In the field of Psychology, we seek to understand human thought and behavior, addressing questions with relevance to virtually every aspect of modern life. Psychology research identifies the links between the mind, the body and the social world, and is behind the design of everything from smartphones and children’s toys to online networks and public health ads. Psychology also includes the more well-known domain of counseling, which helps individuals lead happier and healthier lives.
The Department of Psychology offers both a major and minor in psychology, as well as an exceptional certificate in the field of Human Factors.
Our Bachelor’s Program includes coursework in the areas of clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, social and personality psychology, health psychology, and more. As a hub science, psychology is uniquely positioned to provide a strong platform from which students can launch successful careers into nearly any field or industry.
Students in our program have an incredible number of opportunities to get involved and develop marketable skill sets while studying the science of psychology. Many of our students work as research assistants in established laboratories, or under the direction of a faculty mentor while pursuing their own research project. Our department also encourages students to gain real-world experiences while still earning academic credit through internships.
Our program also provides excellent preparation for advanced degrees in psychology or related fields such as school counseling or social work, and many students go on to graduate work in Medicine, Law, Public Policy, or Business.
The Student Experience
There are multiple ways to design your major to your interests in the psychology program. Students are encouraged to participate in experiential learning through independent and/or faculty-mentored projects as an undergrad. Options include research, internships, peer advising, or teaching assisting. Options for student organizations, which allow networking, leadership, and volunteer experience, are the Psychology Clubs and/or Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society in Salt Lake City, and etc.
Career Opportunities
Psychology graduates with a bachelors degree will enter into fields of education or human services, such as case managers, psychiatric technicians, coordinators, or teaching. However, there are additional pathways to careers in psychology such as human resources, industrial psychology, governmental careers, or management. Students who continue their education at the graduate level can become certified psychologists, counselors, therapists, and advisors, providing direct care.
Psychology Major
Psychologists study human and animal behavior, seeking to understand how people and nonhuman animals function in their environments: through this, a psychologist ultimately wants to understand, predict, and resolve behavioral and psychological problems. The Psychology curriculum includes coursework in the following topics: psychology as a science and profession, cognition and behavior neuroscience, intergroup relations, development in infancy, emotions, human performance, personality, sexuality, health, among others. Through coursework, and hands-on experience through research, internships, peer advising, and/or teaching assisting, you will gain the knowledge base and critical thinking skills you need for success in post-college careers or graduate school.
Graduation Requirements
- A minimum of 41 hours in PSY courses are required and 25 of these must be upper-division.
- 10 hours of PSY courses must be completed at the U of U and at least 8 of these must be upper-division.
- A maximum of 6 credits of experiential learning can count towards the total 41 credits (Research Experience, Peer Advising, Teaching Assisting and Internships).
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All prerequisite, psychology, and allied courses must be completed with a C or better.
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Advanced Placement (AP) score of 3 or higher fulfills the PSY 1010 requirement. Students will receive 3 credit hours towards the Psychology major. Students cannot receive credit for PSY 1010 in the major if AP credit has or will be awarded.
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International Baccalaureate (IB) Psychology Test score of 5 or higher fulfills the PSY 1010 requirement. Students will receive 3 credit hours towards the Psychology major. Students cannot receive credit for PSY 1010 in the major if IB credit has or will be awarded.
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With the exception of PSY 1010 and PSY 3000, courses taken more than 10 years ago will not count for the major.
Degree Requirements
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- PSY1010-General Psychology (4)
- PSY2010-Orientation to Psychology as a Science and Profession (3)
- PSY3000- Statistical Methods in Psychology (4)
- PSY3010- Research Methods in Psychology (4)
Core Areas
Complete one course from 4 of the 5 core areas.
1. Developmental Core- PSY3215 - Development in Infancy (3)
- PSY2200 - Childhood and Adolescent Development (3)
- PSY3230 - Adult Development and Aging (3)
- PSY3260 - Social Development (3)
- PSY3290 - The Biology of Stress and Development (3)
2. Social core
- PSY2500 - Social Psychology (3)
- PSY3430 - The Science of Subjective Well Being and Positive Psychology (3)
- PSY2250 - Personality Theories (3)
- PSY3460 - Health Psychology (3)
- PSY3620 - Environmental Psychology and Sustainability (3)
- PSY3415 - Social Cognition (3)
3. Clinical Core
- PSY2500 - Social Psychology (3)
- PSY3430 - The Science of Subjective Well Being and Positive Psychology (3)
- PSY2250 - Personality Theories (3)
- PSY3460 - Health Psychology (3)
- PSY3620 - Environmental Psychology and Sustainability (3)
- PSY3415 - Social Cognition (3)
4. Cognitive Core
- PSY2100 - Cognitive Psychology (3)
- PSY3140 - Cognitive Neuropsychology (3)
- PSY3150 - Sensation and Perception (3)
- PSY3172 - Human Performance and Engineering Psychology (3)
5. Behavior/Neuroscience Core
- PSY3140 - Cognitive Neuropsychology (3)
- PSY3150 - Sensation and Perception (3)
- PSY2710 - Brain and Behavior (3)
- PSY3470 - Neuropsychology of Emotion & Personality (3)
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Choose from among all psychology course offerings to complete the 41 credit-hour requirement. This includes 4000-level Internships, Research Experience, Teaching Assisting and Peer Advising; up to 6 hours of these classes can count toward the 41 credit-hour requirement.
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•Complete at least 12 credits from the following types of courses:•Complete 12 credit hours of which 6 must be upper division (courses numbered 3000 or above); waived with completion of a second major, minor, or certificate. All courses must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better. The goal of this requirement is to foster a broader educational base for psychology majors, consistent with the general aims of a liberal arts degree.
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•Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and above•A minimum of 41 hours in PSY courses are required and 25 of these must be upper-division•10 hours of PSY courses must be completed at the U of U and at least 8 of these must be upper-division•A maximum of 6 credits of experiential learning can count towards the total 41 credits (Research Experience, Peer Advising, Teaching Assisting and Internships)•All prerequisite, psychology, and allied courses must be completed with a C or better.
Psychology Minor
Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 16 hours in PSY courses are required and a minimum of 8 of these need to be upper-division.
- 6 hours must be taken at the U of U and 3 of those hours must be upper-division.
- All courses must be completed with a C or better.
- Contact Heidi Kim, the Psychology advisor, if you want to declare minor in Psychology.
Psychology Minor
2022-23 Catalog Year
Minor Required Courses
- PSY 1010 - General Psychology 4 Credit(s)
- PSY 3000 - Statistical Methods in Psychology 4 Credit(s) *
*Note on PSY 3000: Statistical Methods in Psychology:
The following courses can be substituted to waive PSY 3000: SOC 3112, FCS 3210, ECON 3640, MATH 3070 and ED PS 6010. However, additional Psychology electives must be added to meet the minimum 16 psychology hours. Please see a Psychology Undergraduate Advisor if you are planning on using a statistics course from a department other than Psychology.
Electives
Choose from among all psychology undergraduate course offerings to complete the 16 credit-hour requirement. This includes 4000-level Internships, Research Experience and Teaching Assisting. Up to 2 hours of these classes can count toward the 16 credit-hour requirement.
Certificates
Human Factors Certificate
The Human Factors Certificate is open to all majors and complements many programs such as Psychology, Engineering, Nursing, Business, and more. The main purpose of the Human Factors field is to improve human interactions with software, equipment, and other individuals to enhance performance, increase safety, and improve user satisfaction. This certificate easily fits into a Psychology major.
To earn the Human Factors Certificate, students must maintain a cumulative 2.8 GPA, complete required courses and one elective, do research with a faculty mentor, and write a 5-page APA style thesis paper based on their research.
Students interested in applying for the Human Factors certificate will need to complete both a fall and spring semester at the SLC campus. This can be in a Fall --> Spring sequence or a Spring --> Fall sequence. Any students interested in the Human Factors certificate should contact the Psychology Advisor Kate Keddington as soon as possible.
Other Certificates & Academic Designation
The University of Utah provides a number of specialized certificates across a wide variety of disciplines. Earning one of these certificates may help to broaden your knowledge base, and hone a particular set of skills. Depending on your area of interest, these certificates are often a great compliment to a BA/BS in Psychology, and may help signal to employers your expertise in particular area of study. You may be required to stay longer than two semesters in SLC if you want to pursue any certificates that are not offered at the UAC.
For additional information on certificates offered by the University of Utah, please visit the Undergraduate Certificate Programs page.
Internship
Internships are the best way to gain experience in a particular field of work, and can be an important factor in creating opportunities for employment and graduate school. The Department of Psychology’s internship course (PSY 4810: Internships & Field Experience) may be taken for academic credit, but it is not required to complete an internship. Most internships are completed with an organization that is not part of the University of Utah. Internships may be found through the Department of Psychology, through Career and Internship Development Center, or on your own.
Career and Internship Development Center
Career Development
https://psych.utah.edu/undergraduate/careers-with-a-ba-bs-in-psychology.php
Transfer Credits to the U
The University of Utah accepts all academic credit with grades of D- and above from properly accredited institutions. The Admissions Office is responsible for evaluating a student's transfer work for applicability to general education requirements. Advisors from the Transfer Program can evaluate transfer work to see if it can be used to clear any Bachelor's Degree requirements. A student's major department will evaluate transfer work for applicability to major requirements. It is important to meet with your departmental advisor as soon as possible to discuss these requirements.
Petition for Course Substitution
Transfer students can file Petition for Course Substitution form to transfer credits that you have taken at the previous institution that might fulfill your major requirement. You will be required to submit course syllabus so that advising staff and faculty can review the course material for eligibility.
Research
Prof. Carina Pal
Dr. Pal’s current interests are Speech understanding in challenging listening conditions, listening effort, hearing impairment, and listening effort in non-native listeners.
Area specialty: Auditory perception and cognition. I currently teach the following undergraduate courses: Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology, Sensation and Perception, Memory and Cognition in Everyday Life, Human Factors & Ergonomics, and a special topic on Language and Speech at the University of Utah Asia Campus.
Prof. Mee-Kyoung Kwon
Dr. Kwon has been working on developmental, cognitive, and clinical studies and her research interests include:
- Biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Development of face perception and own-race effect
- Computational modeling of human vision (based on eye-tracking data)
- Attention, memory, and executive functions in various populations including infants, toddlers, children with Autism or ADHD, and adults with schizophrenia as well as typically developing children and adults
- Children’s mathematics education in American and Asian children
Prof. Bo-Ram Kim
Dr. Kim recruits first-and second-year students every fall semester to learn a behavioral coding system of parent-child interactions. Students will learn to code parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, and delight during a 9-minute play interaction. One year (2 semester) minimum is required for training in this coding system.
Prof. Ha Na Yoo
Dr. You's research examines social development. Specifically, her research interests focus on two areas:
- Moral and social judgments & behavior
- Parent-child relationships, parent-child conflicts, parenting
Students who want to gain experience in social development research are welcome to join Prof. Yoo’s research section. Students will have experiences in all aspects of research, including assisting in research design, participating in data collection/preparation/coding, and learning about developmental research methods and social and moral development research.
Want to Declare a Major?
If you have not yet declared the Psychology major, please contact the Psychology advisor, Heidi Kim. Major/minor declaration is important to determine catalog year and is required to graduate.
Meet Your Faculty
Carina Pals
Professor
Mee Kyoung Kwon, Ph.D.
Professor
Bo-Ram Kim, Ph.D.
Professor
Ha Na Yoo, Ph.D.
ProfessorMeet Major Advisor
Heidi Kim
032-626-6110
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Your academic advisor can provide invaluable assistance with major/minor declaration, courses and registration, research opportunities, internships, and more. Book an appointment through the button below if you need any help with your major.
Meet Your Advisor
Book an Appointment
Your academic advisor can provide invaluable assistance with major/minor declaration, courses and registration, research opportunities, internships, and more. Book an appointment through the button below if you need any help with your major.