Psychology Sample 4-Year Plan

The plan listed below is designed to provide suggestions for sequencing your major courses, but there are also other ways to sequence most majors. This plan is meant to provide aid in early, provisional planning. Please consult with your academic advisor to make strategic academic decisions about which courses to take each semester.

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Sample Four Year Plan: Psychology (BA/BS)

Semester 1

- TRU 120: First Year Seminar (3 cr)
- PSYC 166: General Psychology (3 cr), OR PSYC 266: Experimental Psychology (if earned credit for PSYC 166) (3 cr)
- Math Course (as placed) (3-5 cr)
- Elementary Foreign Language I (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)

Semester 2

- PSYC 266: Experimental Psychology (3 cr)
- Math Course (as placed) (3-5 cr) OR STAT 190: Basic Statistics (3 cr)
- Elementary Foreign Language II (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)

Semester 3

- STAT 190: Basic Statistics (or Semester 4) (3 cr)
- Intermediate Foreign Language I (BA) (3 cr), OR STEM Perspective (BS) (3-5 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)

Semester 4

- PSYC 3XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- STAT 190: Basic Statistics (or Semester 3) (3 cr)
- Intermediate Foreign Language I (BA) (3 cr), OR STEM Perspective (BS) (3-5 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)
- Writing-Enhanced (WE) course (3 cr)

Semester 5

- PSYC 3XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- PSYC 3XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- JINS 3XX: WE/____________ (or Semester 6) (3 cr)
- STAT 3XX (or Semester 6) (3 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)

Semester 6

- PSYC 3XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- PSYC 3XX-PSYC 4XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- JINS 3XX: WE/____________ (or Semester 5) (3 cr)
- STAT 3XX (or Semester 5) (3 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)

Semester 7

- PSYC 3XX-PSYC 4XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- PSYC 3XX-PSYC 4XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- PSYC 429: History and Systems of Psychology (3cr), OR PSYC 466: WE/Psychological Research Capstone (4 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)

Semester 8

- PSYC 3XX-PSYC 4XX (Group 1-5) (3 cr)
- PSYC 429: History and Systems of Psychology (3cr), OR PSYC 466: WE/Psychological Research Capstone (4 cr)
- Required support Minor/Concentration course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)

NOTES:

  • DEVELOPMENTAL/SOCIAL (Group 1):
    • PSYC 332: Child Development (3 cr)
    • PSYC 367: Social Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 371: Applied Social Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 377: Developmental Psychology (3 cr)
  • BIOLOGICAL (Group 2): 
    • PSYC 321 - Physiological Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 334 - Science of Health and Resilience (3 cr)
    • PSYC 370 - Human Sensation and Perception (3 cr)
  • COGNITIVE/BEHAVIORAL (Group 3): 
    • PSYC 331 - Cognitive Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 369 - Behavior Change (3 cr)
    • PSYC 373 - Learning and Memory (3 cr)
  • CLINICAL/PERSONALITY (Group 4): 
    • PSYC 333 - Psychology of Personality (3 cr)
    • PSYC 366 - Psychology of Abnormal Behavior (3 cr)
    • PSYC 368 - Psychological Testing (3 cr)
    • PSYC 412 - Introduction to Clinical Psychology (3 cr)
  • ADVANCED TOPICS (Group 5): 
    • PSYC 337 - The Autism Spectrum (3 cr)
    • PSYC 430 - Psychopharmacology: Drugs and Behavior (3 cr)
    • PSYC 435 - Cultural Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 436 - Evolutionary Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 437 - Attachment Theory (3 cr)
    • PSYC 438 - Queer Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 440 - Psychology of Human Consciousness (3 cr)
    • PSYC 444 - Cognitive Science (3 cr)
    • PSYC 445 - Positive Psychology (3 cr)
    • PSYC 446 - Romantic Relationships (3 cr)
  • Elective course options include any PSYC course, ES 363: Health & Wellness Psychology (3 cr), ES 507: Psychology of Sport and Injury Rehabilitation (3 cr), and SED 530: Psychology of the Exceptional Child (3 cr).
  • WE = Writing Enhanced course
  • If you have not completed the Civics Exam, we recommend doing so in your first year.
  • Truman students are required to complete a Portfolio to graduate. We recommend starting to compile your work for the Portfolio sooner than later.
  • Students must complete their Application to Graduate the semester prior to graduating. Apply to graduate through TruView.
  • Graduating seniors need to complete their seniors test and questionnaire. We recommend reviewing the Assessment & Testing page to plan accordingly.
  • The Dialogues curriculum requires a certain number of courses/credit hours in the following Perspectives: Social, Arts and Humanities, STEM, Communications, and Statistics. The exact number of courses a student will be required to take during their undergraduate career varies individually according to the credit transferred in.

Department Chair: Please contact the Center for Academic Excellence with any updates to the plan above. Rev. 8-6-24

This is a sample course sequence to illustrate class offerings for this major. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for certifying completion of degree requirements based on requirements specified in Truman's Official Catalog.

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