Psychology
Major: Psychology
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 180.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 42.2799
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-3031
About the Program
Drexel University's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is a tight-knit, active community of internationally known faculty and impressive student scholars. The department defines psychology as a science of mind and behavior. From the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognition to defining the impact of human behaviors within the judicial systems and policies. Psychology contributes to the human behavioral aspects of other fields, including STEM, medicine, law, arts and other social sciences. Our students work alongside professors on cutting-edge research and clinical projects in a range of areas, including health, forensic, neuropsychology, human development, experimental, cognitive, and clinical psychology. Undergraduates also benefit from Drexel's cooperative education program, gaining hands-on, extensive work experience in areas of their interest.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Students in the Bachelor of Science in Psychology program learn how to ask and answer important questions regarding human behavior, cognition and emotion, and how to apply their findings to improve lives. Within the program, students have the option to concentrate in three specific areas:
Mind, Brain and Behavior
The Mind, Brain and Behavior (MBB) area of focus allows psychology majors to concentrate their plan of study on how the mind and brain produce human behavior. Situating the mind within its biological substrate is one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century. MBB covers introductory through advanced courses, exposing students to the formal study of the human mind and behavior and their underlying brain systems and structures
Human Development
This area allows students to focus on issues affecting human development across the lifespan. Using a biological, cognitive and socio-emotional perspective, students gain both breadth and depth in the understanding of current issues in child, adolescent and adult development.
Clinical and Health
For those interested in health and service careers, this area of focus includes coursework, experiential learning, and individualized mentorship, providing students with practical experience in the field.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree
There is an accelerated MS program titled the Psychology BS/MS Scholars program to which undergraduates may apply. For more information, visit the Drexel University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences homepage.
Additional Information
To schedule an appointment, students should contact the Psychological and Brain Sciences department's academic advisor:
Devon M. Thomas
Academic Advisor, Undergraduate Program
Phone: 215-895-0487
Email: dmt356@drexel.edu
Office: Stratton 103A
Degree Requirements
College Requirements | ||
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COM 230 | Techniques of Speaking | 3.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
Select one of the following: | 8.0 | |
Introduction to Analysis I and Introduction to Analysis II | ||
Calculus I and Calculus II | ||
UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
UNIV H201 | Looking Forward: Academics and Careers | 1.0 |
Business elective | 4.0 | |
Fine Arts elective | 3.0 | |
Anthropology (ANTH) elective ** | 3.0 | |
English (ENGL) electives, 200-level or above | 6.0 | |
History (HIST) electives | 8.0 | |
Philosophy (PHIL) elective | 3.0 | |
Political Science (PSCI) elective | 4.0 | |
Sociology (SOC) elective | 3.0-4.0 | |
Select one of the following sequences: | 8.0 | |
Biology | ||
Cells, Genetics & Physiology | ||
Cells, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory | ||
Biological Diversity, Ecology & Evolution | ||
Biological Diversity, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory | ||
Chemistry | ||
General Chemistry I | ||
General Chemistry II | ||
Physics | ||
Electricity and Motion | ||
Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion | ||
Light and Sound | ||
Computational Lab for Light and Sound | ||
Free electives | 48.0 | |
Departmental Requirements | ||
General Psychology Requirements | ||
PSY 111 | Pre-Professional General Psychology I *** | 3.0 |
PSY 112 | Pre-Professional General Psychology II *** | 3.0 |
100-Level Requirements | ||
Select two of the following: | 6.0 | |
Developmental Psychology | ||
Approaches to Personality | ||
Introduction to Social Psychology | ||
Required Psychology Courses | ||
PSY 212 | Physiological Psychology | 3.0 |
PSY 240 [WI] | Abnormal Psychology | 3.0 |
PSY 264 | Computer-Assisted Data Analysis I | 3.0 |
PSY 265 | Computer-Assisted Data Analysis II | 3.0 |
PSY 280 | Psychological Research | 3.0 |
PSY 290 | History and Systems of Psychology | 3.0 |
PSY 325 | Psychology of Learning | 3.0 |
PSY 330 | Cognitive Psychology | 3.0 |
PSY 360 [WI] | Experimental Psychology | 3.0 |
PSY 380 | Psychological Testing and Assessment | 3.0 |
Advanced Psychology Electives | ||
Any non-required PSY course at the 200-level or above. | 12.0 | |
Senior Seminar Sequence OR Psychology Electives **** | ||
PSY 490 [WI] | Psychology Senior Thesis I | 4.0 |
PSY 491 [WI] | Psychology Senior Thesis II | 4.0 |
PSY 492 [WI] | Psychology Senior Thesis III | 4.0 |
Total Credits | 180.0-181.0 |
* | Students not participating in co-op will not take COOP 101; 1 credit of Free Elective will be added in place of COOP 101. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101. |
** | |
*** | Students with AP psychology, or transfer students with PSY 101 credit, should check the AP Student Placement Exam Crosswalk or check with their advisor. |
**** | Students who do not wish to complete the research seminar sequence are required to complete 12.0 credits of additional advanced Psychology electives instead. |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
4 year, No co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
PSY 111 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 121 or 101 | 4.0 | MATH 102 or 122 | 4.0 | PSY 240 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | PSY 112 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | Anthropology (ANTH) Elective | 3.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 18 | 16 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PSY 264 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | PSY 212 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
PSY 290 | 3.0 | PSY 265 | 3.0 | PSY 280 | 3.0 | ||
English (ENGL) elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | PSY 330 | 3.0 | PSY 360 | 3.0 | ||
Political Science (PSCI) Elective | 4.0 | English (ENGL) Elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | Psychology Elective | 3.0 | ||
Sociology (SOC) Elective | 3.0-4.0 | Philosophy (PHIL) Elective | 3.0 | Business Elective | 4.0 | ||
16-17 | 15 | 16 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PSY 325 | 3.0 | Free Electives | 7.0 | Free Electives | 12.0 | VACATION | |
PSY 380 | 3.0 | History Elective | 4.0 | Psychology Elective* | 3.0 | ||
History Elective | 4.0 | Psychology Elective* | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Psychology Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 14 | 15 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
PSY 490** | 4.0 | PSY 491** | 4.0 | PSY 492** | 4.0 | ||
Free Electives | 9.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | ||
13 | 13 | 13 | |||||
Total Credits 180-181 |
* | See degree requirements. |
** | Students who do not wish to complete the research seminar sequence are instead required to complete 12.0 credits of additional advanced Psychology electives. |
4 year, 1 co-op*
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
PSY 111 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 121 or 101 | 4.0 | MATH 102 or 122 | 4.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | PSY 112 | 3.0 | PSY 240 | 3.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | Anthropology (ANTH) Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 18 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PSY 264 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | PSY 212 | 3.0 | PSY 325 | 3.0 |
PSY 290 | 3.0 | PSY 265 | 3.0 | PSY 280 | 3.0 | PSY 380 | 3.0 |
English (ENGL) elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | PSY 330 | 3.0 | PSY 360 | 3.0 | Psychology Elective | 3.0 |
Political Science (PSCI) elective | 4.0 | English (ENGL) elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | Psychology Elective | 3.0 | History Elective | 4.0 |
Sociology (SOC) elective | 3.0-4.0 | Philosophy (PHIL) elective | 3.0 | Business Elective | 4.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 |
16-17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | Psychology Elective** | 3.0 | Psychology Elective** | 3.0 | ||
History Elective | 4.0 | Free Electives† | 12.0 | ||||
Free Electives | 6.0 | ||||||
0 | 0 | 13 | 15 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
PSY 490*** | 4.0 | PSY 491*** | 4.0 | PSY 492*** | 4.0 | ||
Free Electives | 9.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | ||
13 | 13 | 13 | |||||
Total Credits 180-181 |
* | Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. |
** | See degree requirements. |
*** | Students who do not wish to complete the research seminar sequence are instead required to complete 12.0 credits of additional advanced Psychology electives. |
† | If student selects a 4.0 credit SOC elective, the Free Electives in this term will be 11.0 credits. |
5 year, 3 Co-ops*
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
PSY 111 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 121 or 101 | 4.0 | MATH 102 or 122 | 4.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | PSY 112 | 3.0 | PSY 240 | 3.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | PSY 120, 140, or 150 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4.0 | Anthropology (ANTH) elective | 3.0 | ||||
Fine Arts elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 18 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | PSY 264 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | ||
PSY 290 | 3.0 | PSY 265 | 3.0 | ||||
English (ENGL) elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | PSY 330 | 3.0 | ||||
Political Science (PSCI) elective | 4.0 | English (ENGL) elective, 200-level or above | 3.0 | ||||
Sociology (SOC) elective | 3.0-4.0 | Philosophy (PHIL) elective | 3.0 | ||||
0 | 0 | 16-17 | 15 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | PSY 212 | 3.0 | PSY 325 | 3.0 | ||
PSY 280 | 3.0 | PSY 380 | 3.0 | ||||
PSY 360 | 3.0 | Psychology elective | 3.0 | ||||
Psychology elective | 3.0 | History elective | 4.0 | ||||
Business elective | 4.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | ||||
0 | 0 | 16 | 16 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | Psychology elective** | 3.0 | Psychology elective** | 3.0 | ||
History elective | 4.0 | Free electives*** | 12.0 | ||||
Free electives | 6.0 | ||||||
0 | 0 | 13 | 15 | ||||
Fifth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
PSY 490† | 4.0 | PSY 491† | 4.0 | PSY 492† | 4.0 | ||
Free electives | 9.0 | Free electives | 9.0 | Free electives | 9.0 | ||
13 | 13 | 13 | |||||
Total Credits 180-181 |
* | Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. |
** | See degree requirements. |
*** | If a student selects a 4.0 credit SOC elective the Free electives in this term will be 11.0 credits. |
† | Students who do not wish to complete the research seminar sequence are instead required to complete 12.0 credits of additional advanced Psychology electives. |
Co-op/Career Opportunities
Some graduates seek employment immediately after receiving their bachelor’s degrees.They are well trained to work as research assistants in consulting firms and medical settings or to provide front-line services in mental health and educational settings. Other graduates go on to professional schools in law, business, medicine, and other health professions. Still others pursue graduate training in psychology and related fields. Students build skills and knowledge that provide a foundation for advanced study, create opportunities for future growth, and can be used to improve the quality of life for others.
Co-Op Experiences
Drexel University has long been known for its co-operative education programs, through which students mix periods of full-time, career-related employment with their studies. Co-op/internship employment is an option for psychology majors. Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities.