Psychology is a science that provides critical insights into human behavior. Psychologists investigate how behavior is modified in the face of psychiatric disorders or disease and how the brain gives rise to the rich tapestry of behaviors that govern our day-to-day experiences.
A psychology major gives you much career flexibility because of its emphasis on reasoning, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, research and writing. In addition to becoming a counselor or therapist, many students go into human resources, sales, marketing, business management, law, medicine, social work, real estate, social services, and more – all fields that require comprehensive knowledge of human behavior.
Many students go on to graduate school to pursue specialized training. This may lead to a career as a counselor, therapist, or research scientist. In most states, a master's degree is required to become a licensed practitioner. At UWM, our Psychology major can be tailored: the Bachelor of Arts route is ideal for students planning a career in human services while the Bachelor of Science route focuses on neuroscience and is well-suited for students looking to go into a graduate research program or medical school.
The version of the major that leads to a Bachelor of Arts can be completed entirely on-line if that is desired.
Psychology students at UWM have a distinct advantage – they can participate in research as undergraduates, sometimes even as soon as freshman year. In psychology labs, students work directly with faculty and graduate students on their current research projects, and sometimes contribute as co-authors to peer-reviewed presentations or publications. In addition, a number of psychology students complete Field Placements. The Field Placement is similar to an internship and permits students to step out of the traditional classroom setting and volunteer with a community organization that has a mission consistent with the psychology degree. In each case, our students acquire fundamental skills, have opportunities to explore and refine their interests, and establish meaningful connections that permit them to make informed decisions about their future pursuits.
Psychology Major Requirements
The Department of Psychology offers a major in psychology leading to either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Except for an advanced natural science credit requirement for the BS, the psychology requirements for the BS and BA degrees are the same; however, students should check the general requirements for the degree (e.g., general education requirements) carefully as they differ for the BA and BS. Students opting for the BS will need to complete at least 30 credits in approved advanced L&S natural science courses, at least 15 of which must be completed in Psychology.
Course of Study – Bachelor of Science Degree
Complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses and 30 of those 36 credits in designated L&S Advanced Natural Science courses.
The College requires that students complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major. The College also requires that students complete at least 30 credits overall in residence at UWM. For additional residency and transfer credit limitations, see L&S Undergraduate Policies and Regulations.
Students are also required to complete University-wide General Education Requirements and the specific L&S requirements listed below.
To complete a major, students must satisfy all the requirements of the major as stated in this catalog. Students who declare their majors within five years of entering the UW System as a degree candidate may satisfy the requirements outlined in any catalog issued since the time they entered. Credits used to satisfy the major also may be used to satisfy other degree requirements.
University General Education Requirements (GER)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral and Written Communication | ||
| Part A | ||
| Achieve a grade of C or better in the following course: | ||
| ENGLISH 102 | College Writing and Research (or equivalent) | |
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as OWC-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Quantitative Literacy | ||
| Part A | ||
| Earn at least 3 credits with a grade of C or higher in one of the following courses or an equivalent course, or achieve a placement code of at least 30 on the mathematics placement test (or other appropriate test, as determined by the Mathematical Sciences Department) | ||
| Mathematical Literacy for College Students II | ||
| Contemporary Applications of Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to College Algebra | ||
| Algebraic Literacy II | ||
| Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning 1 | ||
or PHILOS 111 | Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning | |
| College Algebra | ||
Or equivalent course | ||
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as QL-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Arts | ||
| Select 3 credits | 3 | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits (at least two courses including one lab) | 6 | |
| UWM Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Complete Foreign Language Requirement through: | ||
Two years (high school) of a single foreign language | ||
Two semesters (college) of a single foreign language | ||
Or equivalent | ||
| UWM Cultural Diversity Requirement | ||
| One course from the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences must also satisfy UWM's Cultural Diversity requirement | ||
- 1
Math 111 and Philosophy 111 are jointly offered and count as repeats of one another. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.
College of Letters & Science Requirements
The degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science build on the University General Education Requirements to provide a broad base of knowledge as well as an array of skills cited by employers as critical to professional success: critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication, ability to work well with others, and adaptability to change.
For the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), you must complete the UWM General Education Requirements as well as these L&S requirements: the International requirement, the Breadth requirement, and the Research requirement. The International requirement develops your potential for cross-cultural understanding in a globalizing world. The Breadth requirement ensures that you take classes in a wide variety of subjects, across humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Research requirement calls for you to build your critical thinking and oral and written communication skills through conducting an independent research project, usually in your major.
For the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) you will complete additional coursework in L&S Advanced Natural Science courses.
I. Total Credits and Upper-Division Courses Requirement
Students must complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
II. L&S Advanced Natural Sciences Requirement
For the Bachelor of Science, students must complete 30 credits of the 36 credits in upper-division courses in designated L&S Advanced Natural Science courses.
III. International Requirement
To meet the International Requirement, students must successfully complete some three course (minimum 9 credits) combination of
- language other than English (not including American Sign Language) at 3rd semester level or above, and/or
- non-language courses with L&S approved international content (see Courses Approved for the L&S International Requirement for course options).
IV. Breadth Requirement
In addition to completing the University General Education Requirements, L&S students must complete the Breadth requirement.
The L&S Breadth requirement calls for 6 credits each in L&S courses designated L&S Humanities, L&S Natural Sciences, and L&S Social Sciences breadth. One of the L&S Natural Science breadth courses must be a laboratory or fieldwork course. These courses must be beyond and in addition to courses in those areas used to satisfy General Education Requirements.
Please refer to the list of Courses Approved for the L&S Breadth Requirement.
V. The Major
The College requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. Individual departments or programs may require higher GPAs for graduation. Some departmental majors require courses from other departments. Contact your major department for information on whether those credits will count as part of the major GPA. The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major.
Research Requirement
Within their majors, students must complete a research experience approved by the L&S faculty. A list of courses satisfying the research requirement in each major can be found here.
VI. The Minor
Students are encouraged to consider completing a minor, but it is not required. To complete a minor, the College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the minor attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all minor credits attempted, including any transfer work. The minor must contain at least 9 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) courses.
Psychology Major Requirements
The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. The undergraduate major consists of at least 32 credits in psychology, at least 15 of them at the advanced level (300 or above) taken in residence at UWM, including the following core courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| PSYCH 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Psychological Statistics | ||
Or other statistics course as approved by department | ||
| PSYCH 254 | Introduction to Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYCH 325 | Research Methods in Psychology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Personality | ||
| Current Topics in Psychology: | ||
| Introduction to Conditioning and Learning | ||
| Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology: Psychological Perspectives | ||
| Child Psychology | ||
| Upper-Level Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 16-17 | |
Select one advanced laboratory course and four Systems and Foundations courses (16 credits) | ||
Select two advanced laboratory courses and three Systems and Foundations courses (17 credits) | ||
| Total Credits | 32-34 | |
Research Experience
The College of Letters and Science requires that students complete a research experience in their major. The Department of Psychology has structured its advanced laboratory courses to satisfy that requirement. In these laboratory courses, students run multiple experiments, collect and analyze data quantitatively, and write up the results in a standard journal article format, integrating the results with a critical survey of relevant professional literature. The Systems and Foundations courses are non-laboratory, upper-level courses designed to provide in-depth knowledge on specific topics in psychology. Students are welcome to take additional Systems and Foundations courses as electives.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 502 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 4 |
| PSYCH 505 | Cognitive Processes | 4 |
| PSYCH 623 | Perceptual Processes | 4 |
| PSYCH 654 | Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience | 4 |
| PSYCH 656 | Psychophysiology | 4 |
| PSYCH 660 | Experimental Child Psychology | 4 |
| PSYCH 677 | Experimental Social Psychology | 4 |
Cross-Listed Courses
The following courses offered by other academic units may be used to fulfill requirements of the undergraduate major in psychology:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIO SCI 455 | Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology | 3 |
| BUS ADM 442 | Industrial Psychology | 3 |
Psychology BA/BS Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the Psychology BA or BS programs will be able to:
- Identify and explain key concepts, theoretical perspectives, and scientific findings from major subfields of psychology.
- Articulate the practical value of psychological science in the workplace and to modern society.
- Demonstrate competence in scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
- Communicate complex ideas clearly, effectively, and succinctly across a wide range of mediums.
- Translate academic skills to the workforce, graduate, or professional education in service of making positive contributions to local communities.
Letters & Science Advising
During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors and success coaches. Letters & Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional college advisors and faculty advisors. L&S college advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental faculty advisors focus on the major.
College advisors are located in Holton Hall (or virtually for online students) and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College advisors will:
- Assist you in defining your academic and life goals.
- Help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals.
- Assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures.
- Provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate.
- Monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.
Faculty advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a faculty advisor when you declare your major. Faculty advisors are an important partner and will:
- Help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department.
- Explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences.
- Serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.
Students are encouraged to meet with both their college advisor and faculty advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video.
Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate360 website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.
Honors in the Major
Psychology majors who meet the following criteria are awarded Honors in the Major:
- A 3.000 cumulative GPA on all credits attempted;
- A 3.500 GPA on all credits that count toward the major; and
- A 3.500 GPA on all advanced credits that count toward the major.
College of Letters and Science Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.