Major Info

At Purdue, a major in Psychology consists of 11 courses that total 33 credit hours. If you major in Psychology, you will probably begin with a course in Elementary Psychology. Later, you will take a course on the statistics needed to understand and interpret psychological research. You will also take a course that explores the methods of psychological research.

Beyond these basic requirements, you can choose from a broad range of courses in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Some courses focus on mental illness and behavioral problems, or clinical psychology; others on thinking and reasoning, or cognitive psychology; others on human growth and aging, or developmental psychology; others on how people work together, or industrial/organizational psychology; others on learning, memory, and motivation; others on the biological bases of behavior, or psychobiology; others on mathematical models of behavior and on statistics; and others on people's thoughts and behavior in social situations. Your selections from these courses will be based on your personal and career interests, guided by professional advisers who are trained in psychology and in helping students.

In addition to the regularly scheduled courses, you can take special courses or independent study options that allow in-depth work in particular areas of psychology. In all courses, you will learn about current theories and the latest research methods. You will also be encouraged to develop an objective and analytical approach to the understanding of behavior. As you advance through the program, you will have an opportunity to enroll in research seminars in which students and faculty work closely together.

Even if you do not major in psychology, you will probably take courses in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Students interested in sociology, physical education, art, political science, management, audiology and speech sciences, education, pre-law, and pre-medicine take psychology courses to gain a broader perspective on their own fields. In short, whether you are a psychology major or just take a few courses in the department, you will discover that an understanding of psychology will enrich your undergraduate program.

This page lists specific major and minor requirements as well as info on specific courses.