAT 232 (psychology class) and accompanying lab
• 20 semester hours from other departments in the College of Natural Sciences are required.  The 20 hours include:
  • Computational Requirement (4 hours) – at least 4 hours must be in Mathematics (140-499), Computer Science, or Data Science.
  • Biology Requirement (8 hours) – 8 semester hours in Biology.
  • Additional Electives in the Natural Sciences (8 hours) – Remaining courses may come from any department in the College of Natural Sciences. (If Math, then 140 or higher.)

Note: Those students who, after graduating from PLU, plan to enter schools of dentistry, medicine, physical and/or occupational therapy, public health, or veterinary medicine should note the specific pre-professional natural sciences requirements in the appropriate sections of this catalog. 

To declare a B.S. in Psychology, contact the department chair (psyc@plu.edu).

Course Prerequisites and Grades

A grade of C- or higher must have been earned in a course in order for it to qualify as a prerequisite and to apply towards the major.

Experiential Learning

All Psychology majors are required to take a minimum of two semester hours of PSYC 495, 496 or 497.

Capstone

Psychology majors are required to complete a capstone project and present this project as part of PSYC 499 at the Psychology Research Conference held every term.