For millennia, our survival as human beings has depended on our ability to understand and predict others’ behaviors. Today, personal and professional success continues to depend on understanding and predicting human experiences and behavior. Psychology is the scientific study of these experiences and behaviors. Given humans’ imposing complexity, psychologists employ a range of perspectives, including evolutionary, biological, social, organizational, institutional, and sociocultural. In turn, these perspectives influence psychologists’ levels of explanation, from genetics to brain physiology, personality, individual differences, social interactions and group memberships, the institutions that we inhabit, and the cultures in which we spend our lives. Like all liberal arts disciplines, psychology addresses human experience, but what makes psychology unique as a scientific discipline are the concepts that psychologists use to make sense of people and the methods that they use to learn more about them. Our baccalaureate programs provide students with a strong general background in all areas of psychology and with the ability to think and reason critically in a wide variety of settings. All psychology students complete three critical courses essential to achieve those goals: PSY 1001 (Introduction to Psychology) provides a broad overview of what psychologists know about human behavior; PSY 3001W (Introduction to Research Methods) focuses on the skills necessary to generate new knowledge; and PSY 3801 (Introduction to Psychological Measurement and Data Analysis) addresses the skills necessary to test hypotheses using statistical methods. Students will complete additional courses focused on their individual interests, and even if they never plan to become psychological scientists, students will develop the skills needed throughout their lives to be sophisticated evaluators of psychological information and to navigate the complexities of human behavior. The B.A. degree emphasizes outside coursework in the social sciences, arts, and humanities, including sociology, economics, political science, anthropology, history, philosophy, and literature, given the perspectives and levels of explanation that inform these disciplines. Like psychology, these disciplines focus on the thoughts, feelings, and motivations that make us human, including those that arise from our personalities, relationships, and the larger social forces that shape our experiences. For example, art historians may look to visual portrayals of women over time to understand their lives; sociologists may focus on religion, crime, and race and ethnicity, all phenomena of interest to psychologists; political scientists may focus on citizens’ political attitudes and activities; and business-related specialties like personnel selection, marketing, and leadership often rest on psychological principles. A B.A. degree in psychology provides valuable preparation for a variety of careers and graduate and professional academic programs, including psychology, law, management, human resources, and education. A professional career as a psychologist requires training beyond the baccalaureate degree.

Prospective majors are strongly encouraged to complete PSY 3801 (or a Department of Psychology approved equivalent) prior to formally declaring the major. To declare a major, students first complete the online Declaration Module (https://cla.umn.edu/psychology/undergraduate/majors-minors/declare-your-major) and then schedule an appointment with a Psychology Advisor (psyadvis@umn.edu).

CLA BA degrees require 18 upper-division (3xxx-level or higher) credits outside the major designator. These credits must be taken in designators different from the major designator and cannot include courses that are cross-listed with the major designator. The major designator for the Psychology BA is PSY. At least 16 upper-division credits in the major must be taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Students may earn no more than one undergraduate degree in psychology: a BA or a BS or a minor. Students may combine the psychology BA with the developmental psychology minor, but not with the developmental psychology BA or BS. All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) must complete the First-Year Experience course sequence. All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) students earning a BA, BS, or BIS degree must complete the second-year career management course CLA 3002. All students must complete a capstone in at least one CLA major. The requirements for double majors completing the capstone in a different CLA major will be clearly stated. Students must also complete all major requirements in both majors to allow the additional capstone to be waived. Student completing an addition degree must complete the capstone in each degree area.