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COURSE CATALOGUE

PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology
415 Milbank Hall 
854-2069 
www.barnard.edu/psych

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

The student majoring in Psychology is exposed to the diversity of the discipline through the required core courses and the selection of appropriate electives.

Eight courses in Psychology (of which two must be lab courses) and three courses in related disciplines are required for the major. Six of the eight required Psychology courses must be taken at Barnard College.*

Students must take:

Students must take one course from each group, of which two must be laboratory courses:

Group A

Group B

Group C

Three additional elective courses are required. Students may take more than one course in each group.

Students who have passed either the Advanced Placement exam in psychology with a score of 4 or 5, or the International Baccalaureate exam with a score of 5 or higher are exempt from PSYC BC 1001.  They will need an extra elective to achieve the eight psychology courses required for the major (or the five courses required for the minor).

Economics minors and double-majors can satisfy the requirement with ECON BC 2411. Students that declared their major in psychology prior to the 2008-2009 academic year may satisfy the major statistics requirement with STAT W 1111 or W 1211 in lieu of PSYC BC 1101. Those who take an outside course cannot also receive credit for PSYC BC 1101. They will also need an extra psychology elective to achieve the eight psychology courses required for the major (or the five courses required for the minor).  Students should consult with the Department Representative before enrolling in any other statistics course, as it may not be accepted towards the major or minor.

The eight required psychology courses must be taken for a letter grade. Students must earn a grade of C- or better.  A maximum of two of the following courses may count toward the major (or minor): BC 3465, BC 3466, BC 3591, BC 3592, and BC 3599.

The three required courses in related disciplines should be distributed in this manner: one-year course sequence in a science, both semesters accompanied by a three-hour laboratory section (astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, or physics); and one course from the cognate disciplines (anthropology, computer science, economics, linguistics, philosophy, or sociology).  A student may fulfill the outside lab science requirement if she receives a 4 or 5 on the AP exam in biology, chemistry, environmental science, or physics and completes one semester of lab in the same field. These courses in related disciplines may be taken for a letter grade or P/D/F. Students must earn a grade of C- or better, or a P.

Students cannot receive credit for courses taken elsewhere overlapping substantially with courses taken at Barnard. They should consult with the Department regarding Columbia offerings that overlap and should request Departmental approval for any course taken at an unaffiliated institution.

Senior Requirement

Included among the eight courses required for the major is a Senior Requirement.

Students fulfill the Senior Requirement by completing one of the following courses during their senior year. The course may be taken during the junior year with prior approval by the major advisor and the Departmental Representative of a written petition outlining rationale for early completion.

(a) BC 3599, Individual Projects (3 or 4 points);

(b) BC 3591x, 3592y Senior Research Seminar; or

(c) any 3000-level BC psychology seminar approved by a Psychology Adviser.

Majors may elect to fulfill their Senior Requirement with a Columbia Psychology Department Seminar or Supervised Individual Research. Those who elect this option may complete the major with five of the eight required courses at Barnard.

When in doubt, the student should consult with her major adviser, whom she should select when she decides to major in Psychology. The student should select the appropriate adviser by consulting with the Departmental Representative.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR

Five courses are required for the minor, including Psychology BC 1001, BC 1101, and one laboratory course chosen from the groups listed for the major. Two additional electives, excluding Psychology BC 3465–BC 3466, BC 3591–BC 3592, and BC 3599, are required. These electives may be selected from the Psychology Department course offerings. Three of the five psychology courses must be taken at Barnard.  Exemptions and substitutions are as noted above for the major.

*Students who complete an approved Columbia psychology seminar or independent study in their senior year may count this course as one of their six required Barnard courses (see Senior Requirement).

Printable Version

Barnard Catalogue 2009-2010