As a Transfer Student

OverviewWelcome to Northern Illinois University!This is a general overview of the course requirements

within the major of PsychologyPlease refer to the “Informational Overview” An

Undergraduate Major in Psychology” booklet (red).

Academic Advising AppointmentsIt is recommended that you make an appointment with

academic advisors within the next couple of weeks and throughout the school yearAcademic advising is available by appointment

During the school year: with any major faculty During the summer: Assigned academic advisor Make appointments by going to Rm 400 in the Department of

Psychology and sign-up on the bulletin boards located across the main office

Academic Advising is also available via email Email address on Psychology Department Home Page:

PsycAdvising@niu.edu

Bachelor Degree Required Credit Hours

BACHELOR DEGREE REQUIRED CREDIT HOURS

Other Courses (~20 hours)

Psychology Major Courses (~40hours)

General Education Courses (~60hours)

Degrees in PsychologyB.A.

4 semesters of FOREIGN LANGUAGE

B.S.Choice of 3 credit groups –

MATH, CSCI, CHEM, BIO & PHYS combinations

B.A. and B.S.40 upper division credit hours50 hours max in Major count towards 120 credits

B.A. in PsychologyLanguages that require 4 semesters

Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Russian, or Spanish

Languages that require 2 semestersArabic, Burmese, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Tagalog,

Thai4 years of HS language with a “C” or better meets

your requirementContact Foreign Languages: (815) 753-1501

B.S. in Psychology1. Group 1:

MATH 210 and 211 STAT301 1 CSCI course:

CSCI 210, 230, 240 or 250

OR2. Group 2:

MATH 229 and 230 STAT 350 1 CSCI course:

CSCI 210, 230, 240 OR 250

OR

3. Group 3: MATH 211 STAT 301 1 lab sequence from the

following:

BIOS 104 and one of: BIOS 205/BIOS 207

combo, BIOS 213, or BIOS 357

or3. CHEM 210/lab 212 & CHEM 211/lab 213

or PHYS 210 & 211

Psychology MajorSTATS 208 or STAT 301 or STAT 350

Must get a C or betterPSYC 305 (Research Methods)7 Psychology Electives (21 hours; not including PSYC

102):2 can be Lower Level: 100-2005 Upper Level: 300-400PSYC 219 does NOT count as a psychology electiveCan take all upper level courses

2 Lab Courses

Psychology Transfer CoursesTransfer Courses:

PSYC courses transfer as lower level classes – 102 plus 2 other PSYC classes can be counted toward major – others come in as graduation credit, but not as PSYC electives

myNIU will translate into specific courses (e.g. PSYC102) or as PSYC101TR (transfer elective in psychology)

Psychology MajorLaboratory Courses:

Requires PSYC305 + appropriate elective course Experimental Psychology: Perception Lab Experimental Psychology: Conditioning and Learning Lab Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory Lab Clinical Psychology Lab Physiological Psychology Lab Social & Personality Lab Industrial-Organizational Lab Developmental Psychology Lab

These fill-up quickly, so register for them as soon as you can4 credit hoursE.g., The prerequisites for the Clinical Psychology Lab course

(PSYC 413) are PSYC 305 and either PSYC 315, or PSYC 316, or PSYC332

The Sequence:1. Complete your “Gen Eds” if you don’t have an

associates degree

2. Complete STAT 208 with a “C” or better (Or Stat 301)

3. Complete PSYC 305

4. Complete 2 Laboratory Classes

All the PSYC classes are closed – What do I do?!!

Create and register for a full schedule

See if you can get on a waiting list for PSYC 305 or lab courses in the main office

Contact professors in your preferred PSYC classes or attend first day of class to ask for permission to join class

DON’T PANIC – there is next semester

Psychology ProgramsSpecial Programs:

PSYC 489: Coop/Internship Contact the University Career Services Office to get a list of

available options and discuss with advisorPSYC 485: Independent Study

Choose a faculty member and contact the faculty member Fill out application if necessary Obtain permission to register for this course Especially useful for those interested in graduate training

Psychology ProgramsStudent Organizations:

SPA (Student Psychological Association) Open to everyone

PSI CHI At least 8 credit hours of Psychology at NIU GPA of 3.0 overall at NIU GPA of 3.25 in Psychology courses at NIU

Honors ProgramNeed to make the decision EARLY so that you have enough time

to complete all of the requirements 6 hours in honors psychology courses at upper-division level Senior year complete a research thesis

Meet with an advisor to discuss requirements

Additional Useful Information:GPA requirement in PSYC = 2.00

For honors: Overall = 3.00 and PSYC = 3.50“D” still counts toward graduation – can retake

class to replace grade up to 13 months from end of semester

PSYC electives = any PSYC course OTHER THAN 102, 219, 305

Can NOT double dipAny course taken for general education requirements

can not be counted toward psych electives E.g., PSYC 224 for social sciences gen. ed.

Minor Requirements:1. Minor Declaration2. PSYC 1023. 18 credit hours of elective – 12 hours must be 300-400

level (6 PSYC elective courses – 4 must be upper level)