Department of Psychology | McGill University

The major concentration for Arts students is intended to provide students with a basic knowledge in Psychology while completing a multi-track, interdisciplinary degree. A major concentration must be combined with a program in another discipline, either another major concentration, or one or two minor concentrations. These students are advised to complete an honours program or to combine the major concentration with a minor concentration in Behavioral Science. The major concentration alone is not sufficiently focused to prepare students for graduate study in Psychology. However, the major concentration alone may be of interest to those who plan to pursue a profession in other fields, such as law, medicine, management or education and to those who plan to apply for multidisciplinary graduate programs, for example cognitive science, criminology or the social studies of medicine. It will also be of interest to students whose current desire is to obtain a broad undergraduate education.

Arts students who have been admitted to a 90 to 96 credit program and those who have completed their freshman year and are now declaring a psychology program, will select one of the three multi-track program options outlined below.

Option A:

Major Concentration          36 credits
Minor Concentration          18 credits
Electives                            36 credits

Major Concentration          36 credits
Major Concentration          36 credits
Electives                            18 credits

Major Concentration          36 credits
Minor Concentration          18 credits
Minor Concentration          18 credits
Electives                            18 credits

There must be at least two different disciplines represented in any option. In other words, under option A, the minor cannot be in the same discipline as the major and under option B, the two majors must be from separate disciplines. Under option C, the second minor concentration may be in the same discipline as the major concentration or as the first minor concentration, but all three concentrations cannot be in the same discipline. The electives may be selected from among any of the courses in the faculties of Arts and Science described in the McGill Calendar, provided the prerequisites have been met. Please see the section entitled Important Information Regarding Elective Courses.

Bachelor of Arts students in the multi-track major program who intend to apply to graduate studies in psychology are advised to select option C and register for a second Minor Concentration in Behavioral Sciences. The combination of the 36-credit major concentration in Psychology with the 18 credit minor concentration in Behavioral Science would provide sufficient preparation for graduate studies, provided the appropriate courses are completed (for more information, please consult the section entitled Graduate Study Please note that the minor in Behavioral Science may only be selected under Option C. A first minor in a discipline outside of Psychology must also be selected.

Bachelor of Arts students who intend to pursue graduate studies in other disciplines (e.g. Management, law, medicine, human communication sciences, etc.) may prefer options A or B, since these provide the student with the opportunity for a broader multi disciplinary education, as does option C with both minors selected from fields outside of psychology.

Arts students admitted into a degree program requiring fewer than 90 credits must also complete one of the three options described above, but exemption may be granted for courses taken elsewhere that are equivalent to those required by a program, to a maximum of 12 credits towards a major concentration, 6 credits towards a minor concentration and 18 credits towards an honours program. For example, a student who is accepted into a 60-credit degree would normally be required to complete 36 required credits for the psychology major concentration, 18 required credits for a minor concentration and 6 elective credits. However if this student had previously completed 9 credits equivalent to those required by the psychology major concentration, then only the remaining 27 required credits must be completed. In this case, there will be 15 elective credits; in other words, it is still necessary to complete all 60 credits in order to obtain the Bachelor of Arts. The equivalence of courses is determined upon consultation with the academic advisor of the relevant department. Arts students admitted into a 60-75 credit degree may apply directly into the honours program. For more information, consult the section entitled Honours Program.

PSYC 204* Introduction to Psychological Statistics
PSYC 211 Intro. Behavioural Neuroscience
PSYC 212 Perception
PSYC 213 Cognition
PSYC 215 Social Psychology
PSYC 305 Statistics for Experimental Design

* Equivalent statistics courses in CEGEP: Students who have completed both Quanitative Methods 360-300 and Mathematics 201-300 with a minimum grade of 75% in both courses, or those who have completed either math 201-307 or 201-337 with a minimum grade of 75%, will be exempt from PSYC 204. These students must replace this requirement by completing three credits at the 300 level in one of the following disciplines: Psychology, Anthropology, Linguistics or Sociology.

Complementary courses (18 credits)
3 credits in Psychology from List A
3 credits in Psychology from List B
12 credits in Psychology, at least 6 credits at the 400 or 500 level

Students who wish to apply to the honours program must complete PSYC 204, PSYC 211, PSYC 212, PSYC 213, and PSYC 215 in the U1 year. Students who have been exempted from PSYC 204 are advised to complete PSYC 305 in U1. Students must also complete a minimum of 27 graded credits during the fall and spring semesters in order to be eligible to apply for the honours program.

Honours in Psychology prepares students for graduate study, and so emphasizes practice in the research techniques used in graduate school and professionally later on. Students are accepted into Honours at the beginning of their U2 year, and the two-year sequence of Honours courses continues through U3. Admission to Honours is selective. There is normally room for 48-50 new Honours students each year. Students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply, however during the past several years it has been possible to accept a maximum of 48-50 students with averages above 3.5 based on a 27-30 graded credit program over two terms. Once in the Honours program, students must obtain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the U2 year in order to continue in the program for U3. Students in the Honours program are advised to complete 27 graded credits per academic year (fall and winter semesters), and those who intend to apply for admission to the Honours program are required to do so. Students with particularly strong academic records may be admitted for the U3 year only on the basis of their marks and research experience. These students must complete all honours program requirements.

Students should note that awarding of the Honours degree will depend on both cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and a minimum grade of "B" on (PSYC 380D1/PSYC 380D2, PSYC 482). "First Class Honours" is awarded to students who obtain a minimum CGPA of 3.5 and a minimum grade of A- in the required Honours courses namely PSYC 380D1/D2, PSYC 482. "Honours" is awarded to students with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and a grade of B in the required Honours courses, namely PSYC 380D1/D2, PSYC 482. Moreover, the awarding of the Honours degree normally requires completion of two full years of study, U2 and U3, in the Psychology Department.

Applications for the Honours program can be obtained from the Undergraduate Program Secretary of the Department of Psychology in room N7/9 of the Stewart Biological Sciences Building. Applications must be completed and returned to the Undergraduate Secretary by the last Friday in July. Candidates will be advised of the department's decision through email and by a notice posted in front of the Undergraduate Advisor's office (N7/9) before classes begin in September.

The Honours program in psychology requires the completion of 60 credits (including the U1 requirements). Arts students must also complete a second concentration, either major (36 credits) or minor (18 credits) in another discipline. Any remaining credits are electives. Please see the section entitled Important Information Regarding Elective Courses.

Students must submit an application to the honours program upon completion of their U1 year.

U1 or U2 Required Course (3 credits)
PSYC 305 (Fall or Winter) Statistics for Experimental Design

U2 required Course (9 credits)
PSYC 380D Honours Research Project and Seminar

U3 required Courses (3 credits)
PSYC 482 Advanced Honours Seminar

Complementary courses (30 credits)
12 credits to be selected from:
PSYC 403 Modern Psychology in Historical Perspective
PSYC 483 Seminar in Experimental Psychology
PSYC 495 Psychology Research Project 2 (6 credits)
PSYC 496 Senior Honours Research 1 (6 credits)
PSYC 497 Senior Honours Research 2 (6 credits)
PSYC 498D Senior Honours Research (9 credits)
Any Psychology course at the 500 level.

6 credits in Psychology from List A
6 credits from Psychology from List B

6 credits at the 300 level, or higher, chosen from the following disciplines: Psychology, Anthropology, Linguistics, Sociology.

Joint Honours - Psychology Component (36 credits)

Students may apply to the Joint Honours Component upon completion of the U1 year. Eligible students must have completed the following Psychology courses, PSYC 204, PSYC 211, PSYC 212, PSYC 213 and PSYC 215. Students who have been exempted from PSYC 204 due to previous studies must complete PSYC 305. Admission to the Joint Honours Component is selective. Students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher are eligible to apply; however, normally only students with a U1 GPA above 3.50 based on a 27-30 graded credit program are admitted. Once in the Joint Honours Component, students must obtain a GPA of 3.00 in the U2 year in order to continue in the program for U3. Students in the Joint honours Component are required to complete 27 graded credits per academic year (Fall and Winter terms) and those who intend to apply for admission to the Joint Honours Component should do so as well.

"First Class Honours" is awarded to students who obtain a minimum CGPA of 3.50 and a minimum grade of A- in the required honours courses, namely PSYC 380D1/D2 and PSYC 482. "Honours" is awarded to students with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and a minimum grade of B in the required honours courses, namely PSYC 380D1/D2, PSYC 482.

Students must submit an application to the Joint Honours Component upon completion of their U1 year.

U1 or U2 Required Course (3 credits)
PSYC 305 (Fall or Winter) Statistics for Experimental Design

U2 required Course (9 credits)
PSYC 380D1/D2 Honours Research Project and Seminar

U3 required Courses (3 credits)
PSYC 482 Advanced Honours Seminar

Complementary Courses (6 credits)
3 credits in Psychology at the 300 level or above
3 credits in Psychology at the 400 or 500 level.

The minor concentration in Behavioral Science requires the completion of 18 credits, and no overlap is permitted with other concentrations or programs. This minor concentration is available only to students registered in Option C with a major concentration in Psychology. This is a non- expandable second minor concentration. Students must also register for a first minor concentration in another field. The minor concentration in Behavioral Science is intended for students in the major concentration who wish to apply for graduate studies in Psychology. The combination of both the major concentration in Psychology and the minor concentration in Behavioral Science fulfills the bachelor's level requirements for registration in the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec and can also provide an adequate preparation for graduate studies, provided the appropriate courses are selected and that an acceptable grade point average is maintained (Graduate Study).

3 additional credits in Psychology from List A
3 additional credits in Psychology from List B
3 credits in Psychology at the 400 or 500 level
9 credits at the 300 level or higher chosen from the following disciplines: Psychology, Anthropology, Linguistics, Sociology.

A course in Introductory Psychology (PSYC 100) is a prerequisite for all Psychology courses except PSYC 204 and PSYC 305. Therefore students who have not previously completed a course in Introductory Psychology in university or CEGEP (350-101 or 350-102) will be required to do so if they choose to register for the Minor Concentration in Psychology.

6 credits selected from:
   PSYC 204* Introduction to Psychological Statistics
   PSYC 211    Intro. Behavioural Neuroscience
   PSYC 212    Perception
   PSYC 213    Cognition
   PSYC 215    Social Psychology