We offer two different degree options for psychology majors in the Bachelor of Science program. Which degree you choose to complete will depend on what you want to do when you’re finished at Brock. Both degrees are the same for first and second year, so you have until the end of second year to decide which option is right for you.
Year 1 First year students who wish to take a full course load (5 full credits; see here for a description of full vs partial credits) and who are accepted to full-time studies should enroll in the following classes:
PSYC 1F90
BIOL 1P91 and BIOL 1P92
CHEM 1P91 and CHEM 1P92
MATH 1P97
Humanities Context Credit (1 full credit, or 2 partial credits; see here for more information about full vs partial credits)
see here, and below, for a description of context courses
0.5 Elective Credit
What are Context Courses? All students in the Social Sciences are required to complete one full "context" credit from the Faculty of Humanities and a second full credit from the Faculty of Science. Context credits are included in Brock University programs to ensure that students get some breadth while completing their degrees. Context courses must be approved - not just any course from the Humanities and Science faculties will be accepted as a context credit. Context credit requirements not taken in Year 1 must be taken in Year 2.
A list of eligible context courses can be found in the current undergraduate calendar. What are Electives? Any course offered by a different department is considered an elective. In first year, students must take electives from outside Psychology, but in upper years, many students ask about the possibility of taking Psychology courses to fulfill elective requirements. We strongly encourage students to take electives outside of psychology throughout their degree to gain some exposure to the diverse perspectives that other disciplines offer. These courses provide a useful context for your knowledge of psychology. In fact, we feel so strongly about this that students completing a 3-Year Pass Degree are required to take at least 5 credits from other departments and students in either of our 4-Year Degrees are required to take 8 credits from outside psychology before they graduate.
Choosing your electives may seem like a daunting task, but it is really quite simple. First, spend some time reading through the Undergraduate Calendar to find courses in other departments that you find interesting. Once you have a list of possibilities, make sure that you are eligible to register in the courses, and that they do not conflict with your required courses (e.g., PSYC 1F90 in first year; PSYC 2F23 in second year). Don’t forget to use the online timetable to confirm that a course is being offered and when it is scheduled. You can also read course descriptions and check the prerequisites for courses using the timetable -- just click on the course code!
TIP: Your electives don't have to correspond to your year of study. The rule is that when you apply to graduate you cannot have more than 8 first year credits. So, at least a few of your electives will have to be second year courses (or above).
Year 2 Once you have completed the Introduction to Psychology course (PSYC 1F90), your Biology and Chemistry you will have a better idea about all of the different areas of psychology and more background in the natural sciences. In second year, students have the opportunity to learn about these different areas of psychology and Biology in more detail.
Second year students who wish to take a full course load (5 full credits) should enroll in:
PSYC 2F23 (Statistics and Research Design in the Behavioural Sciences)
*PSYC 2P01 (Roadmap to Careers in Psychology) or PSYC 0N90 (for Co-Op Students)
PSYC 2P36 and PSYC 2P37
1.0 from 2P12, 2P20, 2P49 (choose two courses)
0.5 Credit from 2P15, 2P25, 2P30 (choose one course)
0.5 credit from BIOL 2P02, 2P03, 2P05 (choose one course)
0.5 Elective
* Is PSYC 2P01 Required? PSYC 2P01 is a required course for all PSYC majors who are not in co-op. Co-Op students are required to take a similar, not-for-credit course through the co-op office (PSYC 0N90). Because there is some overlap between PSYC 2P01 and PSYC 0N90 we have made PSYC 2P01 optional for Co-Op students. If you are a Co-Op student you and you are completing PSYC 0N90 you can choose to take PSYC 2P01 OR an elective course.
If you withdraw from the co-op program at any time in your degree you will not be required to complete PSYC 2P01 as long as you have successfully completed PSYC 0N90. Given PSYC 2P01 is required for some students but not for all students it does not contribute to your major average.
Choosing your Second Year PSYC Courses In addition to the required courses, students in second year have the opportunity to choose courses from different lists of Psychology and Biology courses. Your choices will be based largely on what you found interesting in first year; however, we do encourage you take courses from different areas to ensure that you have a well-rounded psychology degree when you graduate. Your undergraduate degree is not the time to specialize in specific areas of psychology. If you wish to specialize, plan on doing an honours degree at Brock and continuing on in a more specialized graduate degree in psychology (that is, a specialized masters degree).
TIPS:
Be sure to look ahead at our 3rd and 4th year courses and take any 2nd year courses that are listed as prerequisites for those upper-year courses that you think you might want to take in the future.