Undergraduate Advising Resources

All PSY majors are assigned a Department of Psychology faculty advisor. 

Students may locate their assigned advisors via BannerWeb: 

• Go to MyMiami Homepage
• Click on BannerWeb, Under Quicktools
• Click on Studentt Services & Financial Aid
• Click on Student Records
• Click on View Student Information and your program information and assigned advisor will be listed

• Academic Advisors in other departments are likely to be a better source of information about graduate study in other fields.
• The CAS Advising Office (146 Upham Hall; 529-3031) specializes in advising students on College of Arts and Sciences Requirements and Miami Plan requirements. 
• The Center for Career Exploration & Success (45 Armstrong Center; 529-3831) specializes in helping students with career planning. 
• The Center for Psychological Inquiry (Psychology Building room 130) provides students with resources to assist with coursework, learn about opportunities in the psychology department, as well as direct students to appropriate resources for exploring career opportunities.

Please contact Dr. Robin Thomas (thomasrd@MiamiOH.edu)

Psychology is a versatile major. Our discipline encompasses all of the many different factors that affect human thoughts, feelings, behavior and development. 

Read more about the Psychology major

Psychology degree requirements

If a student wishes to transfer a course from another institution to Miami, the course needs to be listed in Transferology as a match. It is important to ensure the direction of the match is FROM that school TO Miami; not everything is a two-way match. Students wishing to apply transfer credits to the Psychology major should contact the Lead Departmental Advisor.

If the course is not listed in Transferology, students should ideally get preapproval from the Lead Departmental Advisor before taking the class. Of course, students can take the class first and then apply to transfer it, but there is no guarantee that the class will transfer as an equivalent to the class the student is intending it to transfer in as. Also, note that the Lead Departmental Advisor is the only person who can approve “transfer credits” from other universities for the PSY major.

Please consult the roadmap to the Psychology major, which has 3 and 4-year plans for finishing the major.

Psychology is a fairly flexible major, so doubling it with another major is possible within the 4-year time frame. If you are planning to double, it is advantageous to complete the statistics and research methods sequence fairly early (see FAQ, "When should I take the stats and methods sequence"). This is particularly important if your other major is cohort-based or in a different academic division.

Also be aware that if your majors are in two different divisions, you are responsible for meeting division level requirements for both. For example, if you are a marketing (FSB) and PSY (CAS) double major, you will still need a foreign language through the 202 level. Although FSB does not require it, CAS does. It is also suggested that you meet with your advisors often to make sure you are on track for both majors. 

The statistics and research methods sequence (STA 261, PSY 293, PSY 294) is a foundational part of the psychology major. Psychology majors take their skills in analysis and reasoning to many types of careers. We have structured our major so that taking statistics and research methods as early as possible will help students get the most of our major. It is important to start these courses early because they progress in a sequence (they cannot be taken at the same time), requiring three semesters to finish. It is important to complete this sequence early because majors cannot take our upper-level (300+) courses until they have finished PSY 294.

The most common timeline is for students to take STA 261 during their first year, to take PSY 293 during the fall of their sophomore year, and PSY 294 during the spring of their sophomore year. It is not uncommon for students to be on a trajectory to finish this sequence one semester earlier or later than this, but it becomes difficult for students to complete the major in a timely manner if they finish PSY 294 with fewer than three semesters remaining for upper-level coursework.  

Because majors cannot take upper level (300+) courses until after they have finished the three-course sequence in statistics and research methods, students are typically taking upper-level courses in their third and fourth years. This also allows time for students to take many of our 200-level breadth courses and while fulfilling that requirement, decide which area(s) of psychology they would like to be their major focus.

It is most common for students to begin taking 300-level courses their third year and to take their 400-level courses their fourth year. It is helpful for majors to plan which upper-level course they would like to take, as many 400-level courses have a 300-level pre-requisite. Note that some 400-level courses are reserved for students with senior-standing.

Prerequisites for each course required for the Psychology degree are listed in the General Bulletin.

Psychology faculty cannot add you to courses. Please follow the instructions for the waitlist and ROR system as outlined below by the registrar: Waitlist and ROR procedures

• For students in 100/200 level courses (except for PSY 111, 112, and 210), please use the waitlist system in Bannerweb (where you typically register for courses). 
• For students in 300/400 level courses, please use the Registration Override Request (ROR) System. 
• For students in PSY 111, 112, and 210, please use the Psychology Department waitlist. Note: These forms will begin to be processed once open registration begins.

The following sites have useful information on careers in Psychology.

• The Superpowers of the Psychology Major
• Preparing to Use Your Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
• CWS Data Tool: Degrees in Psychology
• Careers in Psychology

No, a minor in Psychology is not currently available.