Mar 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Psychology B.A., with Advanced Research Experience in Psychology Concentration


Psychology B.A.


TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120
Plans of Study
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology offers students a well-rounded liberal arts education, relevant to many areas of study both inside and outside of the social and behavioral sciences. The program provides excellent training for qualified students who wish to pursue graduate work in such disciplines as Clinical, Cognitive and Neural Sciences or Industrial Psychology, Education, Gerontology, Counseling, Management, Medicine, Law, and other human service programs. The undergraduate program emphasizes the breadth of psychology while allowing students electives to pursue a particular aspect of the field in-depth.

University Admissions - College of Arts and Sciences


Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

For Admission information specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, see the information at College of Arts and Sciences .

Progression Requirement - College of Arts and Sciences


Department of Psychology students are expected to complete their major coursework in a timely fashion. Students who receive a total of three (3) D and/or F grades in Psychology major coursework will no longer be eligible to continue in the Psychology major and will be required to change their major to a field outside of the Department of Psychology. Grade forgiveness will not exclude a D or F grade from counting for this rule.

Students who began as Psychology majors prior to Fall 2012 will be provided a phase-in period. Specifically, students who accumulated D and/or F grades in Psychology coursework at USF prior to Fall 2012 will be allowed to count any and all prior non-pass grades as one (1) D/F grade. Beginning Fall 2012, these students can still receive two (2) more D and/or F grades at USF before being required to choose a new major.

Once Psychology major students have received three (3) D and/or F grades in Psychology major coursework, they will be removed from all Department of Psychology courses for which they are currently registered, removed from the Psychology major and placed into a non-major code, and emailed the notice of changes to their “@usf.edu” account. Students will then need to select a new major, declare the new major with the appropriate college, and register for courses which apply to their new major.

The D/F Rule application is final and effective from the beginning of Fall 2012. To be considered for an appeal, a student must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Can (and must) complete all degree or minor requirements within one semester, with no more than ten (10) hours of Psychology area requirements.
  • No longer have 3 D/F grades because the Academic Regulations Committee approved a late withdrawal/drop for one or more of the Psychology courses.
  • No longer have 3 D/F grades because of an instructor change of grade in one or more of the Psychology area courses.

To appeal, students must send an email to psychadvise@usf.edu, and in the Subject line indicate D/F Appeal. The body of the email should then include the student’s full name, U#, and a complete explanation of the reason for the appeal. Appeals will be adjudicated by the Undergraduate Coordinator and students notified of results by email.

Undergraduate Coordinator decisions may be appealed in writing to the Psychology department’s Undergraduate Program Committee.

Graduation Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Satisfactory completion of the following requirements:

  • Students must complete all State and University level graduation requirements.
  •  Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in USF coursework. Note: Some Departments/program/major require a higher GPA. Students should refer to Department/program/major specific catalog requirements.
    • The College may approve an exception when a student has successfully earned the minimum grade required for all courses applied in the major but does not have a major GPA of 2.0.
  • Physical Education coursework is limited to two (2) semester hours.
  • ROTC courses that are primarily physical training and field experiences will not be applied to College of Arts and Sciences degree programs. All other military Science coursework will apply, in particular, coursework utilized toward completing an established ROTC minor will be applied to the total hours toward degree. 
  • When earning a second degree, double major or concurrent degree, the Major Core and Major Elective/Concentration areas of the degree audit must not overlap for both degrees.  All other areas of the degree audit may have overlapping credit hours applied.
  • Maximum of 20 hours of S/U option. S/U contracts must be negotiated in writing within the first three (3) weeks of the term. None of the 20 credits may be taken in the student’s major unless S/U is the only grading option. Coursework fulfilling the General Education Core Curriculum Requirements and the State Communication Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Writing) and State Computation Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Math) may not be taken S/U.
  • The Audit option is available only during the first 5 days of classes.
  • Complete all major course requirements.
  • College of Arts and Sciences students are expected to complete a minimum of 50% of their major and/or minor coursework in residence at USF. Some College of Arts and Sciences Departments/programs/majors have established additional major course hours to be taken in residency at USF. See the major or program section of the catalog for these credit-hour requirements.

State Mandated Common Prerequisites - Psychology B.A.


Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program. 

Transfer students should complete the State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of the common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

  • BSC X0XX or BSC X20X or ZOO X010 - 3 credit hours
  • PSY X012 - 3 credit hours 
  • PSY XXXX or CLP XXXX or DEP XXXX or EAB XXXX or EXP XXXX or INP XXXX or PCO XXXX or PPE XXXX or PSB XXXX or SOP XXXX - 3 credit hours
  • STA XXXX - 3 credit hours

Required Courses: (31 credit hours)


Other Required Courses: 5 courses; 15 credit hours


After the introductory Psychology requirements have been successfully met (PSY 3204 - Psychological Statistics  or the specific equivalent courses - STA 2023 , STA 2122 , or QMB 2100 ), students may choose among courses within the following categories to satisfy this requirement.

Note:  ** Indicates courses requiring PSY 3213 - Research Methods in Psychology .

Cognitive and Neural Sciences (2 courses; 6 credit hours)


Methods Course (1 course; 3 credit hours)


Social/Applied Psychology (2 courses; 6 credit hours)


General Psychology Program or Concentration Requirement


Students complete a General Psychology program of study OR one of the two concentrations: 

Advanced Research Experience in Psychology Concentration (9 credit hours)


Notes:  * Indicates a course requiring enrollment of 3 credit hours.  ** Indicates courses requiring PSY 3213 - Research Methods in Psychology .

Concentration Core Course: 1 course; 3 credit hours


Concentration Elective Courses: 2 courses; 6 credit hours


Additional Information - Psychology B.A.


Other Requirements


PSY 3204  or any other approved statistics course is the prerequisite to PSY 3213 .  After the introductory Psychology requirements have been successfully met, students may choose among courses within the following categories to satisfy this requirement.

No more than a total of three (3) credit hours of the following courses may count toward the major:

Notes: * Indicates a course requiring enrollment of 3 credit hours. ** Indicates courses requiring PSY 3213 .

The following courses do not count toward the major requirements:

GPA Requirements


Major GPA (All USF courses which are applied to major requirements):  2.0
General Education GPA (All USF courses which are applied to General Education requirements):   2.0
USF GPA:  2.0
Overall GPA 2.0

Grading Requirements


A grade of C- or higher must be attained in each course in the major, except for PSY 2012 PSY 3204  (or other qualifying statistics course) and PSY 3213 , where a C or better is required. Will vary by area.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in the common prerequisite courses

Note:  Some USF courses have higher grade criteria to meet prerequisite knowledge necessary for progression into higher level courses.

Residency Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Department Major Academic Residency Requirement - At least 16 hours of the major coursework must be completed at USF.

College of Arts and Sciences Major Academic Residency Requirement - 50% of major must be completed at USF.

USF Academic Residency Requirement - 30 of the last 60 hours earned must be from USF.

Research Opportunities - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914  course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.

Optional Honors Program - Department of Psychology


The purpose of the Honors Program is to provide a select group of qualified undergraduate Psychology majors an opportunity to undertake an intensive individualized research experience. The culmination of the Honors Program is the completion and defense of an honors thesis. Application for the program will take place during the first semester of the student’s junior year or, typically, prior to completion of 90 semester credits. Admission to the program is competitive and based on the student’s overall academic record, performance in psychology courses, a letter of recommendation from a member of the Department of Psychology’s faculty, agreement of a faculty member to serve as the thesis advisor, and strong performance in the Discovering Research in Psychology course, if offered.

Successful completion of the program requires:

Please see the Department of Psychology’s website (http://psychology.usf.edu) for details and the application form.

Advising Information - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate Advising Information

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Advising Team provides students with support to create timely graduation plans that will integrate both their academic and professional goals.  Each of our undergraduate programs has dedicated professional advisors with specialized knowledge and understanding of the major requirements, course offerings, undergraduate research, and career opportunities in their field.  Additionally, we have dedicated pre-health and prelaw advisors to help students prepare for admission to professional graduate programs.

 

CAS Academic Advisor Contact information can be found here: CAS Advisors

To schedule an advising appointment: Advising Appointments