General information
An education in Psychology will provide students with knowledge and skills with direct relevance to a diverse array of real-world careers. Students not only gain a foundational education in psychological principles, but also develop critical thinking, reasoning, and communication skills, formalized training in research methods and statistics, and an appreciation for the ethical and judicial treatment of persons. In total, these skills will put our graduates in a competitive space for additional educational and direct-to-work opportunities.
The program will be of particular relevance to students who are interested in the social, personality or developmental characteristics of human behaviour. These students will have the opportunity to obtain a specialization within one of three subject areas: Affective Science and Mental Health, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Developmental Psychological Science. In addition, students will take a variety of social science courses in the first year. The second year will focus primarily on foundational Psychology courses. In the third and fourth years, students will develop unique knowledge bases and skills through carefully selected coursework in Psychology and related disciplines, and applied learning experiences.
Admissions requirements
Admission is competitive. The specific average or standing required for admission varies from year to year. Students are selected by taking into consideration a wide range of criteria including school marks, distribution of subjects taken, and performance in subjects relevant to the academic degree. Possession of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Preference will be given to applicants with the best qualifications.
Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M credits, including English (ENG4U). It is recommended that Biology (SBI4U) and one of Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U) or Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U) is taken. All other applicants should refer to Admissions for the requirements for their specific category of admission.
Double majors
Students registered in a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the university have the opportunity, in most cases, to combine two majors within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities concurrently as a double major (note - some restrictions apply). Double major program maps have been approved by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and are available through the Academic Advising Office. Students undertaking a double major within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities will, in most cases, be required to complete more than 120 credit hours. Students wishing to declare a double major must consult with the Academic Advising office. The Faculty of Social Science and Humanities offers a double major in Legal Studies and Political Science that is 120 credit hours to complete.
Degree requirements
To be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology, students must meet both the degree requirements and the requirements outlined below for a total of 120 credits. Although reasonable efforts will be made to provide the courses in the indicated semesters in the following degree maps, course requirements and term offerings may change. Each year prior to course registration the order and timing of course offerings will be released by the faculty and communicated to students.
Psychology electives*
Any non‐required course with a PSYC 3XXX or 4XXX designation can count towards students’ necessary Psychology electives.
FSSH electives**
Any non‐required course run within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities that does not have a PSYC designation can count towards students’ necessary FSSH electives.
General electives***
General electives can be taken at/or adjoining their year level, where permission has been granted and prerequisites have been fulfilled. Any non‐required course in any faculty can count towards students’ necessary general electives.
Specializations
Students will have the opportunity to obtain additional specializations within one of three subject areas: Affective Science and Mental Health, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Developmental Psychological Science. To achieve a specialization, students will be required to take a minimum of five course credits, as described in more detail below.
Specialization in Affective Science and Mental Health
The specialization in Affective Science and Mental Health requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three of those courses must come from list A.
Specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Students who complete a specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences will receive targeted education pertaining to neural mechanisms and the cognitive processes that these mechanisms engender. Topics may include neural communication, neural function and dysfunction, neural systems, research methods in neuroscience, thinking, reasoning, attention and decision making.
The specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three must come from List A, and at least one must come from List B.
Note:
Courses included in more than one specialization cluster can count towards either specialization, but cannot be double-counted towards multiple specializations for the same student. PSYC 3900U – Special Topics in Psychology I and PSYC 4900U – Special Topics in Psychology II may count towards the specialization, as determined appropriate on a course by course basis by the Psychology faculty. Please see Academic Advising for approval.
Specialization in Developmental Psychological Science
The specialization in Developmental Psychological Science requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three of those courses must come from list A.
Practicum
A limited number of fourth-year students are granted an opportunity to participate in a learning experience with a community organization. The Practicum course consists of 100 hours of fieldwork, in-class seminars, a set of academic assignments and a major research paper and poster. As part of the pre-practicum process, students will be required to acquire a Vulnerable Sector check. For additional information, please refer to the course description for SSCI 4098U .
Internship
This program offers students who have successfully completed three years of study with a cumulative 3.0 GPA (B average on a 4.3 scale) an opportunity to engage in a work-integrated learning partnership with organizations locally and globally. The internship program not only gives students an opportunity to apply classroom concepts to the challenges of organizational life, but also helps them to gain valuable and relevant work experience to promote networking and life-long career success.
The internship program placement equates to a minimum of 280 hours of paid or unpaid field experience. The intern’s wages, where applicable, are paid by the sponsoring organization over a contracted period. The faculty may provide links to various internship placement opportunities or a student may secure an internship opportunity that meets the criteria as prescribed by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. Successful work placement completion and both a verbal and written final project will result in the intern receiving a mark and three credits toward the Honours Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.
Admission to the internship program is competitive. While students are participating in an internship program, they may enrol in up to two additional courses (six credits) per semester. These courses must not interfere with the internship schedule outlined by the employer. For additional information, please refer to the course description for SSCI 4103U .
Program learning outcomes
The following outcomes outline the knowledge and skills students will have achieved upon completion of the program.
