Psychology

Requirements

Major Requirements

Fundamentals of Psychology (PSY 1004), Survey of Psychological Research (PSY 1006) and a minimum of 12 elective courses are required for the Psychology major.  Students are encouraged to take electives from all areas (see course descriptions) in order to be broadly educated in the field of psychology.  A minimum grade of C- is required in order to count a course for the major. 

Students who have taken PSY 1017: Introduction to Psychology and then decide to major in Psychology are required to take both PSY 1006: Survey of Psychological Research and PSY 3004: History and Systems of Psychology, in addition to completing the required elective courses.  Because PSY 3004 is counted toward the 12 required elective courses, students deciding to major in Psychology after taking PSY 1017 need to fulfill 11 additional elective courses beyond PSY 3004.

Minor Requirements

For the minor, PSY 1004: Fundamentals of Psychology or PSY 1017: Introduction to Psychology and a minimum of 4 elective courses are required.  Students are encouraged to take electives from several areas (see course descriptions) in order to be broadly educated in the field of psychology.  A minimum grade of C- is required in order to count a psychology course for the minor.

Important Considerations  for the Psychology Major and Minor

Students who major or minor in Psychology should be aware of the following three provisions:

  • Any course intended to be used for Psychology major or minor elective credit must earn minimally 3 credits.
  • Please note that students cannot take both PSY 1004: Fundamentals of Psychology and PSY 1017: Introduction to Psychology for major, minor or college credit.
  • Students are required to fulfill all major and minor degree requirements as stated in the College Catalog of the first year of their matriculation.  In cases where changes occur to the major or minor during the student’s tenure at the college, the student may elect to pursue the new set of requirements upon approval of the Chairperson. In such cases, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of any changes that have been made by consulting the College Catalog in which the requirements the student wishes to follow appear.  If approved to do so by the Chairperson, the student should then be certain to declare, as part of their Portfolio submission, the particular Course Catalog edition (e.g., 2007-2009) in which the requirements they are completing appear.

Preparation for Graduate School in Psychology

Students who aspire to graduate school in psychology or allied fields are strongly encouraged to take the following sequence of courses beginning in the sophomore year:

  • PSY 2012: Statistics for the Social Sciences
  • PSY 2004: Physiological Bases of Behavior
  • PSY 2040: Research Methods in Psychology
  • PSY 3004: History and Systems of Psychology
  • PSY 4025: Research and Writing Experience and/or PSY 4030: Field Work Experience

Transfer Credits

For students wishing to major in Psychology, no more than one-half of the major courses (i.e., no more than 6 courses) can be transferred to Manhattanville from another academic institution.

Similarly, for students wishing to minor in Psychology, no more than one-half of the courses (i.e., no more than 2 courses) can be transferred from another academic institution.

Students wishing to transfer courses from another institution to be used for either their Psychology major or minor must receive written approval of the Chairperson, preferably prior to the completion of said courses (see Academic Advising Office to obtain a “Transfer Credit Approval Form”).  This written approval then should be placed in the student's Portfolio.

For students transferring a two-semester Introductory or General Psychology course from another institution for major or minor credit, both semesters will be applied toward either PSY 1004 (major credit) or PSY 1017 (minor credit).

Students receiving either a “4” or a “5” on an high school AP Psychology exam can apply that credit toward PSY 1017 upon presenting the Chairperson with the appropriate documentation confirming the student’s AP exam score.

Departmental Honors and Distinction in Psychology

Students majoring in Psychology must meet the following criteria in order to be considered eligible for Honors in Psychology:

  • Completion of PSY 2012: Statistics for the Social Sciences, PSY 2004: Physiological Bases of Behavior, PSY 2040: Research Methods in Psychology, PSY 3004: History and Systems in Psychology, and either PSY 4025: Research and Writing Experience, or PSY 4030: Field Work Experience courses at Manhattanville
  • No grade lower than “B” in any psychology course
  • A minimum 3.5 G.P.A. in psychology

In order for the Psychology Department to consider a student for Honors the student must first meet these minimum requirements.  Following the completion of these minimum requirements, the Psychology Department faculty will award honors based on the evaluation of the intellectual quality of a student’s entire psychology program.

In addition to Honors, the Psychology Department also awards Departmental Distinction. This award is given to graduating psychology seniors who, although not meeting the formal requirements for Departmental Honors, have demonstrated outstanding performance either in the classroom, laboratory, or in the field, or who have exhibited dramatic intellectual growth and development of scholarly sophistication during their time at Manhattanville.  Selection is based on a consensus opinion reached among the faculty members of the Psychology Department.

Advising

Students planning to major in Psychology should ask a full-time faculty member in Psychology to serve as his/her academic advisor early in the sophomore year, but no later than the second semester of the sophomore year.  The Psychology Department reserves the right to assign advisors to students.

Portfolio

Students who major in Psychology are required to obtain the signatures of both the Chairperson and their major advisor for their Portfolios.  Moreover, students are required to obtain the signature of another full-time Psychology Department faculty member if their major advisor also serves as the Chairperson.

Departmental Web Page on the World Wide Web

Additional information about the department including faculty research interests and course syllabi can be found on the department's Web page located at http://faculty.mville.edu/psych/.  In addition, several Psychology faculty maintain their own personal Web pages on the college’s Web site.

Course Distinctions in Psychology

Making Sense of Numerical Course Listings

  • 1000-level courses:  Courses with 1000 numbers provide a broad introduction to the fundamental principles of the diverse field of psychology.  These courses serve either as gateway courses into the major or minor, or provide general education in psychology for non-major/minor students.   No prior background in psychology is assumed of students taking these courses.  Students of any academic status (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) can enroll in these courses.  Both PSY 1004 and 1017 are lecture-based courses, while PSY 1006 is a laboratory-based course.
  • 2000-level courses:  Courses with 2000 numbers are predominantly lecture-based courses that provide an introduction to the fundamentals of a sub-discipline in psychology.  These courses are considered “foundation-level electives” and can be taken either for major or minor credit.  Although, generally, no formal background in psychology is required of students taking these courses, students are encouraged to have already taken either PSY 1004 or PSY 1017.  Some 2000-level courses may have 2000 level prerequisites. Lower-level electives serve to prepare students for more in-depth specialized intellectual study that is required of 3000-level courses.  Students of any academic status (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) can enroll in these courses.
  • 3000-level courses:  Courses with 3000 numbers provide an in-depth intellectual study of a highly specialized topic within a subfield of psychology.  These courses are considered “upper-level electives” and can be taken either for major or minor credit. Typically, these courses are conducted in a seminar-type format with significant reading, writing, and intellectual discourse required of the student.  While it is often assumed and strongly encouraged that students have had a 1000-level introductory course, in addition to a 2000-level elective that has provided an overview of the particular sub-discipline of psychology from which the specialized topic is drawn, students without these courses may be allowed to enrolled in 3000-level course with the instructor’s approval.  Students enrolled in these courses should have junior or senior academic status.
  • 4000-level courses:  Courses with 4000 numbers are arranged on an individual basis between the student and the full-time faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project.  These courses, by their very nature, require a great deal of independent work on the part of the student.  Given these characteristics, courses with 4000 numbers are considered “individualized upper-level electives.”  These courses involve either a significant empirical or library research-based component, or an internship experience at an institution outside Manhattanville College.  A significant writing assignment is also an integral part of these courses.  Depending on the supervising professor, students in these courses may occasionally meet in groups to share common experiences and progress made with fellow students.   Courses with 4000-level numbers can be taken multiple times for credit.  Almost without exception, these courses are reserved for students who major in psychology, although there may be highly special circumstances under which a student not a major in psychology is allowed to enroll.   Typically, students enrolled in these courses are of junior or senior academic status.
  • 5000-level courses:  Courses with 5000 numbers designate graduate level courses.