Introduction

The mission of the B.A. programs in the Dept. of Psychology is to offer students a balanced curriculum in psychological science, including research methods, perception, cognition, neuroscience, developmental, social, personality, and clinical areas. The curriculum prepares majors for graduate education in these fields and provides a relevant background for medicine, law, business, social work, and education. The department offers an honors program for outstanding students and encourages all majors to participate in advanced seminars and supervised research.

Psychology course offerings are designed to meet the needs and interests of a wide variety of students, from those wishing to explore a few topics in psychology or to fulfill the science requirement, to those interested in majoring in psychology or in neuroscience and behavior. Our Program Goals start with the development of a solid knowledge base in psychological science. Consistent with the value psychology places on empirical evidence, courses at every level of the curriculum nurture the development of skills in research methods, quantitative literacy, and critical thinking, and foster respect for the ethical values that undergird the science of psychology.

Most of these Program Goals are introduced in The Science of Psychology (W1001), which is the recommended first psychology course, is required for all majors, and satisfies the prerequisite for most 2000-level courses. These goals are extended and reinforced in our statistics (W1610) and research methods (1400s) laboratory courses, as well as in the 2000-level lecture courses and 3000- and 4000-level seminars. Each of the lecture courses at the 2000 level provides students with the opportunity to study systematically, and in greater depth, one of the content areas introduced in W1001. These lecture courses are the principal means by which psychology majors satisfy the distribution requirements, insuring not only depth but also breadth of coverage across three central areas of psychology: (1) sensation/perception/cognition, (2) behavioral neuroscience, and (3) social/personality/abnormal. To complete the major, we recommend that students participate in advanced seminars and research courses, where they will have the opportunity to explore research questions in depth and further develop their written and oral communication skills.

Many opportunities exist for becoming involved in research projects in the Department of Psychology. All qualified students are welcome. Students may volunteer to work in a laboratory, register for supervised individual research (W3950), or participate in the Department's two-year Honors Program. Information on faculty research is available on the Department's web site. You are invited to read about the research laboratories on faculty web pages and go to the professor's office hours to discuss potential research opportunities. At the beginning of each term, the department also hosts a lab-preview event for students to learn about research opportunities for the upcoming semester.

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Planning Your Program

Majors and concentrators in psychology, and majors in neuroscience and behavior, should begin planning a program of study as early as possible. All necessary forms and information are available outside 406 Schermerhorn or online: Undergraduate InfoPack. You should complete a Major Requirement Checklist before consulting an advisor. Returning students should check the department web pages for recent updates to the curriculum.

Please see the Program Planning Tips page for more suggestions regarding program planning.

MAJOR ADVISORS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES, UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS, AND LABORATORIES
Prof. Lois Putnam		314 Sch	x4-4550	putnam@psych.columbia.edu
FACULTY ADVISORS Contact a Faculty Advisor when you wish to have one-on-one time with a psychology professor to discuss things such as the field of psychology, career opportunities and graduate study, course offerings or research opportunities in the Department of Psychology. Faculty Advisors can provide guidance in planning your academic program, but they are generally not prepared to discuss the fine points of major requirements, exceptions to requirements, or other administrative aspects of your degree. For the full list of Faculty Advisors, please visit the FACULTY ADVISORS WEBPAGE.
PROGRAM ADVISORS Contact a Program Advisor when you have questions regarding degree requirements, transfer credit, or other administrative aspects of your degree. Bring a completed Major Requirement Checklist to every meeting with your advisor.
Program Advisors for the Psychology Major and Concentration
A-K	Prof. Patricia Lindemann	358E SchX	x4-8285	pgl2@columbia.edu
L-R	Prof. Betsy Sparrow	355C SchX	x4-1348	bjs8@columbia.edu
S-Z	Prof. Dean Mobbs	370 SchX	x4-3608	dm2912@columbia.edu
Program Advisors for the Neuroscience and Behavior Major
Psych (A-K)	Prof. Carl Hart	316 Sch	x4-5313	clh42@columbia.edu
Psych (L-Z)	Prof. Donald Hood	415 Sch	x4-4587	dch3@columbia.edu
Bio (CC)	Prof. Stuart Firestein	923 Fairchild	x4-4531	sjf24@columbia.edu
Bio (GS)	Prof. Debby Mowshowitz	744D Mudd	x4-4497	dbm2@columbia.edu
Program Advisor for the Psychology Post-Bac and Second Major Programs
Prof. Patricia Lindemann		358E SchX	x4-8285	pgl2@columbia.edu
PRE-CLINICAL ADVISOR Contact the Pre-Clinical Advisor if you would like advising concerning planning a career in psychological treatment and counseling. In particular, the Pre-Clinical Advisor can provide insight and answer questions regarding applying to graduate school in clinical psychology.
Prof. E'mett McCaskill		356 SchX	x4-8601	emccaski@barnard.edu
PEER ADVISORS Peer Advisors are undergraduate students who are majoring in Psychology or in Neuroscience and Behavior and who have volunteered their time and energy to be an additional resource for psychology students. For a full list of the Peer Advisors and more information on the Peer Advising Network, please visit the PEER ADVISORS WEBPAGE.
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM ASSISTANT The Undergraduate Curriculum Assistant (UCA) is available if you need any assistance with the administrative aspects of your degree. The UCA can address questions concerning transfer credits, science requirement fulfillment, major/concentration requirements, and other administrative matters.
Andres Torres		406 Sch	x4-8859	uca@psych.columbia.edu
For additional information concerning departmental advising, please visit PSYCHOLOGY ADVISING FAQS.

Guide to Course Numbers

Subcategories within the 2000, 3000, and 4000 levels correspond to the three groups in our Distribution Requirement for undergraduate psychology majors:
(1) Perception and Cognition (2200s, 3200s, and 4200s),
(2) Psychobiology and Neuroscience (2400s, 3400s, and 4400s), and
(3) Social, Personality, and Abnormal (2600s, 3600s, and 4600s).

Science Requirement: PSYC W1001 The Science of Psychology, W1010 Mind, Brain, and Behavior, and any course numbered in the W2200s or W2400s may be used to fulfill the science requirement. W2600-level and some other psychology courses (including BC1001 Introduction to psychology) may not be used to fulfill the science requirement. For psychology courses that may be applied toward the science requirement, refer to the core requirements section of your College or General Studies Bulletin, and see the "Sci" column in the Table of all Courses.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Psychology Major

• The Introductory Psychology Course (W1001 The Science of Psychology)
  
• One Statistics Course chosen from among the following:
  • PSYC W1610 Introductory statistics for behavioral scientists (recommended)
  • STAT W1001 Introduction to statistical reasoning
  • STAT W1111 Introduction to statistics (without calculus)
  • STAT W1211 Introduction to statistics (with calculus)
• One Laboratory Course chosen from among the following:
  • W1420 Experimental psychology: human behavior
  • W1450 Experimental psychology: social cognition and emotion
  • W1455 Experimental psychology: social and personality
  • W1480 Experimental psychology: perception and attention
  • W1490 Experimental psychology: thinking and decision making
    

  Majors are strongly advised to complete the statistics and laboratory requirements, in that order, by the fall term of their junior year.
  

• Three Courses meeting the Distribution Requirement.
  In addition to the introductory, statistics, and laboratory courses described above, one course (3 pts. or greater) must be taken from each of the following three groups.
  

  • Group I - Perception and Cognition: Courses numbered in the 2200s, 3200s, or 4200s. Also W1420, W1480, or W1490.
    
  • Group II - Psychobiology and Neuroscience: Courses numbered in the 2400s, 3400s, or 4400s. Also W1010.
    
  • Group III - Social, Personality and Abnormal: Courses numbered in the 2600s, 3600s, or 4600s. Also W1450 or W1455.
    
• Additional Courses ("electives") for a total of 30 points. These may include Barnard psychology courses, as described below.

No course may be counted twice in fulfillment of the above requirements.

Grades: A grade of C-, or higher, must be earned and revealed on your transcript in any Columbia or Barnard course-- including the first-- that is used to satisfy the major or concentration requirements. The grade of P will not be accepted for psychology major, psychology concentration, or neuroscience and behavior major credit. Courses taken on a Pass/D/Fail basis may not be used to satisfy the major or concentration requirements unless the grade of P is uncovered by the Registrar's deadline. Courses taken on Pass/Fall basis may not be used to satisfy the major or concentration requirements under any circumstances.

Research credits: No more than 8 points of Supervised individual research (PSYC W3950) may be applied toward the major, and no more than 4 pts may be taken in any one term.

Barnard courses: No more than 9 points from Barnard psychology courses, including BC1001, may be applied as credit toward the major. BC 1001 will fulfill the introductory course (PSYC W1001) requirement, but Barnard courses may not be applied toward the laboratory or statistics, or distribution (Group I, II, and III) requirements. Written approval is not required for BC1001, or for any Barnard course applied as elective credit.

Transfer Credits: No more than 9 transfer credits (including any Barnard credits) will be accepted toward the psychology major. Approval of transfer credits on a student's Entrance Credit Report toward general requirements for the bachelor's degree does not grant approval of these credits toward the psychology major. Approval of transfer credits to fulfill psychology requirements must be obtained in writing from a psychology program advisor using the Major Requirement Substitution Form. To be approved for the major a course taken at another institution should be substantially similar to one offered by the department and the grade received must be B- or better.With the exception of Barnard courses, students should consult their Program Advisor before registering for psychology courses offered outside the department.

Students who have completed an introductory psychology course at another institution prior to declaring a psychology major should consult a Program Advisor to verify whether or not this course meets departmental standards for major transfer credit. If transfer credit toward the major is not approved, the student must enroll in PSYC W1001 or PSYC BC1001 to complete this major requirement. Note that College Board Advanced Placement (AP) psychology scores will not satisfy the PSYC W1001 requirement, nor will they confer elective credit toward the major.

Overlapping Courses: Students will not receive credit for two courses--one at Columbia and one at Barnard--whose content largely overlaps (e.g., PSYC BC1001--Introduction to Psychology and W1001--The Science of Psychology or PSYC BC1138--Social Psychology and W2630--Social Psychology).

In planning your Psychology Major, please refer to the Program Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate InfoPack.

The Psychology Concentration

A concentration in psychology requires a minimum of 18 points, including The Science of Psychology (PSYC W1001) and courses in at least two of the three groups listed under Distribution Requirements above. Restrictions on research credits (PSYC W3950), Barnard credits, and transfer credits are modified from those of the major as follows: (1) only 4 points of W3950, (2) only 5 points from Barnard (including BC1001), and (3) only 5 points total (including any Barnard points) from psychology courses taken outside the department may be applied toward the concentration. Except as noted above, other regulations outlined in the Psychology Major section regarding grades, transfer credits, and overlapping courses also apply toward the concentration.

In planning your Psychology Concentration, please refer to the Program Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate InfoPack.

The Neuroscience & Behavior Major

Advisors:

• (CC) - Prof. Stuart Firestein, 923 Fairchild, 854-4531, sjf24@columbia.edu
• (GS) - Prof. Debby Mowshowitz, 744D Mudd, 854-4497, dbm2@columbia.edu

• (A-K) - Prof. Carl Hart, 316 Sch, 854-5313, clh42@columbia.edu
• (L-Z) - Prof. Don Hood, 415 Sch, 854-4587, dch3@columbia.edu

Program Requirements

In addition to one year of general chemistry (or the high school equivalent), ten courses are required to complete the major, five from the Department of Biological Sciences and five from the Department of Psychology.

I. Required Biology Courses

• B.1. Biology C2005 - Intro. Bio I: Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology
• B.2. Biology C2006 - Intro. Bio II: Cell Biology, Development, and Physiology
• B.3. Biology W3004 - Neurobio I: Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
• B.4. Biology W3005 - Neurobio II: Development and Systems
• B.5. One additional 3000 or 4000 level biology course from a list approved by the Biology Department advisor to the major.
  • C3501 - Biochemistry: Structure and Metabolism
  • C3512 - Molecular Biology
  • W3002 - Intro to Animal Structure and Function
  • W3004 - Neurobiology I: Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology or
  • W3005 - Neurobiology II: Development & Systems
  • W3006 - Physiology
  • C3032 or W3031 - Genetics
  • C3799 - Readings Molecular Biology of Cancer
  • W3034 - Biotechnology
  • W3022 - Developmental Biology
  • W3041 - Cell Biology
  • W3073 - Immunology
  • W3208 - Intro to Evolutionary Biology
  • W3990 - Readings in Cell Biology
  • W4011 - Neural Syst: Circuits in the Brain
  • W4200 - Biotechnology: Biopharmaceutical Dev & Reg
  • W4300 - Drugs and Disease
  • W4400 - Biological Networks
  • W4510 - (CHBC) Molecular Systems Biology I
  • G4008 - Advanced Seminar in Neurobiology
  • G4044 - Advanced Topics in Cell Biology
  • G4095 - Chemical Genomics
  • G4260 - Proteomics Lab
  • G4305 - Seminar in Biotechnology
  • G4600 - Signal Transduction
  • G6002 (sec 2) - Protein Thermodynamics (counts as 1/2 course)
    

  Every effort is made to keep this list up to date. However, last minute changes do occur. See recent changes for new course updates.

• Note: SCNC & HPSC courses do not count towards the Major even if listed under Biology courses on Bio web site.

II. Required Psychology Courses

• P. 1. The Science of Psychology:
• W1001* or S1001* The Science of Psychology
  
  
• P. 2. A Neuroscience Intro course:
• W1010* or S1010* Mind, Brain, and Behavior or
• W2450* or S2450* Behavioral Neuroscience
  
  
• P. 3. A Reseach Methods or Statistics course:
  • W1610* or S1610* Introductory Statistics for Behavioral Scientists
  • STAT 1111* or STAT 1211*
  • W1420 * or S1420* Exp. Psych.: Human Behavior or
  • W1440 - Exp. Psych.: Learning & Motivation or
  • W1450 * Exp. Psych.: Social Cognition and Emotion or
  • W1480 or S1480 Exp. Psych.: Perception & Attention or
  • W1490 - Exp. Psych.: Thinking & Decision Making
    
    
• P. 4. One additional 2000 or 3000 level Psychology course from a list approved by the Psychology Departmental Advisor to the program:
  • W2210 - Cognition: Basic Processes
  • W2215 - Cognition: Mind & Brain
  • W2220 * Cognition: Memory & Stress
  • W2225 * Attention & Perception
  • W2230 - Perception & Sensory Processes
  • W2235 or S2235* Thinking and Decision Making
  • W2240 - Human Communication
  • W2250 * Evolution of Cognition
  • W2280 * or S2280* Intro to Developmental Psychology
  • W2420 - Animal Behavior
  • W2440 * Language and the Brain
  • W2450 * or S2450* Behavioral Neuroscience
  • W2460 * Drugs and Behavior
  • W2480 * Developing Brain
  • W2620 * or S2620* Abnormal Behavior
  • W3615 * Children at Risk (Lecture)
    
    
• P. 5. One advanced psychology seminar from a list approved by the Psychology Department Advisor to the program:
  • W3225 - The Wandering Mind: Psychological Approaches to Distraction
  • W3250*/G4230* Seminar in Space Perception / Sensation and Perception
  • W3255*/G4255* Modern Classics in Visual Percept., Vis. Science, and Vis Neuroscience
  • W3265 - Auditory Perception
  • W3270 * Computational Approaches to Human Vision
  • W3280 - Seminar in Infant Development
  • S3285 - The Psychology of Disaster Preparedness
  • W3290 * The Self: A Cognitive Exploration
  • G4215 - Memory Representations
  • G4220 - Cognition and Psychopathology
  • G4222 * The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging
  • G4223 * Memory and Executive Function Thru the Lifespan
  • G4225 * Consciousness and Attention
  • G4227 - Philosophical and Empirical Issues of Consciousness
  • G4232 - Production and Perception of Language
  • G4233 - Language and Music (MUSI-PSYC)
  • G4235 * Special Topics in Vision
  • G4240 - Theory of Mind and Intentionality
  • G4255 - Modern Classics in Visual Perception, Visual Science, and Visual Neuroscience
  • G4270 * Cognitive Processes
  • G4275 * Contemporary Topics in Language & Communication
  • G4280 - Core Knowledge
  • W3410 - or S3410* Seminar in Emotion
  • W3435 - Neurobiology of Reproductive Behavior
  • W3440 - Issues in Brain and Behavior
  • W3450*/G4450* Evolution of Intelligence and Consciousness
  • W3460 - Evolution of Behavior
  • W3470 - Brain Evolution: Becoming Human
  • W3480 - Seminar in Cognitive Neuropsychology
  • W3485 - Neuroscience of Cognitive and Emotional Control
  • G4410 - Human Psychophysiology
  • G4415 - Methods and Issues in Cognitive Neuroscience
  • G4420 - Animal Cognition Seminar
  • G4430 * Learning and the Brain
  • G4440 * Topics in Neurobiology and Behavior
  • G4460 * Cognitive Neuroscience and the Media
  • G4470 * Psychology & Neuropsychology of Language
  • G4475 * Neurobiology of Social Behavior
  • G4485 * Affective Neuroscience
  • G4490 - Inheritance
  • G4492 - Psychobiology of Stress
  • G4495 - Ethics, Genetics and the Brain
  • G4498 - Behavioral Epigenetics
  • G4499 - Behavioral Psychopharmacology
  • W3615 - Children at Risk (seminar)
  • W3620 - Seminar in Developmental Psychopathology
  • W3625 * or S3625* Clinical Neuropsychology
  • W3680*/G4685* Social Cognitive Neuroscience
  • G4635 * The Unconscious Mind
  • G4690 - Soc. Factors & Psychopathology

  * Offered in 2013-14

Click on a course number to see course description, prerequisites, term, and time offered. Syllabus links are provided for most courses. Also see the Table of All Courses and the Psychology Information Packet. For assistance in planning the psychology portion of your Neuroscience and Behavior Major, please refer to the Program Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate InfoPack.

NOTE: No course may be counted twice in fulfillment of the above biology or psychology requirements. A grade of C-, or higher, must be earned and revealed on your transcript for any Columbia or Barnard course --including the first-- that is used to satisfy the major requirements. The grade of P will not be accepted for neurosciene and behavior credit; the P must be uncovered by the Registrar's deadline for the course to be applicable toward the major requirements.

Exceptions to Biology Requirements. Any exceptions must be approved in advance by a Biology Advisor and you must receive an email notification of that approval. Students may substitute Barnard College courses only with prior permission from an Advisor.

Transfer Credit for Psychology Courses taken elsewhere. Students should consult a psychology advisor before registering for psychology courses offered outside the department. With the advisor’s approval, one, and only one, course from another institution, including Barnard, may be applied toward the psychology portion of the neuroscience and behavior major. Students who wish to obtain credit for a course taken at Barnard or at another institution should complete the Major Requirement Substitution Form. To be approved for the major, the course should be substantially similar to one offered by this department and approved for this major, and the grade received must be a C- or better if from Barnard, or B- or better if from another institution. Advanced placement (AP) psychology scores will not satisfy the PSYC W1001 requirement.

Most graduate programs in Neuroscience require one year of calculus, one year of physics, and chemistry through organic.

Double Majors/Concentrations

All students attempting to complete double majors, double concentrations, or a combination of a major and a concentration must complete separate sets of required and related courses for each field. A single course may not be counted twice. Please consult with one of the Directors of Undergraduate Studies or Program Advisors if you have questions. Statistics courses are special cases; see an explanation and examples of how to deal with them.

Evening and Summer Courses

Any "S" course offered by the Psychology Dept. in the Summer Session is applicable toward the same degree requirement(s) as a "W" course of that same number offered during the academic year. (For instance, S1001D meets the same requirements as W1001X or W1001Y.) To see what requirements each course may be applied toward, please see the last three columns in the Table of Courses.

Honors Program

For additional information, see the Department of Psychology Honors Program

Requirements for Admission to Graduate Programs in Psychology

Students interested in clinical psychology should obtain experience working in a community service program, in addition to supervised research experience. Consult the department's pre-clinical advisor, Prof. E'mett McCaskill, and attend the department's pre-clinical advising events for more information. Prof. McCaskill is available by e-mail appointment. A handout on preparing for a career in clinical psychology is available on the web and in the department office. Undergraduate courses in clinical psychology (e.g., Psychology W2620) are available in the department.  

For additional web-based resources, be sure to consult "How to Get In: Your guide to applying to graduate schools in psychology." Also see "Applying to Grad School" in the Postbac Psychology Program web site.

Additional Information & Updates