Minor in Psychology

Contact Person:
Arlene M. Stillwell, Chair
156 Flagg, (315) 267-4808, stillwam@potsdam.edu

22 credit hours required. Closed to Psychology majors.
 
Because of the diversity within the field of psychology, the minor has been carefully chosen to expose students to at least the following: 1) a general introduction to all major areas of psychology; 2) a presentation of general experimental methods used in the collection of data; 3) exposure to an experimental laboratory-based course; 4) exposure to a social development-based course.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted. Credits are divided as follows:
Credits
Required Courses
10
PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology
STAT 100 Statistics (or MATH 125/CIS 125)
PSYC 300 Research Methods in Psychology (4 credits)

Group I: one of the following
3
PSYC 340 Human Learning and Memory  
PSYC 380 Animal Behavior  
PSYC 381 Biopsychology  
PSYC 384 Cognitive Psychology  
PSYC 385 Sensory Psychology I: Vision  
PSYC 386 Sensory Psychology II: Hearing  
PSYC 400 History of Psychology  

Group II: one of the following
3
PSYC 320 Advanced Topics in Child Development  
PSYC 322 Mental Retardation  
PSYC 330 Social Psychology  
PSYC 370 Theories of Personality  
PSYC 375 Abnormal Psychology  
PSYC 390 Tests and Measurements  

Elective Courses
6

Notes

  1. Except for tutorial study, independent study and internships, any psychology course, including courses from Groups I and II, may be used as electives.
  2. No course may be counted twice.
  3. Grade requirement: all above courses must be passed with a minimum grade of 2.0 to count toward the major. Students considering opting to S/U a psychology course should consult their advisers.
  4. Independent studies and internships do not satisfy psychology major requirements.
  5. 12 upper-division credits are required to complete the major. PSYC 300 and non-psychology cognate or non-cognate courses cannot be used to meet upper division requirements.
  6. Residence requirement: a minimum of 12 upper-division psychology credits must be completed at this college.
  7. Transfer of credits – the following three requirements must be met:
    a. Courses transferred into the major must be approved by the Psychology Department Chair.

    b. The Department will accept transfer credits for PSYC 100 and statistics if they are at least 3 credit hours and students have earned a minimum of 2.0 or its equivalent (e.g., C). All other transferred courses MAY be accepted as meeting the “Elective”requirement.

    *If a transferred course is equivalent to a Group I or Group II course, a line will be drawn through the Group I or II course equivalent, and the student must take another course from that group. PSYC 300 is required to be completed at SUNY Potsdam.

    *Students may petition the Chair to have a transferred course accepted for transfer credit toward the major.

    c. All courses transferred from two-year colleges carry lower division credit only.