Undergraduate Catalog

Psychology: Major

The major in Psychology (General Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and Psychobiology concentrations) has been revised, as have many PSY course numbers and titles. The new major and concentration plans are effective Fall 2021.

  • If you declared a Psychology major in or before Spring 2021, your plan of study appears under Program Changes. Please consult your advisor if you have questions.

Per College policy, transfer credits may be applied to major requirements; however, one-half of the major must be completed at New Paltz.

General Psychology (43*-44 credits), leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree

To declare a major in Psychology, students must have:

  • Completed PSY101 Introduction to Psychology with a minimum grade of C-
  • A total cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher
  • A Math Placement Level (MPL) of 3 or higher.

Prerequisite course..........................................3 credits
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology (3)

Methodology core...........................................7*-8 credits
PSY201 Psychological Statistics (4) *an equivalent 3-credit transfer course will meet this requirement
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (4) or
    
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (3) and PSY311 Research Methods Lab (1)

Content core....................................................15 credits
PSY221 Social Psychology (3)
PSY231 Psychopathology and Mental Distress (3)
PSY241 Lifespan Development (3)
PSY351 Cognitive Psychology (3)
PSY361 History & Systems of Psychology (3)

Advanced courses...........................................15 credits
Select five courses by advisement, with no more than six credits from PSY392, PSY394, DIS492, PSY494, PSY495, and PSY393 or PSY493 classes designated as "experiential."

DIS333 Disaster Psychology (3)
DIS492 Practicum in Disaster Response (3)
PSY322 Personality (3)
PSY323 Motivation (3)
PSY324 Psych of Social Problems (3)
PSY332 Mental Health Professions (3)
PSY334 Behavior Modification (3)
PSY352 Perception (3)
PSY353 Psycholinguistics (3)
PSY362 Learning (3)
PSY363 Evolutionary Psychology (3)
PSY364 Constructivist Psychology (3)
PSY372 Psychology of Women (3)
PSY383 Organizational Psychology (3)
PSY384 Health Psychology (3)
PSY392 Internship (3)
PSY393 Selected Topic
PSY394 Crisis Intervention (4)
PSY443 Infancy & Childhood (3)
PSY444 Adolescence & Adulthood (3)
PSY452 Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
PSY453 Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
PSY454 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
PSY482 Industrial Psychology (3)
PSY485 Psychological Testing (3)
PSY493 Selected Topic
PSY494 Fieldwork in Psychology
PSY495 Independent Study Psychology

Research experience........................................0 credits
Complete at least 12 half-hour experiential credits (i.e., 6 hours).

Capstone experience (writing intensive).........3 credits
PSY498 Seminar in Psychology (3)

Psychology - Industrial/Organizational Psychology concentration (58*-59 credits), leading to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree

To declare the concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, students must have:

  • Completed PSY101 Introduction to Psychology with a minimum grade of C-
  • A total cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher
  • A Math Placement Level (MPL) of 3 or higher.

Prerequisite course..........................................3 credits
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology (3)

Methodology core...........................................7*-8 credits
PSY201 Psychological Statistics (4) *an equivalent 3-credit transfer course will meet this requirement
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (4) or
    
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (3) and PSY311 Research Methods Lab (1)

Content core....................................................15 credits
PSY221 Social Psychology (3)
PSY231 Psychopathology and Mental Distress (3)
PSY241 Lifespan Development (3)
PSY351 Cognitive Psychology (3)
PSY361 History & Systems of Psychology (3)

Industrial/Organizational core......................9 credits
PSY383 Organizational Psychology (3)
PSY482 Industrial Psychology (3)
PSY485 Psychological Testing (3)

Advanced course.............................................3 credits
Select one of the following:

DIS333 Disaster Psychology (3)
DIS492 Practicum in Disaster Response (3)
PSY322 Personality (3)
PSY323 Motivation (3)
PSY324 Psych of Social Problems (3)
PSY332 Mental Health Professions (3)
PSY334 Behavior Modification (3)
PSY352 Perception (3)
PSY353 Psycholinguistics (3)
PSY362 Learning (3)
PSY363 Evolutionary Psychology (3)
PSY364 Constructivist Psychology (3)
PSY372 Psychology of Women (3)
PSY384 Health Psychology (3)
PSY392 Internship (3)
PSY393 Selected Topic
PSY394 Crisis Intervention (4)
PSY443 Infancy & Childhood (3)
PSY444 Adolescence & Adulthood (3)
PSY452 Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
PSY453 Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
PSY454 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
PSY493 Selected Topic
PSY494 Fieldwork in Psychology
PSY495 Independent Study Psychology

Business Administration studies.......................9 credits
BUS250 Principles of Management (3)

and two of the following (note prerequisites):
BUS271 Legal Environments of Business (3)
BUS312 Operations Management (3)
BUS323 Intro to Entrepreneurship (3)
BUS324 Intro to Managing Sustainability (3)
BUS325 Marketing (3)
BUS326 Consumer Behavior (3)
BUS345 Human Resources Management (3)
BUS422 Leadership (3)

Concentration electives.....................................9 credits
Select three courses by advisement. NOTE: In addition to the courses listed below, courses listed in the "Advanced course" list can count as concentration electives.

CMM104 Public Speaking (3)
CMM202 Interpersonal Communication (3)
CMM204 Small Group Communication (3)
CMM353 Persuasion & Social Influence (3)
CMM360 Organizational Communication (3)
CMM450 Negotiation (3)
ECO206 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
ECO207 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
HIS367 Business and Society (3)
PHI201 Symbolic Logic (3)
PHI305 Business Ethics (3)
POL356 Sex Discrimination and the Law (3)
SOC220 Social Inequality in the United States (3)
SOC407 Organizations and Work (3)
WOM311 Gender, Race, and Work (3)

Research experience........................................0 credits
Complete at least 12 half-hour experiential credits (i.e., 6 hours).

Capstone experience (writing intensive)........3 credits
PSY498 Seminar in Psychology (3)

Psychology - Psychobiology concentration (58*-62 credits), leading to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree

Many graduate programs in psychology regard a broad undergraduate background in natural, physical, and social sciences as the best preparation for graduate study. The concentration in psychobiology may appeal to students interested in pursuing graduate training in physiological psychology, psychobiology, neuropsychology, or animal behavior, or in preparing for professional school while combining an interest in these areas.

To declare the concentration in Psychobiology, students must have:

  • Completed PSY101 Introduction to Psychology with a minimum grade of C-
  • A total cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher
  • A Math Placement Level (MPL) of 4 or higher.

Prerequisite course..........................................3 credits
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology (3)

Methodology core...........................................7*-8 credits
PSY201 Psychological Statistics (4) *an equivalent 3-credit transfer course will meet this requirement
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (4) or
    
PSY301 Psychology Research Methods (3) and PSY311 Research Methods Lab (1)

Content core....................................................15 credits
PSY221 Social Psychology (3)
PSY231 Psychopathology and Mental Distress (3)
PSY241 Lifespan Development (3)
PSY351 Cognitive Psychology (3)
PSY361 History & Systems of Psychology (3)

Psychobiology core.........................................9 credits
PSY452 Behavioral Neuroscience (3)

Select two of the following by advisement:
PSY352 Perception (3)
PSY353 Psycholinguistics (3)
PSY362 Learning (3)
PSY363 Evolutionary Psychology (3)
PSY384 Health Psychology (3)
PSY443 Infancy and Childhood (3)
PSY453 Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
PSY454 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (3)

Required biology courses..........................15-16 credits
BIO201 General Biology I (3) + BIO211 General Biology I Lab (1)
BIO202 General Biology II (3) + BIO212 General Biology II Lab (1)
BIO320 Genetics (3) + BIO321 Genetics Lab (1)

Select one of the following:
BIO322 Evolution (3)
BIO370 Animal Physiology (4)
BIO412 Evolutionary Theory (3)
BIO418 Animal Behavior (3)

Concentration electives.................................6-8 credits
Select two courses by advisement.

ANT301 Human Evolution (3)
BIO349 Biology Research
BIO491 Capstone Research (3)
CHE201 General Chemistry I (3) + CHE211 General Chemistry I Lab (1)
CHE202 General Chemistry II (3) + CHE212 General Chemistry II Lab (1)  
CHE318 Organic Chemistry I (3) + CHE306 Organic Chemistry I Lab (1)
CHE319 Organic Chemistry II (3) + CHE309 Organic Chemistry II Lab (1)
PHY201 General Physics I (3) + PHY211 Physics I Lab (1)
PSY560 Cognitive Psychology (3), with permission
PSY570 Cognitive Neuroscience (3), with permission

Research experience........................................0 credits
Complete at least 12 half-hour experiential credits (i.e., 6 hours).

Capstone experience (writing intensive).........3 credits
PSY498 Seminar in Psychology (3)