2024-2025 Catalog

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Advising Information

Students interested in the Psychology major are encouraged to start by taking PSYC 101 no later than the fall of their sophomore year. (See an important exception in the Placement Information below.) Once you decide to major, take PSYC 200: Methods in Psychological Science and PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science soon after to gain the skills needed to absorb as much as possible from every course taken afterward.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Psychology major. Students with a 4 or 5 on the AP Psychology exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB Psychology exam are not eligible for Psych 101 and will typically start their studies with PSYC 200. 

Sample 4-Year Plan


Fall

Spring

Year 1

  • Fall FYS course

  • PSYC 101 (CPMS)

  • Foreign Language (4 or 5 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Spring FYS course

  • PSYC 200 (CPMS)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 2

  • PSYC 201

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Fundamental Domain

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 3

  • Fundamental Domain

  • Fundamental Domain

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • 400-level Fundamental Domain

  • PSYC Elective

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 4

  • Fundamental Domain

  • 400-level PSYC Elective

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Fundamental Domain

  • PSYC Elective 

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Psychology Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: PSYC 101 + 4 additional courses

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

  • Transfer students intending to pursue Psychology should have already completed a course equivalent to PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology or taken the AP Psychology exam and received a score of 4 or 5. 

  • Transfer students should come in having met as many Core requirements as possible. Depending on how many psychology courses they still need to complete, they may not have room for many Core requirement courses while at Occidental.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

  • Students who transfer Statistics can complete the second-stage writing requirement (normally completed in PSYC 201: Statistics) with an APA-formatted paper written for another class.

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

  • In their first semester, transfer students should enroll in PSYC 200: Methods in Psychological Science. If they have already completed an approved methods course, they should take PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science. If they have taken both an approved methods course and an approved statistics course, they should consult with their adviser on the appropriate course(s) to take.