What Education Is Needed to Major in Psychology?
In order to enroll in an undergraduate psychology program, a student must first successfully be admitted into a college or university that hosts a psychology program. While high school academic record is normally taken into consideration during the college admissions process, acceptance into an undergraduate psychology program may ultimately be subject to departmental approval.
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High School Diploma
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A high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) is required in order to matriculate at a college or university offering an undergraduate major program in psychology. In order to be considered for acceptance as a psychology major upon college admission, a psychology department may look for a high school background in math and science coursework and consider the rigorousness of the student's college preparatory curriculum in high school.
College Liberal Arts Curriculum
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An undergraduate psychology program may additionally require that students complete college liberal arts, general education or core curriculum prerequisites prior to declaring a major. These curricula generally include courses in history, literature, natural science and social science, in addition to other courses covering a broad spectrum of liberal arts academia.
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General Psychology
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A satisfactory grade in a college general psychology course may also be a prerequisite for an undergraduate psychology major. A general psychology course may satisfy core curriculum social science requirements established for all baccalaureate degree candidates at a college or university. General psychology offers students an introductory look at cognitive, behavioral and humanistic psychology, as well as other major perspectives of the field.
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References
- Photo Credit blue brain image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com