The Bachelor of Arts program is most appropriate for the student who seeks primarily a liberal arts education, with a major in psychology and a broad distribution of electives in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. A bachelor of arts in psychology in conjunction with appropriate elective courses is an excellent preparation for careers in human services or social services, or post graduate studies in clinical psychology, counseling, developmental psychology, industrial and organizational behavior, school psychology, social psychology, business administration, or law.
Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
The following table summarizes all requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. For an overview of a particular course, click on its title. Our Course Descriptions page lists all psychology courses. For one possible breakdown of the major by semester, see the Plan of Study.
* A minimum of three credits of communication skills courses beyond CLAR 111 and can be taken from among: ENG 230, ENG 250, ENG 260; foreign language conversation and composition courses beyond or in a different language from School of Arts and Sciences foreign-language requirement; or other communication skills courses approved by the Psychology Department.
** The School of Arts and Sciences requires all majors to complete a foreign language course at the 202 level or higher. Students not prepared to begin at this level will need to take additional courses in the language, which count as general electives.
† The Clare College curriculum also includes a three-credit quantitative reasoning requirement. Psychology B.A. majors satisfy this requirement by passing any of the courses listed in the above table under Mathematics.
Psychology Distribution
To guarantee exposure to a sufficient number of fundamental areas and minimum breadth requirements, all psychology majors must take at least four courses listed below (two from Elective Set 1 and two from Elective Set 2). To see an overview of a course, click on its number.
Departmental Comprehensive Requirement
To comply with University comprehensive examination requirements, psychology majors must take PSYC 401. Senior Seminar. In this course students plan, conduct and write a senior thesis. The purposes of the thesis are to capstone undergraduate experiences and to provide a transition to post-baccalaureate life. The thesis is based on an empirical research project.