BA, BS in Psychology from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minor
	Psychology
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Selective Admission
	(BS only)
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

Psychology is the academic field that studies behavior—both human and animal. It is a broad field with many areas of specialization. At The University of Iowa, the psychology department offers course work in five areas: behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, developmental science, cognition and perception, and personality and social psychology.

• Why Study Psychology at Iowa?
• Admission
• Course Work
• Minor
• Honors
• Student Activities
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study Psychology at Iowa?
Iowa enjoys an excellent national reputation. For example, U.S. News & World Report ranked the clinical psychology doctorate track ninth in the nation. Also, the PhD program in psychology research at Iowa ranked in the top 30. With approximately 1,300 students in the program, it is one of the most popular majors for first-year students.

The psychology program involves a broad curriculum, training students in the study of individual behavior through human and animal studies. The department’s comprehensive advising system includes individual faculty and peer advisors, and an academic coordinator of undergraduate education.

Many research laboratories in the Department of Psychology have openings for undergraduate research assistants. You can become involved in all aspects of research, from scheduling and running subjects to analyzing data. Depending on the lab, you can speak to clients, run infant test sessions, and even design your own research projects.

Working in a research lab is a great way to find out whether you might be interested in a research career. In addition, students considering graduate study in psychology are encouraged to obtain research experience while they are undergraduates—most graduate schools weigh research experience quite strongly when making acceptance decisions.

Admission
Students are admitted to the BA program as soon as they declare the psychology major. Students intending to enter the BS program enroll in the BA program until they have completed 30 semester hours (s.h.) of course work with a grade-point average (GPA) of 2.67 or higher.

There is no limit to the number of qualified students admitted to the BS program.

Course Work
You may earn either a BA or a BS degree in psychology. The BA program has fewer specific requirements than the BS degree.

The BA is appropriate for those intending to go into law, business, education, or master’s level fields in counseling, rehabilitation, or social work.

BA in Psychology
You’ll take Elementary Psychology, Biological Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, and Elementary Statistics and
Inference.

You’ll take three electives from this list:

• Introduction to Clinical Psychology
• Introduction to Developmental Science
• Introduction to Social Psychology
• Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Three upper-level electives complete the major courses.

Students entering the BA program also must complete at least 9 s.h. of course work at The University of Iowa in a second area of concentration. Courses used to satisfy the second area may not be used to satisfy the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ General Education Program requirements, but a second major or a minor in any discipline will satisfy the second area requirement. Finally, students complete either a second statistics course, or a computer science course.

BS in Psychology
The BS degree is intended for students who plan to pursue advanced work in psychology or in a related discipline because it places more emphasis on research and the natural sciences. However, it is not required for admission to the graduate programs.

The BS degree requires Elementary Psychology, Biological Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, and Introduction to Statistical Methods (or an approved substitute, such as Biostatistics).

After completing three elective courses from the same list as the BA program, you’ll take three upper-level courses from a list available on the department’s web site. You’ll also take Laboratory in Psychology and Psychology Seminar.

And you’ll complete one of the following pairs of natural science courses:

• Chemistry and biological sciences
• Two semesters of chemistry
• Two semesters of physics
• One semester each of chemistry and physics
• One semester each of chemistry and biology

You also must complete one calculus course, which may involve a precalculus prerequisite, and one advanced mathematics, statistics, or computer science course.

Minor
A minor requires completion of 15 s.h. of graded course work in psychology with a GPA of at least 2.00. At least 12 of the 15 s.h. must be completed at The University of Iowa.

Honors
In order to graduate with honors in psychology, you must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program. Honors students in psychology also must complete several seminars and compose a thesis based on original research.

Student Activities
There are many opportunities for cocurricular learning. All students are encouraged to participate in community service and volunteer opportunities or research projects with a faculty member. Two active student organizations, Psi Chi and the Iowa Student Psychology Association, are popular among undergraduates.

Also, many psychology students choose to study in foreign countries through study abroad programs. Australia, England, and Ireland are the most popular study abroad sites for psychology students.

Careers
Many vocational opportunities in psychology require advanced professional training, usually through a master’s (typically two years postgraduate) or doctorate degree (typically requiring four or five years of postgraduate work) and including extensive work in research methods. There are many master’s level fields such as social work or counseling that are appropriate for psychology majors.

There are many opportunities for those with a master’s degree (two or three years of post-bachelor's work) to teach psychology at the community college or high school level and to find employment in a business, school, or hospital.

Psychologists in academic settings teach and conduct research designed to increase our knowledge about behavior. Psychologists also work in governmental and industrial organizations, carrying out basic and applied research and providing professional advice. Many clinical psychologists are employed in clinics or hospitals, or are engaged in private practice, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Clinical psychologists are to be distinguished from psychiatrists, who are physicians (MDs) with specialized training in the treatment of mental disorders.

Job opportunities within the psychology profession for those with only an undergraduate degree are quite limited. For that reason, psychology students who don’t intend to enroll immediately in a graduate program frequently combine their studies with a second degree in an area in which jobs are available, such as education, social work, business, journalism, or nursing.

Further vocational information can be obtained from the American Psychological Association web site.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.