Psychology is a scientific approach to understanding mind and behaviour.
A liberal arts education provides students with opportunities to develop a wide variety of skills including interpersonal, oral and written communication, organizational, time management, problem solving, etc. In addition, Psychology Majors develop distinctive observation, analytic, numeracy, computer, and oral and written communication skills. The degree to which these specific skills are developed will depend on the specific academic plan in which the student is enrolled. Students also develop an understanding about why they and others think and behave the way they do, and why they react as they do to situations and to one another. This knowledge can be very helpful in every day life as well as at work. Feedback from co-op students and employers confirms that these distinctive skills are highly valued in today's workplace.
For those who pursue graduate level training (i.e., Masters or PhD level) in psychology, career options include: teachers/researchers at universities; research scientists in government or industrial research and development labs; product/market researchers in the private sector; clinicians who provide assessment and treatment services for individuals, groups, or families; psychometrists who design and administer psychological tests; health psychologists who conduct research and are involved in health promotion and illness prevention programs; industrial/organizational psychologist who are employed as researchers, consultants, and/or human resources managers; senior administrators, etc. Students are advised that a General BA in Psychology will not be sufficient for admission to graduate studies in Psychology. An Honours degree in Psychology that includes an honours thesis is typically required.
Many students build on their undergraduate degree in psychology by furthering their education in applied areas other than psychology before entering the work force. These areas include disciplines such as teaching, social work, marriage and family therapy, pastoral counselling, child studies, speech pathology, medicine, occupational therapy, law, business, human resources management, industrial relations, and criminology.
For further details, please consult the website for Psychology Undergraduate Studies (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/index.html).
Students are encouraged to apply for the Psychology Major in March and April of Year One. Applicants will be required to submit a
Plan Modification/Application for Internal Transfer Form (www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/forms/PlanModification_wo.pdf) and the Application to Major in Psychology Form (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/prospective/Psych_App.html) to the Psychology Department for approval.
Current UW students who plan to apply for the Psychology Major are encouraged to attend an information session which will be held late February or March. Please refer to “Prospective Students” on the Psychology Undergraduate Website (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/index.html) for further details.
Please refer to the Psychology Undergraduate Student Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html) for such information as research interests of the Psychology faculty, potential co-op positions for students in the Co-op system of study, course planning, career information, and answers to frequently asked questions.
To be considered for a Psychology Major, students must have completed a minimum of four academic course units (i.e., eight courses) including PSYCH 101 and preferably one of PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, or 261. Most admission decisions for the Psychology Major are for Fall term admission and are normally made after Winter term grades are available. For those whose admission decisions are deferred pending Spring term marks, admission decisions will be made early September.
The cumulative average requirements for admission to the various Psychology BA academic plans are as follows:
- Three-Year General Psychology: 60% overall and 65% in Psychology.
- Four-Year General Psychology: 60% overall and 70% in Psychology.
- Honours Psychology: 70% overall and 75% in Psychology.
- Honours Psychology with Arts and Business: 70% overall, 75% in Psychology, and 70% in the Arts and Business courses. Requests to switch from Arts and Business Regular to Arts and Business Co-op should be referred to the Arts and Business advisor. Requests for admission to Co-op will be handled on a case by case basis and are subject to space availability.
- Joint Honours with Psychology: 70% overall, 75% in Psychology, and the average requirement specified for the second Major.
For those whose home Faculty is not Arts and are interested in pursuing Combination Honours (Home Faculty Math only) or Joint Honours Psychology, the cumulative averages required for admission to the Psychology Major are as follows: 60% overall, 75% in Psychology, and the average requirement for the second Major.
Please refer to the Faculty of Science section for course and average requirements for admission to the Honours BSc Psychology Major.
Students who have completed a research methods course and/or a statistics course must seek advice at the Psychology Undergraduate Office regarding the degree requirements for the program to which they are applying.
Three-Year General Psychology
The Three-Year General BA in Psychology provides students with a general overview of the field of Psychology.
Please refer to the Applying for a Psychology Major section above.
Continuation in Three-Year General Psychology requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative Psychology average of 65%. Conditional standing may be granted for one academic term to students whose averages fall below these criteria.
Eligibility for graduation in the Three-Year General Psychology academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- Psychology Plan-level requirements:
- at least five academic course units (ten courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative Psychology average of 65%, including:
- PSYCH 101
- PSYCH 291, 292 (must be completed in year two)
- three of the following Discipline Core:
PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261 including at least one of PSYCH 207, 261 (Normally, these courses are completed by the end of year two.) - one Advanced Psychology Course (see Notes below)
- three additional Psychology courses
Notes
The same notes as given for Honours Psychology (e.g., a list of the Advanced Psychology courses and the information regarding the residency requirements for the degree) apply to Three-Year General Psychology.
Four-Year General Psychology
The Four-Year General BA in Psychology will be of particular interest to those who require a Four-Year degree in order to pursue further studies that do not require an Honours degree for admission.
Please refer to the Applying for a Psychology Major section above.
Continuation in Four-Year General Psychology requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative Psychology average of 70%. Conditional standing may be granted for one academic term to students whose averages fall below these criteria.
Eligibility for graduation in the Four-Year General Psychology academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- Psychology Plan-level requirements:
- at least seven academic course units (14 courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative Psychology average of 70%, including:
- PSYCH 101
- PSYCH 291, 292 (must be completed in year two)
- four of the following Discipline Core: PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261 (Normally, these courses are completed by the end of year two.)
- four Advanced Psychology Courses (see Notes below)
- three additional Psychology courses
Notes
The same notes as given for Honours Psychology (e.g., a list of the Advanced Psychology courses and the information regarding the residency requirements for the degree) apply to Four-Year General Psychology.
Honours Psychology provides opportunities for in-depth study of psychological theory and research. Students obtain a broad background in the diverse sub-areas of psychology, namely behavioural neuroscience, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social, as well as a variety of specialized fields. Third and fourth year students have opportunities to study in small groups, to obtain hands-on laboratory training in specific content areas within psychology, to enrol in courses where they work one-on-one with faculty members, and to enrol in apprenticeship courses that provide practical field experience in education or applied settings.
Please refer to the Applying for a Psychology Major section above.
Continuation in Honours Psychology requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative Psychology average of 75%. Conditional standing may be granted for one academic term to students whose averages fall below these criteria.
Eligibility for graduation in the Honours Psychology (BA) academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- Psychology Plan-level requirements:
- at least nine academic course units (18 courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative Psychology average of 75%, including:
- PSYCH 101
- Methodology Core – All of PSYCH 291, 292, 391, 492
(Note: PSYCH 291 and 292 must be completed in Year Two, and PSYCH 391 in Year Three.) - Discipline Core – All of PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261
(Note: At least four of the five courses must be completed by the end of Year Two.) - two Third- or Fourth-Year Research Methods Courses including:
- one Natural Science Research Methods Course from PSYCH 394, 396, 398, 483
- one Social Science Research Methods Course from PSYCH 393, 395, 397, 399, 484
Notes:
i) Normally, both of these courses will be completed in year three and students will take no more than one per term. Typically only one Research Methods Course is offered in the Spring term (e.g., PSYCH 394 or PSYCH 398).
ii) Students who are not doing the Honours Thesis (PSYCH 499A/B/C) may substitute PSYCH 465 (Applied Apprenticeship) or PSYCH 467 (Human Resources Apprenticeship) for one of these two required courses. - two Advanced Psychology Courses (see Notes below)
- one Honours Psychology Seminar in third or fourth year from PSYCH 453, 454, 455, 457, 458, 461, 462, 463, 485
- three Psychology courses to be taken at the 300- and/or 400-level (see Notes below regarding the Honours Thesis)
See below for information regarding Honours Psychology Co-op as well as the Human Resources Management Specialization for Honours Psychology Majors.
Notes
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Please refer to the Psychology Undergraduate Student Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html) for course sequence information and class enrolment instructions.
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Students who have not successfully completed an OAC Math course, 4U Math, Grade 12 Math in a province other than Ontario, or an approved equivalent will be required to take MATH 103 as a corequisite to PSYCH 291 . Those required to take MATH 103 will take one (i.e., 0.5 academic course unit) fewer unspecified electives.
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The Advanced Psychology courses are as follows: PSYCH 304, 306, 307, 308, 310, 311, 312, 313*, 314, 315, 317, 318, 319, 320, 330, 332, 336, 337*, 339, 341*, 351, 352, 353, 354, 356, 361*, 380*, 438, 439, 440A*, 440B*, 481, 482. Some of the PSYCH 363 topics also qualify as Advanced Psychology courses. Please consult with the Psychology Undergraduate Advisor.
* no longer offered.
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Regarding the "Social Science" courses for the Faculty of Arts Breadth requirements, Psychology Majors only require 1.0 academic course unit from this area in a discipline(s) other than Psychology.
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Honours Thesis:
The Honours Thesis (PSYCH 499A/B/C) is recommended for Honours Psychology Majors who are a) considering graduate or professional programs that may require a completed honours thesis for admission, or b) who have a strong interest in, and commitment to, conducting original research. Honours Psychology Majors may substitute PSYCH 499A/B/C for the three Psychology courses that are required at the 300- and/or 400-level. Please consult the Honours Thesis Handbook for further details regarding PSYCH 499 (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/current/course_info/
Psych_499_Honours_Thesis_Handbook.html).
Students who are doing the Honours Thesis may not substitute PSYCH 465 (Applied Apprenticeship) or PSYCH 467 (Human Resources Apprenticeship) for one of the Third-Year Research Methods requirements.
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Residency Requirements:
Students enrolled in academic plans in Psychology must successfully complete at least half of the total number of academic course units required in Psychology for their academic plan from UW with numerical grades. Please refer to the Admission section for the Faculty of Arts as well as the Psychology Undergraduate Student Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html#residencyrequirements) for further details regarding the residency requirements.
Honours Psychology (BSc)
Honours Psychology is also available through the Faculty of Science on both a Regular and Co-operative basis. The Psychology course requirements for the Honours BSc in Psychology are the same as those for the Honours BA in Psychology.
See below for information regarding Honours Psychology Co-op as well as the Human Resources Management Specialization for Honours Psychology Majors.
For further details, please refer to the Psychology section in the Faculty of Science.
The Co-op system of study provides Honours Psychology (BA and BSc) Majors the opportunity to gain 16 months of work experience before they graduate. Students who have been accepted to the Honours Psychology (BA or BSc) Major at the end of Year One may apply for admission to the Co-op system of study in November only of Year Two following the Psychology Co-op Information Session. Admission decisions are made the first week of January after Fall term grades are available. Admission is limited and is based on academic standing and space availability. For those accepted, the first work term will be at the end of Year Two. Students then alternate between academic terms and paid work terms, and will end the school/work sequence with a school term. Please refer to the Psychology Undergraduate Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html) for further details about the Co-op system of study including a listing of potential co-op positions and the requirements for writing work-term reports.
If the Home Faculty is Arts, refer to the degree requirements for Honours Psychology (BA). If the Home Faculty is Science, refer to the degree requirements for Honours Psychology (BSc).
Honours Psychology - Human Resources Management Specialization
Honours Psychology Majors (BA or BSc) may pursue the Human Resources Management (HRM) Specialization.
Human Resources Management is a set of interrelated organizational functions and processes, including staffing the organization, designing jobs and teams, training and developing skilled employees, assessing and rewarding employee performance, and maintaining and retaining employees. Honours Psychology Majors who are interested in employment in this field may want to pursue the Human Resources Management (HRM) Specialization as well as the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation offered by the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations upon graduation. Several courses in the HRM Specialization provide exemption from required courses for that designation.
Admission to an HRM plan requires that the student has successfully completed HRM 200, has a minimum HRM plan average of 70%, and is in satisfactory standing in their other academic plans. Those interested in enrolling in the HRM Specialization should consult the HRM website for application procedures.
The HRM Specialization requires successful completion of a minimum of 3.5 academic course units (seven courses) with a minimum cumulative average of 70%, including:
Required courses (four):
Remaining courses (to a total of seven) from:
- one of ENGL 210F, PACS 202, PHIL 215/ARBUS 202
- PSYCH 399
- PSYCH 439
- PSYCH 462
- PSYCH 467
- PSYCH 499C (see Note 7)
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Note: Additional topics courses may be available through Wilfrid Laurier University. All cross-registration requests are subject to the approval of the HRM advisor and space availability.
Notes:
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Students in academic plans in Management Studies are precluded from taking HRM academic plans.
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Please check the prerequisites for the courses listed above.
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For further information, refer to the HRM website (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/hrm/index.html).
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Students are encouraged to complete HRM 200 before enrolling in Psych 339 or Psych 340. Note that second year students are given priority enrolment in HRM 200.
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Students who have completed an HRM Diploma or the course requirements for the CHRP designation, or who have graduated from a college or university HR or Business program are precluded from enrolling in the HRM Minor, Option, or Specialization.
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Students are advised to review the CHRP requirements before finalizing their HRM course selections.
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Topic and supervisor must be approved by the HRM Advisor or the HRM Director. Only 0.5 unit of the Honours Thesis course, PSYCH 499 A/B/C, may be counted toward the HRM Specialization.
Honours Psychology (Arts and Business Co-op and Regular)
This academic plan combines the requirements of the Honours Arts and Business plan with those of the Honours Psychology BA plan.
Those enrolled in Honours Arts and Business Co-op or Regular in Year One may be considered for admission to the Honours Psychology Major at the end of Year One. Please refer to the Applying for a Psychology Major section above. Also refer to the Psychology Undergraduate Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html) for details regarding the requirements for writing work-term reports.
Arts and Business Majors who are admitted to Honours Psychology for the 2A term will pursue the degree in the Regular system of study or the Co-op system of study as described below:
- Those admitted to Co-op at the beginning of Year One or at the beginning of the 1B term will have the first of six four-month work terms at the end of Year One.
- Those admitted to Co-op at the beginning of the 2A term will have the first of five four-month work terms at the end of the 2A school term.
- Those admitted to Co-op at the beginning of the 2B term will have the first of four four-month work terms at the end of the 2B school term.
Continuation in Honours Psychology and Arts and Business Co-op or Regular requires a cumulative overall average of at least 60%, a cumulative Psychology average of at least 75%, and a cumulative Arts and Business average of at least 70%. Conditional standing may be granted for one academic term to students whose averages fall below these criteria.
Eligibility for graduation in the Honours Psychology and Arts and Business Co-op or Regular academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- Psychology Plan-level requirements:
- at least nine academic course units (18 courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative Psychology average of 75%, including:
- PSYCH 101
- Methodology Core – All of PSYCH 291, 292, 391, 492
Notes:
i) All students complete PSYCH 291 in the 2A term.
ii) Those in the Co-op system of study complete PSYCH 292 in 3A, 391 in 3B, and 492 in 4B.
iii) Those in the Regular system of study complete PSYCH 292 in 2B and 391 in 3A. Psych 492 will be taken in the 3B or 4B term. - Discipline Core – All of PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261
(Note: At least 4 of the 5 courses should be completed before taking PSYCH 391) - two Third- or Fourth-Year Research Methods Courses including:
- one Natural Science Research Methods Course from PSYCH 394, 396, 398, 483
- one Social Science Research Methods Course from PSYCH 393, 395, 397, 399, 484
Notes:
i) Students take one Research Methods Course concurrently with Psych 391 and one in the following school term.
ii) Those who are not doing the Honours Thesis (PSYCH 499A/B/C) may substitute PSYCH 465 (Applied Apprenticeship) or PSYCH 467 (Human Resources Apprenticeship) for one of the two required Research Methods Courses.
iii) Typically only one Research Methods Course is offered in the Spring term (e.g., PSYCH 394 or PSYCH 398). - two Advanced Psychology Courses (see Notes below),
- one Honours Psychology Seminar in third or fourth year from PSYCH 453, 454, 455, 457, 458, 461, 462, 463, 485
- three Psychology courses to be taken at the 300- and/or 400-level (see Notes below)
- Please refer to the Arts and Business section for details regarding those requirements.
See above for information regarding the Human Resources Management Specialization.
Notes
The same notes as given for Honours Psychology (e.g., a list of the Advanced Psychology courses and information regarding the Honours Thesis) apply to Honours Psychology Arts and Business Co-op or Regular.
Joint Honours Psychology
Joint Honours degrees combine the requirements of Honours Majors in two different disciplines. A Joint Honours academic plan with Psychology may be taken in combination with most Arts disciplines in which an Honours academic plan is offered or with many Honours majors in other Faculties. Please refer to Joint Honours in the BA Academic Plans section as well as the Psychology Undergraduate Student Handbook (www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/UG_Handbook.html) for further details.
Please refer to the Applying for a Psychology Major section above.
Continuation in Joint Honours Psychology requires a cumulative overall average of 60%, a cumulative Psychology average of 75%, and the minimum Major average requirement for the second Major. Conditional standing may be granted for one academic term to students whose averages fall below these criteria.
Eligibility for graduation in the Joint Honours Psychology academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements for the Home Faculty, including at least 20 academic course units. If the Home Faculty is Arts, see "BA Degree Requirements."
- Psychology Plan-level requirements:
- at least eight academic course units (16 courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative Psychology average of 75%. The Psychology course requirements are the same as those for Honours Psychology except that one of the nine academic course units (i.e., 2 of the 18 courses) in Psychology will be waived. The Psychology course requirements to be waived will be determined by the Psychology Undergraduate Office at the time of admission to the Major.
- Plan-level requirements for the second Major.
See above for information regarding Honours Psychology Co-op as well as the Human Resources Management Specialization for Honours Psychology Majors.
Notes
The same notes as given for Honours Psychology (e.g., a list of the Advanced Psychology courses, the residency requirements for the degree, and information regarding the Honours Thesis) apply to Psychology Majors who are pursuing Joint Honours (or Combination Honours if the Home Faculty is Mathematics) academic plans with Psychology.
Psychology Minor
Students enrolled in Honours or Four-Year General Majors in the Faculty of Arts, or in Honours Majors in other Faculties, may pursue a Minor designation in Psychology.
The Psychology Minor requires successful completion of a minimum of five academic course units (ten courses) in Psychology with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:
- PSYCH 101
- three of PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261 including at least one of PSYCH 207, 261
- one Advanced Psychology Course (see Notes below)
- five additional Psychology courses
Students who are pursuing the Psychology Minor academic plan should submit a Plan Modification/Application for Internal Transfer Form (www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/forms/PlanModification_wo.pdf) to the Psychology Department for approval prior to their final school term.
Notes
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The list of Advanced Psychology courses and information regarding the residency requirements are provided in the notes for Honours Psychology.
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Only Psychology labelled units (i.e., PSYCH) may be used towards the Psychology Minor requirements.
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No more than one of the five Psychology units (i.e., two of the ten courses) can be double counted towards the Psychology course requirements in Majors, Minors, or Options in other disciplines.