Psychology (B.A., B.S.)

34-38 Major Hours, 120 Degree Hours

Students in this major must also complete requirements for a degree in the College of Arts & Sciences .

Departmental Requirements (25-26 hours)

• PSYC 101 - General Psychology (C) [SGR #3, HSDC]

•  

• Choose one of these combinations (6 cr.):

• PSYC 275 - Understanding Social Science Research
• PSYC 371 - Statistics in Psychological Research (C)

• Or

• PSYC 375 - Research Methods in Psych
• PSYC 376 - Research Methods II

•  

• Foundations (Choose four courses from the following, one course must be with lab) 13-14 cr hrs:

• PSYC 241 - Introduction to Social Psychology
• PSYC 301 - Sensation and Perception (C) ¹
• PSYC 301L - Sensation & Perception Laboratory (C)
• PSYC 302 - Principles of Learning and Memory
• PSYC 321 - Human Development: Lifespan (C) ²
• PSYC 406 - Cognitive Psychology (C) ¹
• PSYC 406L - Cognitive Psychology Lab (C)
• PSYC 411 - Physiological Psychology (C)
• PSYC 416 - Cognitive Neuroscience
• PSYC 448 - Motivation and Emotion
• PSYC 461 - Theories of Personality (C)

• ¹ Must select at least one course including a lab. If a second lab course is completed, that lab will count toward elective credit.

  ² PSYC 321 may count as either a foundation or diversity but not both.

                 

• Diversity: Choose one (3 cr.):

• PSYC 321 Human Development: Lifespan (C) 3cr ²
• PSYC 366 - Understanding the Sexes
• PSYC 423 - Research in Aging
• PSYC 443 - Social Psychology of Prejudice
• PSYC 446 - Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
• PSYC 456 - Introduction to Disaster Psychology
• PSYC 460 - Psychological Perspectives on Diversity

PSYC Electives for non-specialization (9 hours)

Any non-required USD psychology course (with a PSYC prefix) will count as a PSYC elective, except for the following. PSYC 359 does not count toward the Psychology Major. 

B.A. and B.S. Distribution Requirements:

The following PSYC courses count toward the B.A. and B.S. distribution requirements:

Area of Specialization within the Psychology Major:

B.A./B.S. to M.A. Accelerated Options

Undergraduate Psychology majors may elect to complete both the B.A./B.S. and M.A. (non-thesis) with Human Factors specialization concurrently. Students who pursue the accelerated option will be awarded their undergraduate degree first, but may be awarded both degrees upon completion of the graduate requirements. Students may apply for admission to the M.A. program after completing 75 undergraduate credit hours and may begin taking graduate level courses upon completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours and acceptance into the accelerated graduate program. Additional information about the accelerated degree can be found on the accelerated program catalog page  for the M.A. in Psychology (non-thesis) with Human Factors specialization only.

Double Majors

Note:

Psychology and Sociology Majors- Students double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology may use PSYC 241 / SOC 241 - Social Psychology  in both majors and may use either statistics course, SOC 309 - Statistical Research Methods  or PSYC 371 - Statistics in Psychological Research (C) , and either methods course, SOC 410 - Methods of Social Research (C)  or PSYC 373 - Research Methods in Experimental Psychology (C)  (NOT PSYC 275 ), to fulfill requirements for both majors.

Psychology and Nursing Majors-Students majoring in Nursing (B.S.N., or L.P.N.-B.S.N.) may count PSYC 321 - Human Development: Lifespan (C)  and PSYC 451 - Psychology of Abnormal Behavior (C)  toward the Nursing degree AND the Psychology major.

Four-Year Program Guides and Costs

USD encourages students to take 15 credits per semester or 30 credits within the year in order to graduate in 4 years. To help students complete their academic degree program in four years, we provide a sample academic plan. Please work with your academic advisor to confirm your plan. 

• Psychology, B.A. 4-year plan guide
• Psychology, B.S. 4-year plan guide

Related Programs:

• Psychology, B.A. 4-year plan guide at USD-Sioux Falls
• Psychology, B.S. 4-year plan guide at USD-Sioux Falls

Location Matters for Non-Licensure Track Programs

This program is not designed or advertised to lead to a professional license or certification required for employment.

USD is permitted to operate under the terms of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) policies and standards in offering online courses/degree programs to residents in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  Online courses/programs may also be offered to residents of California (a non-SARA state) because it does not regulate out-of-state public institutions.

Additionally, this program is authorized to offer supervised field study experiences (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) in South Dakota. Please be aware that there may be some restrictions on your ability to engage in supervised field study outside of South Dakota. Please contact a program representative if you have questions regarding supervised field study.

Distance education courses or programs will not be offered outside of the United States without prior written approval from the University, which may be withheld for any reason. If you are taking distance courses while physically located outside of the United States, it is your responsibility to confirm the following: (a) if the country will recognize an online degree; (b) the availability of supervised field study opportunities in the country; and (c) if the country charges any additional taxes, withholdings or fees associated with online distance education programs.

For more information, please visit USD’s State Authorization page or contact your admissions counselor.