Degree options and specializations

The Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar is the official resource for degree, program, and plan level requirements for students at the University of Waterloo. The information provided on this page is supplementary to the total requirements outlined in the calendar. Students are ultimately responsible for understanding and meeting their academic requirements.

Programs available

Program checklist	Faculty	UG calendar link
*Honours Psychology (co-op and regular)	Arts	Psych (BA)
Psychology Four-Year General (regular)		Psych Four-year
Psychology Three-Year General (regular)		Psych Three-year
Psychology minor		Psych Minor
Human resource management minor		HRM Minor
Cognitive Science minor		CogSci Minor

*Research Intensive Specialization

Only available to Honours Psychology BA majors (must have at least 75% psych average)
Please see the Undergrad Calendar for all degree requirements.
To add the Research Intensive specialization please contact the Psychology Undergraduate Advisor.
Recommended for those seeking to pursue graduate studies as there is In-depth training in the analytic skills needed for experimental design.
Students address problems of human motivation, memory, social relations, communication, and many other human capacities and dispositions by translating them into solvable empirical problems. This also entails critical evaluation of the bases of claims about human abilities and inclinations.
Honours Thesis (optional), PSYCH 499 A/B/C (3 courses) will count toward 3 of the 5 PSYCH courses at the 300-400 level requirement.

Program checklist	Faculty	UG calendar link
Honours Psychology (co-op and and regular)	Science	Psych (BSc)

Additional information

Honours Psychology (BA)

PSYCH 291 and PSYCH 292 must be completed in Year Two.
At least 5 of the 6 Core Discipline courses must be completed by the end of Year Two.

Honours Psychology (BSc)

Please see the Faculty of Science web page for more information about the science requirements
PSYCH 291 and PSYCH 292 must be completed in Year Two.
At least 4 of the 5 Core Discipline courses must be completed by the end of Year Two.
PSYCH 391 must be completed in Year Three. It is also a corequisite to PSYCH 389, 390, and the Research Seminars.
Normally, both PSYCH 389 and PSYCH 390 (Advanced Research Method courses) will be completed in Year Three.
PSYCH 492 completed in Year Four.
Honours Thesis (optional), PSYCH 499 A/B/C is worth (3 courses) will count toward 3 of the 4 PSYCH coursers at the 300-400 level requirement.

Psychology Four-Year General

PSYCH 291 and PSYCH 292 must be completed in Year Two.
At least 5 of the 6 Core Discipline courses must be completed by the end of Year Two.

Psychology Three-Year General

15 academic course units (30 courses)
minimum academic course units at the 200-level or above: 8.0 course units (16 courses)

Psychology Minor

To declare the minor please send a plan modification form to the Psychology minor advisor
Need to successfully complete PSYCH 101 and one PSYCH 200 level course with 65% or greater cumulative average before declaring the Minor
This is a great option for those who want a general overview of the study of mind and behaviour
Those who declare the minor can take advantage of the reserved space in PSYCH courses

Cognitive Science Minor

To declare the minor please send a plan modification form to the Cognitive Science minor advisor
Need to successfully complete PSYCH/PHIL 256 course with 65% or greater average before declaring the Minor
This is a great option for those who want an interdisciplinary look at the mind through the breadth of required courses from different faculties allowing a diverse look at how models of the mind are examined

Human Resources Management Minor

To declare the minor please send a plan modification form to the HRM minor advisor
Need to successfully complete the HRM 200 course with 70% or greater average before declaring the Minor
This is a great option for those who are interested in management and seeking a career in HR after graduation
Those who declare the minor can take advantage of the HRM 300 level courses and professional development exclusive events
For more information on the minor please see the HRM Program webpage