Psychology

Major Requirements (B.S. Degree)

The 10-course Bachelor of Science in Psychology major requires that the student successfully complete:

● (1) General Psychology course (PSY 101, or AP/IB credit)

● (2) Research Design & Statistics courses (PSY 200 & PSY 300)

● (2) Advanced Research Methods courses (numbered 301-320, or 400, or BIO 220, 223)

● (1) Advanced Seminar (numbered PSY 324-380)

● (1) Capstone Seminar (401, 402)

● (3) Elective courses in psychology

Of the 10 courses, students must take at least one course in three of the five areas outlined below:

Biological: PSY 280, 282, 284, 303, 305, BIO 220, BIO 223

Cognitive: PSY 276, 301, 304

Developmental: PSY 241, 243, 245, 315, 319

Social-Cultural/Industrial-Organizational: PSY 232, 235, 254, 269, 316, 317, 318, POL 384

Health: PSY 220, 231, 234, 257, 314

*Advanced Seminar courses may not satisfy any area requirement.

In addition, all seniors must satisfactorily complete an oral interview conducted by a psychologist who is not a member of the department. An opportunity to fulfill this requirement is offered each spring semester.

Honors Requirements

Students wishing to earn Honors in Psychology must submit a thesis proposal to a proposed PSY faculty mentor by April 15 of their junior year, including a general overview of the project and the student’s preparation for the proposed work. Thesis projects may be research-based or applied. To be eligible for honors consideration, approved students must meet the College honors requirements, have a psychology major GPA of 3.75 or higher by the end of the Fall semester of senior year, and successfully complete a full year thesis project (PSY 330 and PSY 400). Honors decisions will be made by the full PSY faculty based on 1) a public oral presentation of the work, 2) a poster presentation at the Verna Miller Case Symposium for Research and Creative Work, and 3) the final written product.

Note on Prerequisites

Occasionally, under extraordinary circumstances, the department chair may waive a specific prerequisite for a particular course.

Study Abroad and/or Transfer credit

To receive credit for courses taken during a semester’s study abroad or from another domestic college or university, the request for transfer credit must first be approved by the Registrar’s office. Once this approval has been secured, students may submit to the Chair a portfolio (syllabus, course work, etc.) for each course for which they wish to receive credit. The department faculty will review the portfolio(s), checking for comparable levels of rigor and alignment with the psychology curriculum. Requests for approval to transfer course credit are submitted after the study abroad or other transfer courses have been completed; approval of these requests cannot be granted in advance.

Rationale for Course Numbering

Psychology 101 is open to all levels of students and is the prerequisite (or scoring a 4 or 5 on AP exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB exam) for all other courses in the department (except for BIO 220, BIO 223, POL 384).

The 200-level courses are survey courses suitable for all levels of students who have had PSY 101; exceptions are PSY 290 (Practicum) and PSY 292 (Collective Memory). PSY 290 is experience-based and requires students to obtain a faculty supervisor for their coursework. PSY 292 is grounded in psychology but multi-disciplinary so does not require PSY 101.

PSY 200 is appropriate for first-, second-, and third-year students, with recommended completion by the end of Spring semester of sophomore year. PSY 200 is a required pre-requisite (or permission of the instructor) for all 300-level psychology courses.

PSY 300 is open to students of any class year, after completing PSY 200. The 300-level courses numbered between 301 and 320 focus on research methodology and/or participation in doing research. These are designed for majors, not open to first-year students, and generally are taken after a few 200-level courses. The 300-level seminars (numbered between 324-380) are generally restricted to juniors and seniors but not necessarily to psychology majors.

The 400-level courses are open only to senior psychology majors.

Davidson-Broughton Summer Program

Each summer, if there is sufficient enrollment, the department offers an internship in clinical psychology (Practicum in Psychology - PSY 290) during an eight-week period, during which students live and work at Broughton Hospital in Morganton, N.C. There students have direct contact with patients and staff members while studying with clinical faculty at the hospital. Students receive pass/fail credit for Psychology 290. Prerequisites: Psychology 231 or 234 and consent of instructor. Inquiries may be directed to Department of Psychology, Davidson College.

Psychology Courses

The courses described below represent the Department of Psychology’s active course catalog. Some of these courses are offered each semester (e.g. PSY 101, PSY 200, PSY 300, PSY 401/402), some are offered in either the fall or spring semester of each academic year, and others are offered every two or more years. We recommend that students consult the Registrar’s published course lists for an accurate list of the scheduled course offerings for each academic year.