Psychology Major

Degree Requirements

All students are required to complete overall degree requirements in addition to their major.  Please see Degree Completion Requirements for full details for students entering in the 2022-2023 catalog year. 

Those students who started at Hiram prior to the 2022-2023 academic year will follow the Degree Requirements outlined in your catalog of record.

Major Requirements

Students considering psychology as a major or minor are encouraged to seek a mentor/advisor in the program before making any final decision. Note: At least 50% of major courses are to be completed at Hiram College, and must include at a minimum two content courses and one elective course. Petitions to allow transferred courses are to be approved by the program faculty.

Core Psychology Courses

All four courses are required. Students must earn a C- or better in all five courses to progress forward in the major. Students having earned a 3 or better on the AP Psychology exam may waive the PSYC 10100 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY requirement.

Psychology Area of Concentration and Breadth

Students are to choose a minimum of four courses from one of the two areas of concentration, and a minimum of two courses from the other areas to represent breadth in the discipline. Of this total of six courses, at least three are required to be at the 30000-level or higher.

Social Science Breadth

Students are to choose a minimum of any two (3-4 credits each) courses from the list to represent breadth in the knowledge and methodology of the social sciences. These courses were chosen to provide opportunities for contemporary intersections with applied psychological questions. Note that some courses may have prerequisites within their program.  Students may petition the program faculty for other courses not listed to count toward the social science breadth requirement.

Experiential Learning

Students are to choose at least one of the following opportunities to apply their developed psychology skill set (1-4 credits). Regardless of the option chosen, students must request program approval of their selection to count towards this requirement to ensure it meets the goals of the major.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Psychology Courses
PSYC 10100	GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY	4
PSYC 20100	CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY	1
PSYC 21000	RESEARCH DESIGN & ANALYSIS:SM	4
PSYC 48000	SENIOR SEMINAR	2
PSYC 48010	INTEGRATED RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY	2
Psychology Area of Concentration and Breadth
Select a minimum of four courses from one of the following areas of concentration, and a minimum of two courses from the other area (at least three courses at the 30000-level):		18-24
Applied Health and Disability Studies Concentration
PSYC 23500	SPORT/EXERCISE/PERFORM PSYC
PSYC 25300	HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 25000	DEVELOP ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN
PSYC 28000	SEM: (SPECIAL TOPIC)
EDUC/PSYC 32400	EXCEPTIONALITY:UD
PSYC 35500	ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 36100	INTRO COUNSEL/CLINCL PSYC:ES
PSYC 36700	DRUG USE AND ABUSE
INTD 30170	GIMPY GEEZERS:ABLEISM/AGEISM (TT)
INTD 32650	EXPLORE ABILITY&DISABILITY
Applied Social and Behavioral Studies Concentration
PSYC 21800	PERSONALITY
PSYC 22500	PSYCHOLOGY & FILM:ES
PSYC 24000	ANIMAL COGNITION
PSYC 28000	SEM: (SPECIAL TOPIC)
PSYC 31600	LEARNING THEORY METHOD/APP
PSYC 32700	BIOPSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 34400	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 43200	STEREOTYPING & PREJUDICE:UD
Social Science Breadth
Select a minimum of two of the following:		6-8
Biomedical Humanities, Public Health, and Nursing
(recommended for students interested in health care)
BIMD 28000	SEM: (COMPLEXITIES OF CARE AND CONFINEMENT)
BIMD 28000	SEM: (DISABILITY&AGING IN US CULTURE)
BIMD 34000	HEALTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE:ES
BIMD 35000	AUTOBIO,ILLNESS,EMBODIMENT:IM
BIMD 35600	HOW WE DIE:ES
BIMD 37500	ISSUES IN WOMEN'S HEALTH:ES
NURS 25000	DEVELOP ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN (Can be used in area of concentration or as social science breadth requirement.)
PUBH 20100	EPIDEMIOLOGY&BIOSTATISTICS:MM
Communication
(recommended for students interested in counseling)
COMM 22000	INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION:CA
COMM 22100	GROUP INTERACTION PROCESSES
COMM 22300	FAMILY COMMUNICATION:CA
COMM 22500	NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION:CA
COMM 28000	SEM: (Intro to Health Communication)
COMM 32400	GENDER COMMUNICATION:CA
Education
(recommended for students interested in school psychology)
EDUC 20900	UNIVERSAL DESIGN:UD
EDUC 23100	HUMAN GROWTH/DEVELOP/LRNG:UD
EDUC 29000	ETHICS OF COLLABORATION:ES
PSYC/EDUC 32400	EXCEPTIONALITY:UD (Can be used in area of concentration or as social science breadth requirement.)
EDUC 38700	PEDAGOGY AND INSTRUCTION
Integrative Exercise Science
(recommended for students interested in health, sport, and/or exercise psychology)
IES 10100	FOUNDATIONS EXERCISE SCIENCE
IES 21000	FITNESS & HEALTH PROMO/MGMT
IES 31300	PHYSIOLOGY OF AGING
Sociology
(recommended for students interested in social work and related areas)
SOCI 10500	LAW & SOCIETY:CA
SOCI 20100	SOCIAL PROBLEMS:ES
SOCI 22300	SOCIAL INEQUALITY
SOCI 22600	RACE & ETHNICITY IN AMERICA:UD
SOCI 24010	SEX AND GENDER IN SOCIETY:UD
SOCI 24500	SOC MOVEMENTS/COLLECTV BEHAVR
SOCI 26200	THE FAMILY
SOCI 36200	YOUTH AND SOCIETY:UD
or SOCI 36300	YOUTH AND SOCIETY:UD
Interdisciplinary
INTD 29900	WHAT IS HUMAN?:ES
INTD 30120	AGING, SEX & THE BODY
INTD 30210	NARRATIVE BIOETHICS:ES
INTD 38200	MENTAL/EMOTIONAL DISORDERS
INTD 39600	ENGAGED CITIZENSHIP
Other Social Science Course Options
BIOL 38000	SEM: (ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)
MGMT 11800	ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR:CA
Experiential Learning
Select at least one of the following:		1-4
PSYC 48100	INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
PSYC 49800	INTERNSHIP
Study Abroad - must be psychology or health field based. Examples include, but are not limited to:
INTD 25000	COMPARATIVE ISSUES ZAMBIA:EW
INTD 30130	INVADING OZ:EW
Service Learning
Total Hours		38-49

Program Honors

Majors will be encouraged by their mentor/advisor to do an internship or a research project. To be considered for program honors, a student must complete a minimum of 3 credit hours of internship (PSYC 49800 INTERNSHIP) or independent research (PSYC 48100 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH) under the supervision of a faculty member, and the experience and/or results must be presented to a public audience (e.g., regional conference, Sugar Day). Hours may be combined from multiple internships and/or independent research studies to reach the 3 credit hour criteria, and courses may also be taken P/NC. Any exceptions to these requirements must be discussed and agreed to by the program faculty.

Enrichment

We strongly recommend that majors enrich their background with an introductory course in computer programming, a field experience (PSYC 29800 FIELD EXPERIENCE) or internship (PSYC 49800 INTERNSHIP), an independent research project (PSYC 48100 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH) and/or special topics courses (PSYC 28000 SEM:, PSYC 28100 INDEPENDENT STUDY).

Additional Special Opportunities

We encourage students to assist with faculty research projects or to develop their own projects. The Hiram psychology program belongs to the Ohio Consortium for Undergraduate Psychology Conferences which meets every spring. We encourage students to present their research at this and other conferences.

The program has contacts with many social service agencies in the area. Students may arrange internships or field placements which provide an opportunity to work with youth, older adults, and special populations. These human services experiences can be arranged in many different contexts, from the criminal justice system to residential or out-patient treatment facilities.

Hiram is also a member of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, offering students opportunities to apply for various grants to support their scholarship and leadership in the field.

Pathway

Psychology Pathway 1

(For students enrolled in PSYC 10100 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY in the fall or for whom it has been waived)

PATHWAY NOTE: This is a recommended Major Pathway; individual pathways may vary. Advisor consultation is a vital part of timely
graduation.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall 12 Week		Hours
UCS 10101	FIRST-YEAR ENDURING QUESTIONS	4
PSYC 10100	GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY	4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement or Psychology area of concentration or breadth course if PSYC 10100 was waived (or completed) 1		4
	Hours	4
Spring 12 Week
UCS 20201	ADDRESSING URGENT QUESTIONS	4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
PSYC 2XXXX	Psychology area of concentration	4
	Hours	12
Spring 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	4
Second Year
Fall 12 Week
PSYC 21000	RESEARCH DESIGN & ANALYSIS:SM 1	4
PSYC 2XXXX Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	4
Spring 12 Week
PSYC 2XXXX - Psychology area of concentration course 1		4
PSYC 2XXXX Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	16
Spring 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
PSYC 20100	CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY	1
	Hours	4-5
Third Year
Fall 12 Week
PSYC 3XXXX - Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
Social Science Breadth course 1		3-4
	Hours	11-12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
UCS 30301	URGENT CHALLENGE SEMINAR:TT	4
PSYC 3XXXX - Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		3-4
Elective, Second Major, Minor course		4
	Hours	11-12
Spring 3 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
or Social Science Breadth course 1
	Hours	3-4
Fourth Year
Fall 12 Week
PSYC 48000	SENIOR SEMINAR 3	2
PSYC 48010	INTEGRATED RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY 1	2
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		4
	Hours	8
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
	Hours	10-12
Spring 3 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
	Hours	3-4
	Total Hours	120-129

¹

"Critical'' to timely degree progression.

²

If waived take Hiram Core Requirement

³

Students are to take 1-4 credits of an experiential learning opportunity (PSYC 49800 INTERNSHIP,  PSYC 48100 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH,
approved Study Abroad/Away, or approved Service Learning) to be connected with the Senior Capstone course.

Major Note: Students must earn a minimum grade of "C-" in PSYC 10100 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY, PSYC 21000 RESEARCH DESIGN & ANALYSIS:SM, PSYC 20100 CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, PSYC 48000 SENIOR SEMINAR, and PSYC 48010 INTEGRATED RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY.

Psychology Pathway 2

(For those students beginning PSYC 10100 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY in spring)

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall 12 Week		Hours
UCS 10101	FIRST-YEAR ENDURING QUESTIONS	4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
UCS 20201	ADDRESSING URGENT QUESTIONS	4
PSYC 10100	GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY	4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Spring 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	4
Second Year
Fall 12 Week
PSYC 21000	RESEARCH DESIGN & ANALYSIS:SM	4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
PSYC 2xxxx Psychology area of concentration course 1		4
PSYC 2xxxx Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Hiram Core Requirement		4
	Hours	12
Spring 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
PSYC 20100	CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY	1
	Hours	4-5
Third Year
Fall 12 Week
UCS 30301	URGENT CHALLENGE SEMINAR:TT	4
PSYC 2xxxx Psychology area of concentration course 1		4
Social Science Breadth course 2		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Hiram Core Requirement		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		4
PSYC 3xxxx Psychology area of concentration course 1		4
PSYC 3xxxx Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
	Hours	12
Spring 3 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Fourth Year
Fall 12 Week
PSYC 48000	SENIOR SEMINAR 3	2
PSYC 48010	INTEGRATED RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY 1	2
Social Science Breadth Course 2		4
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		4
	Hours	12
Fall 3 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
	Hours	3-4
Spring 12 Week
PSYC 3XXXX - Psychology area of concentration or breadth course 1		4
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		3-4
	Hours	10-12
Spring 3 Week
Elective, Second Major, Minor Course		4
	Hours	4
	Total Hours	121-129

¹

"Critical'' to timely degree progression.

²

Students are to take a minimum of two (3-4cr each) courses for breadth in the social sciences. See requirements for qualifying
courses.

³

Students are to take 1-4 credits of an experiential learning opportunity (PSYC 49800 INTERNSHIP, PSYC 48100 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH, approved Study Abroad/Away, or approved Service Learning) to be connected with the Senior Capstone
course.

⁴

If waived take Hiram Core Requirement.

Major Note: Major Note: Students must earn a minimum grade of "C-" in PSYC 10100 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY, PSYC 21000 RESEARCH DESIGN & ANALYSIS:SM, PSYC 20100 CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, PSYC 48000 SENIOR SEMINAR, and PSYC 48010 INTEGRATED RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY.