Psychology Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA)

Effective for students admitted to UH Mānoa Fall 2014 or later.

The BA degree offers a broad coverage of psychology, flexibility in choosing courses, and sufficient background in the major to enable outstanding students to qualify for graduate psychology programs. The curriculum for the BA degree is also appropriate for those intending to go into law, business, education, or master’s level fields such as counseling, rehabilitation, or social work.

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Credit Requirements

• A minimum of 36-37 credits in psychology is required for the major.
• At least 15 credits must be earned in upper-division (300- or 400-level) psychology courses.
• At least 15 PSY credits must be completed at UH Mānoa or Mānoa Outreach College.

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Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement

• Psychology GPA of at least 2.0.

Note: An undergraduate major GPA is calculated on the basis of all psychology course grades taken at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, plus other course grades meeting degree requirements (e.g., SOCS 225). A grade of C- or below will not count toward credit requirements and will lower major GPA.

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Coursework Requirements

Required Pre-Major Courses (9-10 Credits)

• PSY 100: Survey of Psychology
• PSY 212: Survey of Research Methods
• PSY 225: Statistical Techniques or;
  SOCS 225: Statistical Analysis for Social Sciences
  Other statistics courses may be used to meet the requirements. Please check with the Psychology Undergraduate Advising Office.

One course from 4 of 5 Psychology Foundation Areas (12 Credits)

1. Experimental (PSY X2X courses), e.g., PSY 322, 324, 325
2. Behavioral Neuroscience (PSY X3X courses), e.g., PSY 230, 331, 336
3. Developmental (PSY X4X courses), e.g., PSY 240, 341, 442
4. Social or Personality (PSY X5X / PSY X6X courses), e.g., PSY 250, 260, 352
5. Clinical or Community (PSY X7X / PSY X8X courses), e.g., PSY 270, 280, 371

One course in the Advanced Topics Series (3 Credits)

• These courses are numbered 4X9 (e.g., 429, 439, 449, etc.)

Psychology Electives (12 Credits)

• These elective courses may be any psychology course not taken to fulfill the requirements above.
• Students often take the majority of these 12 credits at the 300- or 400-level to complete the upper-division requirement.
• While not required, students are encouraged to participate in PSY 499 (Research) courses.
• Students may also receive credit for practicum experiences in the community through PSY 407.

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View program sheets and plan templates