PSYCH-BA - Psychology (BA)
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Program Overview
The undergraduate program in Psychology aims to introduce students to the theories and empirical studies of human behavior. This includes the study of aging, achievement, child development, cognitive processes, conflict, culture, decision-making, emotion, group behavior, health, identity, infancy, language, learning and memory, morality, motivation, personality, psychopathology, race, self, social perception, visual perception, and other related topics. The major provides students with knowledge and skills relevant to professional careers in technology, business, counseling, education, public policy, law, medicine, and graduate studies in psychology.
Advising
Psychology supports a multiple mentorship model for advising majors. Within the department, students have the following advisors:
Faculty major advisor
Student services officer
Peer advisors
Psychology Department advising is supplemented by support from Undergraduate Advising and Research Academic Advising Directors, the Residential Education dormitory staff, and many other potential advisors. We encourage our students to reach out to advisors from across the university to develop a robust support network.
Answers to questions about major requirements can be found in Frequently Asked Questions.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
All courses towards the 70-unit requirement must be taken for a letter grade of C- or better, except for courses offered only on an S/NC (Satisfactory/No Credit) basis. Students who are double majoring or completing a minor degree in another department may not overlap (double-count) courses unless the overlapping courses constitute introductory skill requirements, such as course.
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Stanford’s course is designed for students who may major or minor in Psychology and has also been carefully crafted to serve as an essential contribution to any liberal arts education. For this reason, the Department does not accept AP credit toward the major or minor requirements.
Students with multiple programs may substitute PSYCH10 with the following Statistics courses if that course is also required by their other program: STATS 131/BIO141, STATS 191, STATS 203, HUMBIO 88, HUMBIO 89, ECON 102A
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Students must complete at least five core Psychology courses, with at least two from each area A and B.
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Students must complete at least five core Psychology courses, with a minimum of two from each area A and B.
The syllabi for these courses can be found on the Stanford Syllabus website.
An elective Psychology course is any PSYCH course that is three units or more (excluding independent study, research, and practicum). Four cognate courses from other departments count as PSYCH courses, not outside units. These courses are course, course, and course (all other PSYC courses may count as outside units). Students may count up to 10 units of Psychology research (course, course, course), independent study (course), and practica (course) toward the Psychology major. Students who are teaching assistants for a Psychology course or enrolled in the senior Honors Program are allowed up to 15 units in independent study and research. Any units beyond these limits may be counted toward the 180 units required for graduation.
Students may count up to ten research units, independent study, and practica (including but not limited to course Reading and Special Work, course Special Laboratory Projects, and course Practicum in Teaching) toward the Psychology major. Students who are teaching assistants for a Psychology course or are enrolled in the senior honors program are allowed up to 15 units in independent study and research. Any units beyond the limit of 10 or 15 may be counted toward the 180 units required for graduation.
Except for summer 2021, summer quarter Psychology courses are not equivalent to courses given during the regular academic year and, while applicable toward the 70 units needed for the major, may not be used to fulfill core course requirements. Therefore, course, course, and the Area A and B courses cannot be taken during summer quarter to fulfill the major requirements. Additionally, a course taken during the summer quarter cannot replace the grade of a non-Summer Quarter course, even if the title and units of the two courses are the same.
Beyond the Minimal Requirements
The following recommendations may be helpful to students who wish to plan a program that goes beyond the minimal core major requirements:
Within the general major, the student may take advanced undergraduate or graduate courses (although some require the consent of the instructor), including seminars. The student may also take advantage of widespread opportunities for directed research, working closely with individual faculty and graduate students.
The student may apply to the senior honors program described below.
The training obtained from pursuing any of these options is valuable not only for students considering graduate work in Psychology but also for those thinking of professional careers outside of Psychology in fields such as technology, business, counseling, education, law, public policy, or medicine.
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To complete the Capstone requirement, students should complete either the Psychology Honors option for Capstone: Psych Applied option below.
This is a year-long seminar taken in the senior year and built around an Honor’s thesis. Students may opt for 1-4 units in each of the three quarters. Applications are due in the junior year (June). For more information, see https://psychology.stanford.edu/academicsundergraduate-program/psychology-honors-program
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Students will integrate and apply their learning in Psychology while exploring and preparing for a future career post-graduation. In their senior year, students will complete a seminar course (PSYCH 196) each quarter which at the end they will summarize and synthesize their experience in a final capstone project.
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Autumn quarter is devoted to a weekly seminar and developing a concrete research proposal. The seminar includes general discussions of research, oral presentations, and discussions of each student’s project. Students will meet regularly with their research sponsors during this time, read background material, and plan their research. At the end of autumn quarter, students submit written research proposals.
Winter quarter is devoted to data collection and initiation of data analysis. Weekly meetings are planned for students to update one another on their progress and review statistics and data analysis. At the end of winter quarter, students will complete a self-assessment of progress in the program. A significant portion of data collection will have been completed by this time.
Spring quarter is typically spent on data analysis, making sense of the findings, completing the paper, and preparing a brief talk. Completed theses are due mid-May. The program culminates in an Honors Convention held on Dead Day in June. Students present their research to an audience of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and family and friends. Upon successful completion of the program, students will graduate with Departmental Honors.
All Honors students must have a research advisor. Although students are allowed to have advisors from outside of the Department or Stanford, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Office’s grant requirements stipulate that at least one advisor for each Senior Honors research project must be a member of the Academic Council. Therefore, if a student has chosen an advisor who is not a member of the Academic Council, that student must also select a co-advisor who is. Additionally, Honors research supervised by faculty outside of the Psychology Department or individuals outside of Stanford must first be approved by the Honors Faculty Advisor.
Students who graduate with Honors in Psychology will have completed the following by the end of their final year at Stanford:
All regular major requirements
Three quarters of Honors Research*
course (Senior Honors Research) autumn, winter, and spring quarter
Completion of the Honors Thesis
Presentation at the Honors Convention
*All honors thesis research can only be counted under Psychology 198, not other research courses such as course and course. Honors students may only count up to 15 units of independent research (including Psychology 194, 195, and 198) toward the psychology major.
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Students interested in the program should involve themselves in research as early as possible. They should acquire a broad general background in Psychology, including statistics, and a deep background in their chosen area. Typically, students work in their honor thesis advisor’s lab for at least one quarter. The honors program is particularly appropriate for students planning to go to graduate school in Psychology or in other social sciences, as well as in computer science, business, counseling education, law, public policy, and medicine.
During autumn quarter of their senior year, honors program students participate in a weekly seminar and meet with their advisors to develop their experimental program and begin data collection. Winter and spring quarters are devoted to completing the research, analyzing the data, and writing the thesis submitted mid-May. Students give oral presentations of their projects at the annual Honors Convention. This convention is attended by undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.
How to Apply
Students may apply to the program at the end of their junior year. Admission to the program is based on academic performance, previous research experience, and faculty or graduate student recommendations. Applicants will be notified of acceptance during the summer before senior year.
Applicants will need the following materials:
Honors Applications are due April 15, 2024; the application portal will be open early winter quarter.
An unofficial transcript that includes your winter 2023-2024 grades
A summary of your research idea/project (one to two pages max)
Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a Stanford Psychology faculty member who will be your Honors Advisor; recommenders should email their letters to asims@stanford.edu