Minor in Psychology

Psychology is the science of human behavior and mental processes. The minor in Psychology provides students with a background in scientific methods used to describe, predict, understand, and explain human behavior.

Requirements

The minor in Psychology requires a total of seven (4-credit) courses: a prerequisite course, five principal courses, and a course in statistics as outlined below:

Prerequisite

• CAS PS 101 General Psychology or equivalent

Principal Courses

Principal courses in psychology are those listed in the Bulletin and numbered at the 200 level or above, excluding PS 211 and PS/NE 212.

Students must complete five principal psychology courses with a grade of C or higher.

• Three of these must be selected from courses at the 300 level or higher. Beginning in fall 2023, minors will not be required to take an experimental psychology course.
• The choice of principal courses must include at least one course from each of the broad content groups (A and B) listed below. All courses listed below are 4 credit hours.

Group A:

• CAS PS 222 Perception and Behavior
• CAS PS 231 Physiological Psychology
• CAS PS 234 Psychology of Learning
• CAS PS 333 Drugs and Behavior
• CAS PS 336 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
• CAS PS 337 Memory Systems of the Brain
• CAS PS 338 Neuropsychology
• CAS PS 339 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

Group B:

• CAS PS 241 Developmental Psychology
• CAS PS 251 Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application
• CAS PS 261 Social Psychology
• CAS PS 370 Psychology of the Family
• CAS PS 371 Psychopathology (formerly titled “Abnormal Psychology”)

It is possible to transfer, from outside of CAS, a maximum of two courses toward the five principal courses required for completion of the Psychology minor. Courses taken outside of Boston University are considered transfer courses. Please note that psychology courses taken through Boston University’s Summer Term designated with the same numbers and titles as those offered in CAS are not considered transfer courses. Prior departmental approval of all transfer courses in psychology is required (contact Dr. Joanne Hebden Palfai, Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, at jpalfai@bu.edu).

Required Related Course

• CAS MA 115, MA 213, PS 211, or PS 212 with a grade of C or higher.

Note: only one of CAS MA 113, MA 115, and MA 213 may be taken for credit. CAS MA 113 does not fulfill the psychology statistics requirement for the Psychology minor.