Psychology is the scientific study of the psychological, biological and contextual determinants of human behavior. Our program is ideal for students who plan to work as professional psychologists and need a sound preparation for graduate study, but also for students who plan a career in fields dealing with people, such as nursing, teaching, social work, guidance and human resources, and those who want to understand human behavior as part of a well-rounded education. Our courses focus on human diversity and contemporary cultural issues while advanced courses integrate traditional psychology education with applied topics that emphasize the intersectionality of Psychology with different approaches to understanding and working with social problems.

5 credits Research Methods

  • TPSYCH 309 Fundamentals of Psychological Research II

15 credits Core courses (Students must take courses across at least 2 core areas.)

Clinical Core Courses

  • TPSYCH 310 Controversies in Clinical Psychology

  • TPSYCH 311 Personality Theories

  • TPSYCH 312 Mental Illness Across Cultures

  • TPSYCH 313 Personality Disorders

  • TPSYCH 314 Tests and Measurements

Developmental Core Courses

  • TPSYCH 308 Conscience, Nature and Technology

  • TPSYCH 319 Child Development

  • TPSYCH 320 Race/Class/Gender Contexts of Child Development

  • TPSYCH 321 Adolescent Psychology

  • TPSYCH 322 Adult Development 

Cognitive/Experimental Core Courses

  • TPSYCH 350 Human Memory

  • TPSYCH 352 Judgment & Decision-Making

Social/Applied Core Courses

  • TPSYCH 344 Self and Society

  • TPSYCH 345 Stereotyping, Prejudice and Discrimination

  • TPSYCH 346 Skepticism and Critical Thinking

  • TPSYCH 347 Attitudes and Persuasion

  • TPSYCH 349 Sexual Identities

  • TPSYCH 360 Health Psychology

  • TPSYCH 361 Psychopharmacology

  • TPSYCH 362 Psychophysiology of Stress and Stress Management

General Psychology Core Course

  • TPSYCH 300 History & Systems of Psychology

10 credits Advanced Topics

  • TPSYCH 400 Psychology of Women

  • TPSYCH 401 Family Violence

  • TPSYCH 402 Friends, Enemies and Intimates

  • TPSYCH 403 Psychology of Black Women

  • TPSYCH 404 Psychology of Food and Culture

  • TPSYCH 405 Body Image and the Psychology of Appearance

  • TPSYCH 406 Chemical Dependency

  • TPSYCH 407 Cultural Context of Child Development

  • TPSYCH 409 Group Counseling and Dynamics

  • TPSYCH 410 Existential Psychology

  • TPSYCH 411 Psychology and the Arts

  • TPSYCH 418 Lifespan Imaginative Play

  • TPSYCH 420 Attachment & Interpersonal Relations

  • TPSYCH 421 Social Psychology, Law and Society

  • TPSYCH 422 Psychology and the Legal System

  • TPSYCH 431 Sexual Deviance

  • TPSYCH 432 Sex Crimes and Sexual Violence

  • TPSYCH 441 Diversity and Health Psychology

  • TPSYCH 445 Psychology of Superheroes: An Exploration of Good and Evil

  • TPSYCH 450 Meditation, Mindfulness and Health

  • TPSYCH 455 Immigrant Youth Development

  • TPSYCH 460 Sport Psychology

  • TPSYCH 461 Asian American Psychology

  • TPSYCH 472 Cross-Cultural Studies in Social Sciences

5 credits from any 300– or 400–level TPSYCH course OR an independent studies course, which requires faculty approval.

  • TPSYCH 496 Psychology Internship

  • TPSYCH 498 Directed Readings in Psychology

  • TPSYCH 499 Undergraduate Psychology Research

  • Independent Study Contracts

15 credits of upper-division coursework (300– or 400–level outside of the subject of Psychology)

  • 5 credits: Arts and Humanities (A&H)

  • 5 credits: Social Sciences (SSc) 

  • 5 additional credits from Arts and Humanities (A&H) OR Social Sciences (SSc) OR Natural Sciences (NSc)

Electives: These courses can be used as electives in the major.

  • TPSYCH 202 Human Sexuality

  • TPSYCH 230 Educational Psychology

ADVISORS

Karin Dalesky
Students with last names starting with A–M

Schedule with Karin

Brian Burhenn
Students with last names starting with N–Z

Schedule with Brian

MAJOR COORDINATOR

Professor Amanda Sesko

DEPARTMENT

Department of Social Sciences (SOCS)

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

  • Business
  • Community Service
  • Human Resources
  • Human Services
  • Mental Health
  • Nonprofits
  • Post-graduate Studies
  • Psychology
  • Social Services

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Completing the following prerequisites, with a minimum grade of 2.0,  is required before declaring the major.  

  • One general or introduction to psychology course (TPSYCH 101 OR equivalent)
  • Two psychology foundation courses chosen from more than one of the following areas:
    • Developmental psychology (Lifespan Development; TPSYCH 220 OR equivalent)
    • Abnormal psychology (TPSYCH 210 OR equivalent)
    • Social psychology (TPSYCH 240 OR equivalent)
    • Human cognition (TPSYCH 250 OR equivalent)
    • Biological Bases of Behavior (TPSYCH 260 OR equivalent)
  • One introductory statistics course (TMATH 110, TSOCWF 351, TURB 225 OR equivalent)
  • One introductory methods course (TPSYCH 209 OR equivalent)

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

For a BA in Psychology, you need to complete 75 credits, which includes the prerequisite courses.

Transfer Credits

UW Tacoma Graduation Requirements

What can you do with a BA in Psychology?