2013-2014

Psychology, Bachelor of Arts

Department of Psychology

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This program provides opportunities for focused study in this quintessential behavioral science and builds research skills necessary for scientific inquiry within the discipline. This degree has proven useful for careers in many areas including law, entertainment, writing, journalism, government, education, business, and the arts. A language requirement builds further understanding of the ways in which the mind works and learns.

This plan will not be available to new students after Summer 2019

  • To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.

    • All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, liberal studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
    • At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
    • At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
    • A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

    The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • At least 41 units of major requirements
  • At least 16 units of language requirements
  • At least 18 units of minor requirements
  • Be aware that you may not use courses with a PSY prefix to satisfy liberal studies requirements
  • Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 120
Major GPA C
Highest Mathematics Required MAT 114
Emphasis, Minor, or Certificate Required Required
Foreign Language Required
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Optional
University Honors Program Optional
Progression Plan Link Not Available

Major Requirements
  • (Please note that NAU's Junior-level writing requirement is satisfied by taking PSY 302W, which is a required course. If a research methods course in psychology was taken at a different institution, any 3-4 unit NAU course with the NAU junior-level writing designation will satisfy this requirement.)

    Please note that of the 41 units required for this major, 15 units must be upper-division courses. In addition, individualized courses (PSY 485 and PSY 497) will not meet this 15-unit upper-division requirement. Three units of PSY 408C will count toward the 15-unit upper-division requirement. Finally, you can only count up to 6 units of individualized courses within the 41-unit major.

    In addition, at least 15 of the 41 units required for this major must be from courses offered by Northern Arizona University. These 15 units may not include individualized courses.
Minor Requirements

  • You must complete a minor of at least 18 units from those described in this catalog. In consultation with your advisor, you should select a minor that is appropriate for your career aspirations and educational needs. Your minor advisor will advise you about this part of your academic plan.

Foreign Language Requirement

  • You must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English that is equivalent to four terms of university coursework in the same language. You may satisfy this requirement by taking language courses or by testing out of all or part of it by taking CLEP exams. 

General Electives

  • Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

    You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.

    We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.