Psychology (Bachelor of Arts degree)

Get inside other people’s heads

Explore the frontiers of the mind. Examine human behaviour from a variety of perspectives, including neuroscience, cognition, clinical, developmental, industrial/organizational, and social psychology.

Then deepen your understanding with complementary courses in other subject areas, such as legal studies, sociology, biology, and health studies.

Want to customize your program even further? Work with one of our award-winning professors to design a directed studies course around your specific interest. Or get some work experience by enrolling in the co-op stream.

Graduate ready to make an impact. Waterloo Psychology is ranked in the top 100 in the world (Shanghai World University Rankings 2020), and its alumni are treating mental illnesses, improving approaches to education, and creating more satisfying workplaces everyday.

Learn from top researchers

Waterloo’s internationally renowned Psychology program consistently rates among the best in Canada, ranking fourth in 2019 Maclean's survey of Canadian universities.

Serious research experience

At Waterloo, you’ll get to conduct hands-on research in our state-of-the-art labs. Take advantage of EEG machines, eye-tracking equipment, virtual reality rigs, and more.

Skye, an Honours Arts and Business student majoring in Psychology, explains that while many students look at co-op as a way to finance their education or add to their resume, it is also an amazing opportunity to find what you love. “It’s a great way to dip your feet into the job market.”

International exchanges in 25 countries

Offered by the Faculty of Arts

Available as a major and minor

Admission requirements

Ontario students: six Grade 12 U and/or M courses including

Any Grade 12 U English (minimum final grade of at least 70%)

Mathematics of Data Management is recommended.

Admission average: Low 80s (co-op and regular)

We recommend completing the Admission Information Form once you've applied.

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements.

How to apply

Apply to Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business and choose Psychology as your major at the end of first year.

After applying you may choose to co-register through Renison University College or St. Jerome's University, both located on Waterloo's campus. You'll earn a Waterloo degree but have a smaller community as your home base.

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First-year courses

September to December

PSYCH 101 – Introductory Psychology
Arts First requirement 1*
Three elective courses

*The Arts First requirement consists of two first-year courses that are capped at 25 students: ARTS 130 - Inquiry and Communication and ARTS 140 - Information and Analysis. Instead of listening to a lecture and trying to capture notes, Arts First courses will have you and your classmates working together to respond to a challenge posed by the instructor.

January to April

Choose one of
- PSYCH 207 - Cognitive Processes
- PSYCH 211 - Developmental Psychology
- PSYCH 238 - Organizational Psychology
- PSYCH 253 - Social Psychology
- PSYCH 257 - Psychopathology
- PSYCH 261 - Physiological Psychology
Arts First requirement 2*
Three elective courses

After first year

40% of the classes you’ll take will be Psychology courses.

With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo.

Sample upper-year courses

PSYCH 230 – Psychology of Law
PSYCH 317 – Child Psychopathology
PSYCH 307 – Human Neuropsychology
PSYCH 459 – Close Relationships seminar

briefcase Available as a co-op and regular program

Arrow pointing up and clicking Apply via Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business

Graduation cap Earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology

Co-op = relevant paid work experience

By alternating school terms and paid co-op work terms throughout your degree, you can explore new career areas and types of employers as your career interests evolve.

Sample co-op job titles

Research assistant
Marketing and communications assistant
Policy and research assistant
Resource management coordinator
Human resource assistant
Junior user experience designer
Teaching assistant
Sustainability intern

Sample co-op employers

Employment and Social Development Canada
Gambling Research Exchange Ontario
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Teledyne DALSA
Nulogy Corporation
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Kia Canada
Department of National Defense

Customize your Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree

The Research Intensive specialization provides in-depth training in experimental design. Students address problems of human motivation, memory, social relations, communication, and many other human capacities by translating them into solvable problems.

You can also include one or more of the minors available to all Waterloo students. Popular choices for Psychology students include Human Resource Management; Cognitive Science; Legal Studies; Economics; and Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies.

What can you do with a degree in psychology?

Graduates find a wide variety of career opportunities in areas such as counselling, various branches of therapy, mental health services, human relations, public education, speech pathology, research, education, and more.