FAQ
The following are frequently asked questions of Loyola's Department of Psychology:
If you have forgotten your advisor's name you can always see who your advisors are by checking LOCUS. Look under the Academic Progress Tile and click Advisors. If you do not have a Psychology Faculty Advisor, please fill out the form found here. A department staff member will email with your Psychology Faculty Advisor. It is your responsibility to contact this person to ask questions either via email or in person/Zoom.
Your Psychology Faculty Advisor will periodically meet with you to go over course requirements, departmental activities, special courses, career opportunities, etc., and answer any questions that you might have. Please know that it is your responsibility to contact your advisor who will work with you on an "as needed" basis for the rest of your stay at Loyola.
However, there are several things that your Psychology Faculty Advisor CAN NOT help you with including:
However, there are several things that your Psychology Faculty Advisor CAN NOT help you with including:
- approval of attending courses at another college or university
- audit a course
- register for over 18 hours or less than 12
- repeat a course
- take a course pass/fail
Additional information on several of these items are found in this FAQ section.
Please DO NOT contact your faculty advisor for any of these things. Only your First and Second Year Advisor and your CAS Advisor can help you with these things. You can see who your advisors are by signing into LOCUS. For more information on please see Psychology Undergraduate Advising.
Please DO NOT contact your faculty advisor for any of these things. Only your First and Second Year Advisor and your CAS Advisor can help you with these things. You can see who your advisors are by signing into LOCUS. For more information on please see Psychology Undergraduate Advising.
Your requirements for the Psychology Major are set by when you originally declared the major. Look in LOCUS under the Academic Progress Tile and click My Academic Requirements to find your Requirement Term (or Catalog Year) for the Psychology Major.
If you Requirement Term (or Catalog Year) for the Psychology Major is:
- Fall 2021 or newer then you fall under Psychology Major 2024-2025
- Before Fall 2021 then your fall under Psychology Major 2020-21
If you declared your major under an earlier catalog and would like to switch to the current requirements please consult with your University or CAS advisor to make the change.
Psychology majors are to abide by Academic Council's double-dipping policy which instructs that not more than three courses offered by one department may count towards two different majors.
There are two notable exceptions for the Psychology Department:
Co-Majoring in Neuroscience
The following courses may be used to satisfy the requirements of the psychology major even though they may also be used to satisfy the requirements of the biology major and/or the neuroscience major/minor:
- PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology
- NEUR 101: Introduction to Neuroscience
- PSYC 240/BIOL 240: Psychology and Biology of Perception
- PSYC 250: Cognitive Psychology
- PSYC 251: Learning and Memory
- PSYC 276: Philosophy of Mind
- PSYC 279: Judgment and Decision-Making
- PSYC 304: Statistics
- PSYC 306: Research Methods in Psychology
- PSYC 311/BIOL 313: Lab in Psychobiology
- PSYC 312: Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience
- PSYC 314: Lab in Experimental Psychology - Cognition
- PSYC 316: Lab in Experimental Psychology - Sensation & Perception
- PYSC 332: Affective Neuroscience
- PSYC 350: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
- PYSC 352: Neuropsychology
- PSYC 355: Neuroethics
- PSYC 369/370: Honors in Psychology
- PSYC 382/BIOL 284: Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
- PSYC 387: Seminar in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
- PSYC 397: Independent Research
Co-Majoring in Social Work
Social Work Majors may count PSYC 101 and 304 and any other three PSYC classes approved by the School of Social Work towards both the Psychology and Social Work Majors.
Learn more about what a course might be like by taking a look at an example syllabus: CAS Syllabus Project
Classes cannot accommodate students over the stated limit and there is no automated waitlist for psychology courses. If you are a senior and you have consulted the Psychology Major Checklist 2021, Psychology Major Checklist 2024 and Psychology Course Matrix and determined that there is no other available course that you can take to fulfill the requirements for the major please contact the Psychology Department Chairperson (Dr. Jeff Huntsinger) to explain your situation.
You may receive credit for psychology courses that you take at other colleges and universities towards your 12 course Loyola Psychology Major/Minor (13 for honors). When you transfer into Loyola from another school your previous academic record is evaluated and you will receive credit for some courses that you have taken. You may count up to 6 transfer classes (18 hours) towards your Psychology Major and 3 (9 hours) towards your minor. This includes any AP Psychology credit you may have received.
You may also seek preapproval for courses you would like to take at another college or university while you are enrolled at Loyola according to the following policies:
- Participation in a study abroad program. To receive transfer course credit for classes you may take abroad please follow the procedures found here.
- You may also pre-apply to receive credit for psychology classes you may take at another school not as a part of a study abroad program. The university procedures on this policy may be found here. First, the course MUST NOT be offered at Loyola at the time you want to take it at the other school (Fall, Spring, Summer). It doesn't matter if you plan not to be on campus at that time, you may not take the course elsewhere if we offer it here. To be eligible to receive credit for the class you must obtain preapproval before the other class starts. Please do this by filling out the form here and sending: 1) the name of your CAS advisor, 2) a copy of the syllabus of the course you would like to take (or a URL of the course description) and, 3) a list of any other transfer classes that you have already received psychology credit for to the Psychology Undergraduate Program Director. This is the procedure only for receiving credit for psychology classes. For courses in other majors you need to follow the same procedure and send the completed form to that department Chair or Undergraduate Program Director.
If the course is required for your major such as PSYC 101, 201, 304, or 306 or a required Pillar course such as PSYC 273 or 275, then yes, because it is required. Likewise Nursing majors may also take PSYC 273 again because it is a requirement for that program. You don't need departmental approval just speak with your First and Second Year, CAS or Nursing advisor and that person can enroll you again. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS YOURSELF IN LOCUS. Please take the course from a DIFFERENT instructor than you took it the last time.
However, if the course is one choice among many (e.g., a group A or B lecture, a Diversity and Inclusion Requirement course, some Knowledge Pillar courses (e.g., Biological, Cognitive, or Mental Health) or an advanced lab course, or another elective) then the answer is no – please choose a different course to fulfill that requirement. So if you failed PSYC 250 Cognitive Psychology, then you need to take a different Group A or Cognitive Pillar lecture. To see the different courses which fulfill the various requirements of the major please take a look at the Psychology Course Offerings or the Psychology Course Matrix.
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YES, you must take and pass (C- or better) a psychological statistics course to fulfill the statistics requirement and to serve as a prerequisite for PSYC 306. STATS 103 can fulfill your math requirement, but not your PSYC 304 requirement. AP Statistics does not count for PSYC 304. Transfer statistics classes must be a statistics course offered by a psychology department.
In order to register for PSYC 306 you must have taken PSYC 304 (or received credit for an equivalent psychological statistics class on your transcript) and already received a grade of C- or better. Other statistics classes such as AP Statistics, BIOL 335, SOCl 301, or STATS 103 are not accepted as prerequisites for PSYC 304.
Volunteer in a lab! Learn more about how to do this by visiting this page.
Talk with our graduate students to learn more about what graduate school in psychology is like. Also, visit the Careers in Psychology page to see why you might decide to go to graduate school in psychology. Lastly, if you are planning to apply for graduate programs in psychology or a related field then these resources might be helpful.
Independent research courses PSYC 397 and PSYC 370 count towards the Loyola's engaged learning requirement, while PSYC 399 does not. Internship in Psychology (PSYC 390) also counts towards the requirement. For more information on each of these courses click on the links. PSYC 237 Cross-Cultural Psychology has a service learning component, so also counts as engaged learning in addition to counting towards the Major's DEI requirement.
Absolutely! Study Abroad is a great way to experience another culture and also take advantage of the unique course offerings provided by each university. There are a couple of things to keep in mind however.
- Try to complete at minimum PSYC 101, 201, 304, 306 and your quantitative requirements BEFORE leaving to study abroad.
- If at all possible complete a minimum of 2-3 of your pillar courses BEFORE leaving to study abroad.
- Decide on how you will complete your capstone requirement (Internship, Independent Research, or second Advance Lab) BEFORE going on study abroad. You don't need to take these courses, but make a plan. Knowing who your researh mentor will be and perhaps where you might do an internship are good first steps to settle before you leave.
- Try to take at least one psychology or neuroscience course that we do not offer at Loyola when you are abroad. Its likely that this course may count towards one of your requirements or at least as an elective. The Study Abroad Office maintains a large database of course equivalencies. When you connect with their office you will have access to this database to check courses and also to request additional equivalencies. Please DO NOT contact the Psychology Department directly to ask for this information, it is handled through the Study Abroad Office.
Most of all enjoy your study abroad experience!
The Study Abroad Office maintains a large database of course equivalencies. When you connect with their office you will have access to this database to check courses and also to request additional equivalencies. Please DO NOT contact the Psychology Department directly to ask for this information, it is handled through the Study Abroad Office.
There are four options for thecapstone requirement:
Internship in Psychology (PSYC 390) - must apply at the beginning of the semester BEFORE you intend to take it. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
Independent Research (PSYC 397) - typically faculty expect you to already be volunteering in their lab before they will agree to mentor you for this course. Faculty approved application due the first week of the semester you are taking the course. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
Honors in Psychology (PSYC 369/370)— two semester sequence requiring advanced application and a minimum GPA requirement. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
Take a second Advanced Lab Course: see here for the options. DOES NOT count towards the university engaged learning requirement.
- Internship in Psychology (PSYC 390) - must apply at the beginning of the semester BEFORE you intend to take it. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
- Independent Research (PSYC 397) - typically faculty expect you to already be volunteering in their lab before they will agree to mentor you for this course. Faculty approved application due the first week of the semester you are taking the course. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
- Honors in Psychology (PSYC 369/370)— two semester sequence requiring advanced application and a minimum GPA requirement. Also counts for the university engaged learning requirement. MORE INFO
Take a second Advanced Lab Course: see here for the options. DOES NOT count towards the university engaged learning requirement.
