Psychology Major (B.A.)

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The UNH Manchester psychology program provides students with a broad background in psychology, introducing them to both the experimental and clinical perspectives in the field.

The psychology program, through its independent study and internship programs, offers opportunities for participation in cooperating New Hampshire mental health, human services, and rehabilitation facilities. Students have worked in hospitals, halfway houses, mental health centers, and other agencies. The department also invites guest speakers to discuss important issues in the field and sponsors a Psychology/Neuropsychology Club.

Psychology graduates find employment as trained research assistants, mental health aides in a wide variety of human services agencies, social welfare caseworkers, teachers in special education programs, and professionals in government, business, and industry. It is normally expected that students who wish to do professional clinical work  will need to pursue graduate training at the master's or doctoral level.

For more information about the psychology program, contact Alison Paglia, program coordinator, or the UNH Manchester Office of Admissions at (603) 641-4150.

This degree plan is a sample and does not reflect the impact of transfer credit or current course offerings. UNH Manchester undergraduate students will develop individual academic plans with their professional advisor during the first year at UNH.

Sample Course Sequence

Degree Requirements

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

Students majoring in psychology must complete a minimum of 128 credits, satisfy the University's Discovery Program and foreign language requirements, and complete 44 credits with a minimum of C- in each course and a 2.0 overall grade-point average in all major requirements.

Transfer students who elect to major in psychology must complete at least 24 credits in the program at UNH/UNH Manchester to qualify for the degree in psychology. Transfer students must earn a total of 44 approved credits for completion of the psychology major. The department's academic advisors will determine the distribution of these credits. Transfer students should note that courses are allotted only the number of credits granted by the original institution (after adjustments for semester-hour equivalents). Thus, students transferring from an institution at which courses carry less than four credits each must make up for any credit deficit created by acceptance of transfer credits into the psychology major. Only courses taken in a psychology department can be transferred into the psychology major. Of the four 700-level courses required for the major, at least three must be taken at UNH.

The courses listed below are offered on the UNH Manchester and/or Durham campuses; specific course selections should be discussed with the advisor. Exceptions to the requirements for the major require a petition to the department.

¹

May be substituted for a Group I or Group II course, but they may not both be used to fill the same group.

Discovery Capstone:

The Discovery Program capstone requirement, taken during the senior year, may be fulfilled by completing one of the following options:

1. PSYC 793 Internship: This will count towards fulfilling the capstone and a group II 700-level psychology course.  By taking PSYC 793 Internship, the capstone will be considered fulfilled.
2. PSYC 795 Independent Study: Students can designate a 4 credit independent study as their capstone experience. Students should also register for PSYC 798 Capstone, a 0 credit course to reflect that the capstone experience is fulfilled.
3. One 700-level course designated as capstone.  A capstone designated 700-level course will count towards fulfilling the capstone and a 700-level course. Students will register for PSYC 798 Capstone, a 0 credit course to reflect the capstone experience is fulfilled. See guidelines below:

• You may take any eligible 700-level Psychology course in your senior year (90+ completed credits) for Capstone credit.
• Ask your professor about the possibility of taking the course for Capstone credit.  Remember that your professor is not obligated to designate a course for Capstone credit.  Please be respectful in approaching your professor, and if the answer is no, please accept this decision.
• Meet and discuss with your professor what you will be doing to constitute your Capstone experience.  In some cases, it will be an extra assignment; in others it will involve the expansion of existing class work.  Your professor will use his/her professional discretion to determine what constitutes as your Capstone experience.
• If approved, you will register for PSYC 798 Capstone in addition to the 700-level course.

The psychology department does not accept other departments' statistic courses toward the psychology major. Students who have taken a statistics course other than PSYC 402 Statistics in Psychology must pass a competency exam in order to declare the major and/or register for PSYC 402 Statistics in Psychology.

Students who plan to transfer to Durham should consult with their advisor.

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings in psychology.
• Understand basic research methods in psychology including design, data analysis, and interpretation; and utilize this knowledge to conduct their own psychological research, with an appreciation of the ethical issues involved in human and non-human research.
• Engage in scientific reasoning and problem solving so that they can evaluate the quality and implications of scientific research.
• Write empirical research reports and literature reviews in American Psychological Association style and present findings from scientific research.