Psychological & Brain Sciences Major Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 43-46 units (34 units [at least 25 of which must be at the 3000 level or above] for the base major requirements, plus 9-12 units for a specialization; adding a specialization to the base major is not required)
- Grade Requirement: For a course to count toward the major; a grade of C– or better must be achieved.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 1000 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3000 | Introduction to Psychological Statistics | 3 |
| PSYCH 3010 | Experimental Psychology | 4 |
| or PSYCH 3011 | Experimental Psychology | |
- PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology is a prerequisite for all upper-level courses (3000 level and above). A waiver from PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology is possible in the following circumstances:
- Completion of an equivalent course transferred from another institution, if approved by the Psychology & Brain Sciences (P&BS) Director of Undergraduate Studies.
- An AP Psychology test score of 5, an IB score of 6 or 7, or a British A-Level grade of A.
- PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics
- SDS 2020 Elementary Probability and Statistics, SDS 3020 Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis, or DAT 1200 Managerial Statistics I may substitute for PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics but earn no units of credit toward the major. No AP math course can substitute for PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics.
- PSYCH 3010 Experimental Psychology or PSYCH 3011 Experimental Psychology (version taken concurrently with PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics)
For cases in which a waiver is granted (e.g., PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology, PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics), no credits are earned toward the major, so waived courses must be made up with additional P&BS content electives (i.e., regular format lecture-based PSYCH courses) approved by the major advisor.
Core Requirements
Students must complete at least one course from each of the following five categories:*
Social/Personality
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 3050 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3096 | Psychological Dynamics of Empathy | 3 |
| PSYCH 3150 | Introduction to Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3530 | Psychology of Personality | 3 |
| PSYCH 3866 | Community Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 4099 | Human Evolutionary Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 4130 | Contemporary Topics in Social Psychology | 3 |
Mental Health/Affective
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 3501 | Psychotherapy: Introduction to Practice and Research | 3 |
| PSYCH 3540 | Psychopathology and Mental Health | 3 |
| PSYCH 3645 | Understanding Emotions | 3 |
| PSYCH 4367 | Seminar in Positive Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 4765 | Inside the Disordered Brain: Biological Bases of the Major Mental Disorders | 3 |
Biological/Neurological Bases of Behavior
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 3300 | Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PSYCH 3401 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3450 | Genes, Environment, and Human Behavior | 3 |
| PSYCH 3604 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYCH 4182 | Perception, Thought, and Action | 3 |
| PSYCH 4512 | Neurobiology of Learning & Memory | 3 |
| PSYCH 4765 | Inside the Disordered Brain: Biological Bases of the Major Mental Disorders | 3 |
Behavior and Cognition
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 3580 | Language Acquisition | 3 |
| PSYCH 3600 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3604 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYCH 3610 | Psychology of Learning | 3 |
| PSYCH 3800 | Human Learning and Memory | 3 |
| PSYCH 4099 | Human Evolutionary Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 4234 | Introduction to the Psychology of Speech Perception | 3 |
| PSYCH 4330 | Psychology of Language | 3 |
| PSYCH 4512 | Neurobiology of Learning & Memory | 3 |
Lifespan Development
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 2190 | The Infant Mind: Sophomore Seminar (this course can fulfill the Lifespan Development Core, but the credit counts in the "6 units Rule") ** | 3 |
| PSYCH 3210 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 3250 | Psychology of Adolescence | 3 |
| PSYCH 3260 | Introduction to the Psychology of Aging | 3 |
| PSYCH 3580 | Language Acquisition | 3 |
| PSYCH 4270 | Social Gerontology | 3 |
- *
If a course falls into more than one category, it can be used to fulfill only one of those categories (i.e., no double-counting).
- **
PSYCH 2190 The Infant Mind: Sophomore Seminar will get an advanced level title and course number update in spring 2027.
Elective Courses
Students must complete at least 9 units of P&BS elective coursework. Additional elective courses will be required to make up for PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology and PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics waivers.
6-Units Rule
No more than 6 units from the following course types may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements for the P&BS major:
- 1000-/2000-level courses (other than PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology)
- PSYCH 3999 Independent Study in Psychological and Brain Sciences
- PSYCH 4992 Independent Study for a Specialization in Psychological and Brain Sciences (Capstone)
- PSYCH 4980 Study for Honors and PSYCH 4990 Study for Honors
- Approved WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) psychology courses
- Approved psychology study abroad courses from a non-psychology study abroad program
- Approved psychology courses from other departments (e.g., EDUC 3040 Educational Psychology, MUSIC 3300 Music Cognition, EDUC 2100 Introduction to Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, BEYOND 1003 Beyond Boundaries: When I'm 64: Preparing Ourselves and Society for a Good Long Life, BIOL 3411 Principles of the Nervous System)
- Approved transfer credits (Students transferring from another college should refer to the Transfer Credit section below.)
Additional Information
Transfer Credit
If accepted by the College of Arts & Sciences, transfer credits must be evaluated by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the P&BS department for their applicability toward either major in P&BS. Please contact Shelley Kohlman to begin the P&BS transfer credit evaluation process.
Senior Honors Program in Psychological & Brain Sciences
The primary goal of the honors program in P&BS is to provide students who have achieved a superior academic record with the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive empirical investigation under the direction of a faculty member.
To be admitted into the honors program, students must meet the following requirements:
- Have overall and P&BS grade point averages of at least 3.65
- Complete PSYCH 3010 Experimental Psychology or PSYCH 3011 Experimental Psychology
- Have an approved honors research mentor (a faculty member who agrees to supervise the thesis)
- Have permission to enroll from Dr. Julie Bugg, the Honors in Psychology program coordinator
Contact Info
| Contact: | Shelley Kohlman |
| Phone: | 314-935-5169 |
| Email: | skohlman@wustl.edu |
| Website: | https://psych.wustl.edu/undergraduate-program |