Please review the suggested guidelines for sequencing the major requirements that can be found following the BS requirements listing (click here to go directly to this information).

Requirements for students who entered Duke Fall 1995 or later are outlined below. Download and print a copy of the requirements and a checklist for majors here.

For the A.B. Degree
1. Distribution Requirement: Two introduction/survey courses.
a. Biological Basis (91) ____ or Cognitive (92)_____
and
b. Developmental (97) _____ or Personality/Social (99)_____
Normally, one of those courses will also be the Introductory/Survey course for
your area of concentration.

2. Concentration (depth requirement). You must take three or more courses in one of the four areas of specialization indicated above. One of these will be the introductory/survey course in the track (i.e. PSY 91, 92, 97 or 99) and the others must be upper level courses (over 100) in the same track.

Intro/Survey Course (name & # from 1 above) _______________________
Advanced Course (name & #)_______________________
Advanced Course (name & #) _______________________

3. Seminar requirement. One upper level (>139) seminar in psychology. It may also count as one of the two upper level courses required for the concentration. However, it does not have to be in your concentration. Seminars are identified by an S immediately after their course number. Note: Freshman seminars (PSY 49S and 100S) do not satisfy this requirement. (Students matriculating after Fall ‘98 must have BOTH a methods course and a seminar. The 180 series will not double as seminars for them.)

Seminar (name & #)____________________________________

4. Methods requirement. For acquaintance with the methodology of psychology, you are required to take either PSY 101 (Research Methods in Psychological Science) or a laboratory course (courses numbered 181-185).

5. Statistics. Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester, Psy 117 will be offered each semester and during the summer and is strongly recommended for fulfilling the psychology major statistics requirement. The following courses are also acceptable: MTH 136, STA 101, 102, 103, 110 112, 114, 200, 210 or 213. Other courses may be substituted only by the advance permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

6. Ten-course requirement. You must take a total of at least ten courses in psychology. PSY 117 (statistics) or equivalent (see list in Statistics above) counts as one of the ten. However no other course numbered <100 will count (e.g. 11 or 49S) since only two lower level courses are allowed toward the major, and these are accounted for by the two required Introduction and Survey courses. In addition, courses cross-listed with other departments (e.g., IDC 124, SOC 106) count, as long as you do not also use them to satisfy an extra departmental requirement (e.g., as a natural science course toward the B.S.)

_____Number of courses checked in 1 through 5 above
_____Number of other psychology courses (list below by name & #)
_____TOTAL (Must total at least 10)
______________________________ ______________________________
______________________________ ______________________________
______________________________ ______________________________

For the B.S. Degree
In addition to the requirements for the B.A., you need:

(a) Calculus (e.g. MTH 31 (or both MTH 25 and 26) and MTH 32 or AP credit)_______________( Must have completed the equivalent of MTH 32).

(b) Six (6) courses in natural science departments from at least two of the following departments: Biology, Biological Anthropology Courses classified as NS, Chemistry, Computer Science*, Mathematics*, Physics, Zoology.

* Courses in these departments must be 100 level or above.
At least 3 of these NS courses must be 100 level or above
__________________
>100__________________
__________________
>100__________________
__________________
>100__________________

At least one course that involves extensive laboratory or field work (for example, BIO 25L or CHM 11L, experimental methods or independent research).
Course and # ___________________________

Minor Requirements

Five psychology courses are required for the minor in Psychology. Three of those courses must be over 100.

1. Distribution Requirement. Two Introduction/Survey courses.
(a) One in the Biological (91)_____, or Cognitive (92)_____ area
and
(b) One in the Developmental (97)_____, or Personality/Social (99)_____ area.

2. Concentration (depth requirement). You must take three or more courses in one of these four areas of specialization indicated above. One of these will be the introductory/survey course in the track (PSY 91, 92, 97, 99) and the others must be upper level courses (over 100) in the same track.
Intro/Survey Course (name & # from 1 above)__________________
Advanced Course (name & #) ________________________
Advanced Course (name & #) ________________________

3. An elective. Any course numbered 100 or above.
Course and #________________________________________________

To provide students with flexibility in navigating the major, there are few courses which list "hard" prerequisites (e.g., courses that you are absolutely required to have taken before being permitted to enroll). In most cases, the prerequisites listed for particular courses are recommendations about prior course work that will provide important background knowledge for the course. Although it is therefore often possible to enroll in upper-level courses prior to having taken introductory courses in that area, it is strongly recommended that you complete the introductory courses first. If you ever have questions about your preparation for a particular course, please contact the course instructor to discuss it. The following two specific guidelines will help you to schedule a constructive progression of courses.

Complete the core courses (PSY91, 92, 97, 99) as soon as possible. These courses provide broad surveys of specific areas of Psychology, and will serve as a foundation to later courses. Indeed, some upper-level courses require completion of one or more of these survey courses as pre-requisites. If you wait to take these courses until late in your academic career:

• You may find the intermediate and upper level courses you take more difficult because of missing foundational material covered in the core courses.
• You may also find very little challenge (and hence, interest) in the completion of the core courses later on. Past students taking the core courses in the senior year have reported difficulty in maintaining motivation for these courses.

Complete the Statistics and Laboratory Methods requirements prior to upper-level seminars. The bulk of the readings assigned in seminar courses are recently published primary journal articles. In order to effectively digest these readings, it is important to have a solid understanding of experimental and quantitative methodology. By completing courses in Statistics and Laboratory Methods prior to enrolling in seminar courses, you will be better equipped to:

• Understand the data analysis presented in the papers.
• Identify possible confounds in the study's conclusions based on problems with experimental design.
• In addition, knowledge of these areas will be very important for students who plan to conduct their own research in an Independent Study class as a junior or senior. Thus, delaying taking these classes until senior year should be avoided whenever possible.