Skip to main content

Department of Psychology

Major & Minor

Explore and Discover. Psychology is the scientific study of brain, behavior, and beliefs. Have you ever wondered how people came to be the way they are? Why people act differently when they are with others? How the brain accomplishes the mundane feats of body movement, attention, memory, and language? Psychological science answers these and many more questions about how people think, feel, and act.

Major | Minor | Major/Minor Declaration

Psychology Major: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science

The Department of Psychology offers two programs of study for students who desire a broad background in contemporary psychology, as well as an Honors Program for exceptional students. The department offers a wide variety of opportunities for undergraduates to gain active research experience alongside leading faculty. Such research experience is considered a fundamental aspect of education in psychological science.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

The Psychology major for the Bachelor of Arts degree provides students with a flexible pathway that allows them to complete major requirements easily and helps them explore interdisciplinary interests.  The goal is to meet the needs of the broad interests of students studying Psychology while also providing a strong foundation in the primary methods and breadth of topics that constitute Psychological science.

Total: 30 credit hours

Fundamental courses: 2 courses from below (6 credit hours)

  • PSY 2100: Quantitative Methods (or PSY-PC 2110)
  • PSY 2150: Principles of Experimental Design

Distribution courses: choose 3 courses from below (9 credit hours)

  • NSC 1400: Neuroscience
  • PSY 2230: Sensation & Perception
  • PSY 2220: Cognitive Psychology
  • PSY 2210: Social Psychology
  • PSY 2200: Abnormal Psychology
  • PSY-PC 1250: Developmental Psychology

PSY Electives: 15 credit hours of coursework in PSY or PSY-PC courses.

NOTE: PSY 1200 General Psychology is no longer required for the major, but will count as a PSY Elective for the B.A. major.

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

The Psychology major for the Bachelor of Science degree provides students with the skills needed to pursue investigation in Psychological science and overlapping fields, such as computational modeling and health sciences. This major is intended for students with a primary interest in psychology, including those who may be interested in pursuing graduate work in the psychology or related fields. This Psychology major has requirements in quantitative, computational, methodological, and research-related coursework.

Total: 33 credit hours

Introductory Coursework (includes Quantitative/Computational & Natural Sciences): 3 courses total

Quantitative/Computational requirement: choose 1 course from below

  • MATH 1100, 1200, 1300 or higher (Calculus)
  • DS 1000 Data Science: How Data Shape our World
  • DS/CS 1100 Applied Programming and Problem Solving with Python
  • CS 1101 Programming and Problem Solving in Java

Natural Sciences requirement: choose 2 courses with any of these course codes

  • BSCI, BCB, CHEM, CSET, NSC, or PHYS except BSCI 1400 and any 1111 course.

NOTE: These course requirements do not count as credit hours toward the major.

Fundamental courses: 2 courses (6 credit hours)

  • PSY 2100: Quantitative Methods (or PSY-PC 2110)
  • PSY 2150: Principles of Experimental Design

Distribution courses: 4 courses (12 credit hours)

Choose 2 from

  • NSC 1400: Neuroscience
  • PSY 2230: Sensation & Perception
  • PSY 2220: Cognitive Psychology

Choose 2 from

  • PSY 2210: Social Psychology
  • PSY 2200: Abnormal Psychology
  • PSY-PC 1250: Developmental Psychology

Advanced Quantitative or Computational Course: choose 1 course from below (3 credit hours)

  • PSY 3101: Computational Statistics (new course to be offered in Spring 2027)
  • PSY 4218: Computational Cognitive Modeling
  • PSY 4219: Scientific Computing for Psychological and Brain Science
  • PSY 4775: Models of Human Memory
  • PSY-PC 2120: Statistical Analysis
  • PSY-PC 3722: Psychometric Methods
  • DS 3100: Fundamentals of Data Science

Advanced Research Techniques or Methods Course: choose 1 course from below (3 credit hours)

  • PSY 3740: Attention
  • PSY 3560: Sports Psychology PSY 3840: Directed Study
  • PSY 3850: Independent Study
  • PSY 3980: Honors Seminar (for Honors Students only)
  • PSY 3981: Honors Seminar (for Honors Students only)
  • PSY 4720: Experimental Methods in Behavioral Neuroscience
  • PSY 4730: Laboratory in Experimental Psychology

PSY Electives: 9 credit hours of coursework at the 3000 or 4000-level in PSY or PSY-PC courses.  PSY courses need to be at the 3000 and 4000 level, but PSY-PC courses can be the 2000s or 3000s level.

NOTE: PSY 1200 General Psychology is no longer required and will NOT count as a PSY Elective for the B.S. major.

Comprehensive Exam Requirement for B.A. and B.S. in Psychology

All majors must complete the Psychology Comprehensive Exam at the beginning of their final semester at Vanderbilt. The department will email students to schedule the exam. Students studying abroad for their last semester should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies of Psychology in the second-to-last semester, or the last semester they are on campus, to take the Comprehensive Exam.

The exam is offered in person only and typically takes about 60 to 90 minutes to complete.

Honors Program

The Vanderbilt Psychology Honors Program offers high-achieving students the opportunity to engage in intensive, faculty-mentored research throughout their junior and senior years. Designed for students interested in scientific inquiry and advanced academic training, the program combines hands-on laboratory experience, honors seminars, and the completion of an original honors thesis.

Find out more about the program here

Psychology Minor

Total: 18 credit hours

Fundamental courses: 2 courses (6 credit hours)

  • PSY 2100: Quantitative Methods (or PSY-PC 2110)
  • PSY 2150: Principles of Experimental Design

Distribution courses: choose 2 courses from below (6 credit hours)

  • NSC 1400: Neuroscience
  • PSY 2230: Sensation & Perception
  • PSY 2220: Cognitive Psychology
  • PSY 2210: Social Psychology
  • PSY 2200: Abnormal Psychology
  • PSY-PC 1250: Developmental Psychology

PSY Electives: 6 credit hours of coursework in PSY or PSY-PC

NOTE: PSY 1200 General Psychology is no longer required for the minor, but will count as a PSY Elective for the minor.  PSY 3840 Directed Study cannot be used as a PSY Elective for the minor.

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students can declare a major or minor by completing a Declaration of Major/Minor form through Kuali. Instructions on how to fill out the Declaration of Major/Minor form can be found in the User Guide. For more information visit the URO’s Workflow Website.