Psychology (BA)

Program Description

The Department of Psychology at NYU approaches the study of mind and behavior from many perspectives. Cognitive psychologists focus on perception, memory, attention, language, and thinking. Social and personality psychologists determine how social beliefs, attitudes, and decisions are formed and maintained. Cognitive neuroscientists study features and functions in the brain as they relate to certain mental processes. Developmental psychologists seek to understand factors that affect and influence individuals across various ages. These many perspectives are reflected in undergraduate course offerings, all of which emphasize the scientific basis of psychology.

In addition to its course offerings, the department encourages advanced undergraduates to become involved in faculty research through the Research Experiences and Methods course and the honors program. Highly qualified students are admitted to the honors program in their sophomore or junior year, take honors seminars, participate in primary research, and write an honors research thesis under close faculty supervision.

NYU psychology majors graduate with an excellent academic foundation in psychology and are well-prepared for graduate study in the field. Graduates are accepted by top programs throughout the country. Others go on to careers in law, business, medicine, and education.

Honors Program

The honors program provides students majoring in psychology an opportunity to engage in closely supervised yet independent research and scholarship. Honors prepares students for graduate-level work in psychology or such related professional fields as business, law, or medicine. The year-long program provides students with experiences and skills that may help them attain their career objectives. Students apply for admission to the honors program in their sophomore or junior year, with occasional exceptions for late transfer students. Admission is based on a minimum overall and major GPA of 3.65 and the ability to benefit from a program that emphasizes independent research projects and research seminars.

Honors students take the Honors Seminar sequence in either their junior or senior year: PSYCH-UA 200 Honors Seminar in the fall and PSYCH-UA 201 Honors Seminar II in the spring. An honors research thesis, usually an expansion of an ongoing research project in a faculty laboratory, is submitted for faculty approval near the end of the junior or senior year. Details and application forms are available from the department.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

The major in psychology requires ten 4-credit courses (40 credits) as outlined below, which must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

Note: Students who matriculated in and before Summer 2022 should follow the requirements listed on the departmental website. See Major in Psychology (for Students Matriculating in and before Summer 2022).

¹

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

²

Neither PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences or PSYCH-UA 11 Statistics and Data Analysis for Research in Psychology can count for more than one major requirement.

³

Other quantitative advanced electives may be added to this list; please regularly check this Bulletin section online, and/or the website of the Department of Psychology, for new options. Quantitative advanced electives, if taken, do not count toward the general advanced elective requirement.

⁴

Quantitative advanced electives, if taken, do not count toward this requirement.

Note: The major must always be completed with ten courses (advanced standing credit may be applied to both or either of PSYCH-UA 1 Intro to Psychology and PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences). One course cannot be used to satisfy two major requirements (for example, both as a quantitative advanced elective and a regular advanced elective).

General Recommendations

PSYCH-UA 1 Intro to Psychology is taken first, preferably in the freshman year. PSYCH-UA 8 Data Literacy for Psychology or PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences or PSYCH-UA 11 Statistics and Data Analysis for Research in Psychology should be taken next, as these courses lay the methodological groundwork for the research discussed in core courses; one of them must be among the first four psychology courses taken. Core A and B courses of greatest interest to the student should be taken as soon as possible as preparation for the related Core C laboratory course. Advanced electives would typically be taken last. It is advised that students complete Core C before taking advanced courses, preferably by the spring of the junior year.

Students interested in graduate training in psychology should become involved in research. PSYCH-UA 996 Research Experience In Psychology offers the opportunity to participate in faculty research, providing a supervised research experience as well as training in research presentation and criticism. This course can help students in deciding about career directions and can result in a faculty letter of recommendation for graduate school applications. While this course provides an opportunity to obtain course credit for participating in a faculty-led lab, it's not necessary to apply for the course to work in a faculty-led lab. Students can benefit from experience working in a faculty lab with or without concurrent course credit. Students interested in graduate school that involves research (e.g. a doctoral program) are recommended to obtain research experience in a faculty lab. In addition, students planning for graduate training and/or a career that requires strong quantitative skills may benefit from taking PSYCH-UA 11 Statistics and Data Analysis for Research in Psychology and one of the quantitative advanced electives.

Pursuing an interest in clinical psychology: Students interested in graduate work in clinical psychology should consider some combination of PSYCH-UA 30 Personality, PSYCH-UA 51 Abnormal Psychology, and PSYCH-UA 81 Clinical Psychology among their course selections. PSYCH-UA 34 Developmental Psychology is also an appropriate choice. The department provides special advisement for these students; contact the undergraduate program office for details.

Pursuing an interest in experimental psychology or industrial and organizational psychology: If a student plans to pursue a research career (particularly in Core A areas), then in addition to the relevant courses in the major, courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and computer science may be beneficial. If a career in business or organizational psychology is the goal, then in addition to PSYCH-UA 32 Social Psychology and Industrial and PSYCH-UA 62 Industrial Organizat'L Psychology, courses in economics, sociology, and mathematics may be useful.

Graduate Courses Open to Undergraduates

Certain courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Science are open to junior or senior psychology majors who have (1) permission of their undergraduate psychology adviser, (2) permission of the Department of Psychology (graduate division), (3) the additional specific prerequisites listed for each course, and (4) permission of the instructor. For further information, please consult the department and the Graduate School of Arts and Science Bulletin.

Sample Plan of Study

¹

Neither course can count for more than one major requirement.

²

Chosen from a list of approved courses.

³

Chosen from a list of approved courses. Quantitative advanced electives, if taken, do not count toward this requirement.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

1. An overview of the field of psychology with detailed exposure to a selected and balanced representation of quantitative, theoretical, and factual topics. 
2. The academic foundations required for critical analysis and independent thinking.
3. The ability to understand and communicate scientific and quantitative information.
4. An understanding of and ability to apply the scientific method as related to psychological research, including quantitative tools, techniques and analyses, comprehending the content of primary journal articles, and research methodology.
5. An understanding of psychology as both a theoretical and empirical science.

Policies

Program Policies

General Policies

1. To declare a major in psychology, students must first earn a grade of C or better in PSYCH-UA 1 Intro to Psychology.
2. PSYCH-UA 34 Developmental Psychology and PSYCH-UA 35 Social Neuroscience can be selected by a student to count as either a Core A or Core B requirement (but not both).
3. Credit toward the major is not granted for courses completed with a grade of less than C, or for courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis.

Advanced Placement in Psychology and Statistics

Entering students with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam in psychology receive credit for PSYCH-UA 1 Intro to Psychology and may count it as one of the ten courses required for the major. The same policy applies to students with International Baccalaureate credit (a score of 6 or 7, HL only) or A-Level credit (a grade of B or higher) in psychology.

Entering students with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam in statistics receive credit for PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences and may count this toward the major's statistics requirement.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.