Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes, which includes both normal and abnormal human (and animal) behaviour and the related psychological, social and biological processes. Psychologists may specialize in many different areas such as development, education, memory, motivation, learning, and cognition.
- Students earn a degree in either arts or sciences
- Three and four-year (honours) programs lead to a bachelor of arts in psychology with single, double or combined concentration or specialization; a four-year program leads to an honours bachelor of science in psychology
- Choice of courses in behavioural neuroscience, emotion, development, learning, education, forensic psychology, and psychopathology
- Also available: one-year honours diploma, master of arts or science in human development (with department of sociology and school of human kinetics), and bachelor of arts in sport psychology (with school of human kinetics)
Prospects: behaviour therapist, counsellor (addictions, employment, corrections), graduate studies, interviewer, personnel administrator, psychologist, psychometrist, recruitment coordinator, research analyst, speech pathologist, teacher…
Offered in English and French. See "Psychologie" on French side of Calendar.
Admission requirements
Ontario secondary schools
Arts Programs
- 1 grade 12 4U English
- 5 other grade 12 4U/M courses
Science Programs
- 1 grade 12 4U English
- 1 grade 12 4U mathematics
- 1 grade 12 4U science
- 1 other grade 12 4U mathematics or science
- 2 other grade 12 4U/M courses
See Admissions for other requirements.
General Information
The Department of Psychology offers programs at the undergraduate level and participates in an interdisciplinary graduate program.
As a general rule, courses in 3rd and 4th year require the student to become significantly more involved in the learning process than in 1st and 2nd year. Upper-year students are expected to develop and demonstrate a capacity for independent thinking and research; the teaching methods and assignments for these courses reflect this expectation.
The degree programs are designed to respond to a variety of different needs. The general (3-year) B.A. program provides a basic foundation in psychology with the possibility of concentrating on a particular area by choosing additional PSYC courses. The specialized (4-year) B.A. programs are designed to provide a strong foundation in psychological theory and research methodology in conjunction with specialized study in one or more substantive sub-fields of psychology.
Students in the 4-year program who meet the university’s grade regulations for graduation with an Honours degree should follow the Honours program described in the Programs section. This option, which offers the best scientific preparation, requires students to complete a 4th-year thesis (PSYC 4104) and obtain an overall average of 70% in the concentration courses. Completion of an honours degree is a minimum expectation for further (graduate) studies in psychology.
A student who does not meet the requirements for an honours degree may, upon consultation with the chair, follow a specialized program. This option leads to a 4-year specialized degree (non-honours) and provides comprehensive instruction in the major fields of psychology with less research training.
For students with a strong interest in the sciences, the department offers a 4-year B.Sc. in Psychology, which is likely to appeal to those who enjoyed science in secondary school and who plan to pursue training in medicine or continue their studies at the graduate level in an experimental area of psychology.
For students who plan to continue their studies at Teacher’s College, taking 18 credits in one science subject may fulfill the requirements for a "teachable" subject.
In addition to the psychology course requirements and the B.Sc. degree requirements described in the calendar, students must complete a minimum of 36 credits from three different science subjects (min. 3 credits in each subject). Normally, 18 credits are taken in first year and 18 credits are taken in upper years (at least 15 credits must be at an upper-year level). Students without appropriate secondary school courses may have to take an upgrading course before enrolling in certain courses. When choosing science courses, B.Sc. students must seek academic advice from the department to know which courses are appropriate, i.e., additional science statistics and methods courses may not count for credit toward a degree. Students must also plan ahead to ensure that they have the necessary prerequisites for upper-year courses. For example, chemistry and physics courses may have Math prerequisites, so students should consider taking MATH 1036 in first year.
Programs
Course descriptions