Honours Psychology (BSc) (Regular and Departmental Co-op)

Features of Honours Psychology Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Honours BSc Psychology is particularly appropriate for students interested in cognitive neuroscience or cognitive psychology, or who plan to seek professional training in medicine, perhaps with specialization in neurology, psychiatry or pediatrics. A strong background in the 'natural science' areas of psychology would complement a student's preparation for research or graduate work in these fields of study.

  • available on a regular or co-op system of study.
  • choose from a single Honours Major or a Joint Honours program
  • Psych 291 (Research Methods) and Psych 292 (Basic Data Analysis) will introduce you to the scientific methods for understanding mind and behaviour
  • gain a broad perspective of psychological theory by taking courses from several areas in Psychology.
  • develop distinctive skills including observation, numeric, analytic, computer, and written and oral communication.
  • Indepth training in the analytic skills of experimental design(see PSYCH 389-399, 499A/B/C). 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.
  • opportunities for experiential learning and to work one-on-one with faculty members e.g.,
  • honours seminar discussions covering topics in the forefront of the field of Psychology (see PSYCH 420, 451-463).
  • opportunities in senior courses to read primary journal articles rather than just textbooks.

Co-operative system of study

Psychology Departmental Co-op is an option with Honours BSc Psychology (single Major).

Psychology Departmental Co-op is not an option with Joint Honours Science and Psychology (BSc).

If Psychology 'Departmental' Co-op is tagged to Joint Honours BSc Psychology, the first Major must be Psychology. In this case, the second Major would not be in the Faculty of Science. Only 1 student so far has graduated with such a Joint Honours degree.

See Psychology Co-op for information.

Alternative to Honours BSc Psychology

If you prefer not to take the first year Chemistry courses (CHEM 120/120L and CHEM 123/123L) or calculus courses (MATH 127/128) that are required for Honours BSc Psychology, Joint Honours Science and Psychology (available regular system of study only) may be of interest to you. For further details see:

Requirements

See the undergraduate calendar for details regarding the Bachelor of Science (BSc) program in Psychology. The official statement of degree requirements is in the Undergraduate calendar. The information on this website is supplementary.

If you were admitted to the Faculty of Science prior to Fall 2016, you are assumed to be following the Academic Calendar of the year you were admitted unless you have requested to switch. For plans prior to Fall 2016, see the requirements for the "Old" Honours BSc Psychology degree.

Those in Honours BSc Psychology (first Major Psychology) are not allowed to do Joint Honours programs with other Faculty of Science Majors (e.g., Biology, Biomedical Science, etc.). 

Degree Checklist for Honours BSc Psych

Notes about Psychology course enrolment:

Completion of core courses such as PSYCH 291 and 292 are required to be completed in the year of admission to the Psych major.

Discipline core courses:

  • It is recommended to complete at least 4 discipline core content courses (PSYCH 207, 211, 257, 261, and either 238 or 253) before PSYCH 391. Plan to take the following:
    • Before 3A:
      • PSYCH 211
      • PSYCH 257
      • one of PSYCH 253 or 238
    • Before 3B:
      • PSYCH 207
      • PSYCH 261

PSYCH 291:

  • PSYCH 291 must be taken in the same calendar year as admission to the Psychology Major.
  • PSYCH 291 is only offered in the Fall term.

PSYCH 292:

  • PSYCH 292 is only offered in the Winter term.

PSYCH 391:

  • See priority enrolment for PSYCH 391.
  • PSYCH 391 is offered fall and winter terms. However, we expect Psych majors to take PSYCH 391 during the fall term if possible.

Advanced Research courses (PSYCH 389 and 390):

  • See priority enrolment for advanced research methods courses
  • PSYCH 389 is only offered in the Fall
    • PSYCH 393, 395, 397, or 399 will also fulfil this requirement
  • PSYCH 390 is only offered Winter and Spring. Spring sections have priority enrolment for co-op students.
    • PSYCH 392, 394, 396, or 398 will also fulfil this requirement

Senior Research Seminar courses:

  • See priority enrolment for research seminars.

    PSYCH 4XX transfer credits count towards the research seminar requirement.

PSYCH courses at the 300 level or above

PSYCH 492

  • PSYCH 492 will be offered winter only.

Courses such as PSYCH 291, 292, 391, 392 to 399, 420, 451 to 463 are not offered in the evening or online.

Other requirements

  • at least 19.0 of the 21.0 academic units for the degree must be lecture units
  • no more than 2.0 lab units allowed (i.e., no more than 8 lab courses worth .25 units each)
  • 75% cumulative psychology average. 
  • 60% cumulative overall average
  • 60% cumulative overall Science Faculty average.
  • Must satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement (see the undergraduate calendar for details).
  • For those in the co-op system of study, see co-op requirements elsewhere on the Psychology Department website.

Science course requirements as listed on the undergraduate calendar.

Residency requirements:

  • must not exceed the amount of allowable transfer credits (including internal and external transfer credits) and you must satisfy the residency requirements for the Faculty of Science.
  • must satisfy the residency requirements for the psychology Major dictated by the Faculty of Arts as well as the Psychology Department (see Psychology Department policies for details).

Double counting restrictions:

  • If psychology courses are needed for another program (e.g., Social Development Studies Minor), see the double counting restrictions in the undergraduate calendar and consult with each of your academic advisors.
  • 'Triple counting' is not allowed under any circumstances. This means that a single psychology course cannot be used to satisfy Psychology course requirements in more than 2 programs (e.g., Major plus 2 Minors).

Other advice

  • If you choose Science Faculty courses wisely, you should be able to include one of the Minors offered by the Faculty of Science (e.g,. Minor in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, or Physics) without having to take more than 21.0 units for the degree.
  • Psychology courses are offered by the Faculty of Arts. Therefore, final grades for psychology courses are not included in the cumulative overall Science average.
  • If considering professional programs (e.g., medical school) or graduate programs in science for the future, ensure that you have the appropriate first year and upper year labs associated with courses needed for admission.
  • Students should note that Year-One Physics is a pre-requisite for some professional or graduate programs and is relevant to material covered in some professional and graduate admission tests (e.g., MCAT, OAT). Some upper year, non-Physics courses, require completion of one or more first year Physics courses, including:

Psychology course sequence tips

This is the recommended course sequence. If you're concerned about deviating from this sequence, please contact the Psychology Academic Advisor.

Year one (1A/1B):

  • PSYCH 101 (Fall)
  • 1 of the 6 discipline core content courses (Winter)

Year two (2A/2B):

  • PSYCH 291 (Offered Fall term only)
  • PSYCH 292 (Offered Winter term only)
  • 3 of the 6 discipline core content courses

If PSYCH 291 or PSYCH 292 cannot be taken in year 2 (e.g., late admission to the Psychology Major), see the supplementary course planning information.

Year three (3A/3B):

  • 1 of the 6 discipline core content courses
  • 1 PSYCH any level
  • 1 PSYCH at the 300-400 level
  • PSYCH 391:
    • Regular system of study: Strongly recommend that you take PSYCH 391 Fall term instead of the Winter term.
    • Honours BSc Psychology Co-op (Faculty of Science): You are required to take PSYCH 391 in the Fall 3A (year/level) term.
  • PSYCH 389
  • PSYCH 390

PSYCH 389, 390, and 492 cannot be taken before PSYCH 391. Must have at least 3 (preferably 4) of PSYCH 207, 211, 253, 257, 261 before PSYCH 391.

If PSYCH 391 cannot be taken in year 3 (e.g., late admission to the Psychology Major), see the supplementary course planning information.

Year four (4A/4B):

  • 3 PSYCH at the 300 or 400 level (or take PSYCH 499A/B/C)
  • 1 psychology research seminar
  • PSYCH 492
  • Note: the research seminar and PSYCH 492 can be taken in third year and cannot be taken before PSYCH 391.

Contacts

Contact a Psychology Advisor

Contact the academic advisor for the Faculty of Science.

Last updated: March 12, 2018