Psychology Department

Major - Psychology
Minor - Psychology

For Course Offerings and Program Requirements see The Hiram College Catalog.

   1. Which courses are for first year students who wish to explore new areas of interest, but have no clear intent to major in this area?

      First Year students should consider taking Psychology 101: General Psychology. The course is a survey course that introduces all of the major areas in the discipline. It is a prerequisite for most of the other courses in the department. Upon completion of the introductory course students may take a number of the 200 level courses that look at various topics in greater depth. They are also eligible to enroll in any of the Special Topics courses (Psyc 280) offered by the department. Several of these courses do not require Psychology 101.

      The department also offers a number of 600 level one-hour courses. Students may choose to work with handicapped children, in a nursery school, or with a geriatric population (STDV 640, 641, or 642).
   2. What is the desirable course work a prospective major/minor should complete by the end of their first year and the end of their second year?

      Majors: For majors, students should complete Psychology 101 and at least one other 200 level psychology course during their first year. Psychology 215 is a good choice because it provides background in the methodology of research, which is helpful in all of the advanced courses. Math 108 (Statistics) and Computer Science 165 (The Information Age and Computers) are also good choices for first year students. Majors must receive a grade of C or better in Psychology 101 and 215.
      By the end of the second year students should have completed the core requirements of Psychology 101, 215, 216 and Math 108. Students should discuss their selection of departmental distribution requirements with their departmental advisor.

      Minors: It is desirable to complete Psychology 101 and 215 by the end of their second year.
   3. What is the minimum a prospective major/minor must do by the end of their first and second year?

      Majors: By the end of their first year a student should have at least Psychology 101. Students may wait until their second year to begin the major. But this often results in loss of flexibility in fulfilling the core and distribution requirements.

      Minors: At least psychology 101 by the end of their second year.
   4. How important is it for a student with some interest in majoring in your area to make contact with a member of your department?

      While requirements for a major are listed in the catalogue, a member of the department may help with the sequencing of courses and the choices of correlatives. It is very important to seek advice on the selection of courses in the four distribution areas in the department.
   5. What are the major pitfalls a student should avoid during their first year and how can an adviser help the student avoid them?

      Postponing the statistics and methodology based courses. Students should try to take these courses early in their career.
   6. If I had a high school psychology course do I have to take the introductory course?

      The answer is usually yes. Many high school courses are often less rigorous than a college level course. If a student has had an AP course and a score of 4 or 5 they will receive credit for PSYC 101.