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- Psychology Undergraduate Program
Psychology Undergraduate Program
A Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology (B.S.) provides students with the first level of education required to pursue careers in more specialized fields. Students deciding to major in other areas find that a minor in psychology can be very helpful.
Major Requirements
The major requires 39 hours (pre-Fall 2020) or 42 hours (post-Fall 2020); electives are available in developmental, social, experimental, and clinical psychology.
- B.S. in Psychology Eight-Semester Plan
- Psychology Major Fact Sheet
- Psychology Major Checklist pre Fall 2020
- Psychology Major Checklist post Fall 2020
- Psychology Major Catalog Listing
Minor in Psychology
The minor requires 18 hours total, including:
- PSY 150 - General Psychology Credits: (3)
- 15 hours of Psychology electives.
For a list of electives take a look at the Psychology Major Checklist above. Electives are subject to change.
Transfer Students
If you graduate from a North Carolina Community College then you will arrive at Western with only three things to complete before you graduate. You can and typically will graduate in four semesters.
- You need to earn 56 more credits to graduate with 120 credits. Every course in which you earned a C or better will transfer into Western.
- You need 42 credits for the Psychology major. Depending on which courses you took at your community college you may transfer in four of the fifteen required courses and all of your psychology courses that transfer to Western can be electives if they don’t meet a requirement.
- You need to complete the requirements for a minor, between 18 and 24 credits, or work with your advisor to design an approved program instead of a minor. Courses that transfer to Western can count toward a minor or be included in an approved program.
Psychology Scholarships and Awards
Presented annually to the outstanding senior psychology major. Recipients of this award have demonstrated:
- Excellence in classroom scholarship
- Scholarly activities, activities outside the classroom such as involvement in research, conference participation, or other creative endeavors,
- Other psychology-related activities: internship or volunteer work, participation in the psychology Club and/or Psi Chi, committee service, or other contributions to the department and university.
Presented to the psychology major that has shown excellence in the area of research. This student also receives a monetary award and his or her name on a plaque. Recipients are selected using the following criteria:
- Involvement in research; active involvement in research projects with one or more faculty members over at least a year’s period
- Recognition: recognition of the students’ research activities through publication or presentation of research findings at professional meetings.
Awarded for unusual service to the Department of Psychology by a student who has a major, minor, concentration, or disciplinary focus area in psychology. The criteria for the award include:
- Involvement: active service in professional affairs such as the Psychology Club, Psi Chi, other honor societies at the university, tutoring, community work, advisement, etc.
- Volunteerism: volunteer work in the organization of the department, including maintenance of labs, classrooms, bulletin boards, the Cecil Mann Library, care of plants, production of newsletters, and contact with prospective students at the department, school or university levels.
This scholarship award was established to honor the memory of Linda Elaine Glenn, who was a student at WCU majoring in Psychology in the College of Education and Allied Professions. Entering and continuing junior and senior female students majoring in psychology or education are eligible for the scholarship. Preference will be given to students majoring in psychology. Candidates must meet all general university admission requirements or be current student in good standing. The amount of the award varies. Recipients are selected on the basis of: overall ability, past achievement, potential for development in the field of psychology, and other criteria that ensure selection of recipients who possess trait of character like those of Ms. Glenn.
This scholarship award was established to honor the memory of Hedy White, a Psychology Professor at WCU, and her daughter, Vanessa. Preference given to undergraduate or graduate students in Psychology, with financial need, in good standing with WCU and having no sanctions at the time of award.
Contact
Dr. Annie Wilson
Undergraduate Advising and
Recruitment Coordinator
Phone: 828.227.2938
Email: amwilson@wcu.edu