Undergraduate Program
If you don't find the answer to your question on these pages, please contact one of the people below, or stop by during open office hours, no appointment needed (see times below):
Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill, Director of Undergraduate Studies
dus@psych.upenn.edu, 215-898-5663
Ms. Claire Ingulli, Undergraduate Program Coordinator
cingulli@psych.upenn.edu, 215-898-4712
Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Room B24 Solomon Lab Bldg:
Walk-in Office Hours:
WEDNESDAYS 1:30-3:30
THURSDAYS 10-12
Please note: Office hours are cancelled for 11/25 and 26.
Ms. Claire Ingulli (cingulli@psych.upenn.edu), Undergraduate Coordinator, is available M-F for general advising and to declare major/minor.
The Undergraduate Psychology Office is open Monday-Friday, Room B24 of the Solomon Lab Building, 3720 Walnut Street
AnnouncementsImportant Information and Deadlines for Psych Majors, November 2009:
Instructions for Advance Registration:
Advance Registration occurs from Nov. 9 - Nov. 22, 2009. ALL junior and senior majors will be placed on registration HOLD. In order to remove the hold,
- Seniors must drop off their Psychology Major Worksheet, no meeting required.
- Juniors are required to meet with the DUS during Advance Registration.
SENIORS: Seniors are not required to meet with an advisor during this period. Please drop off a copy of your Psych Major Worksheet to Rm B24, Solomon Lab Building by Friday Nov. 6. (Psychology Major Worksheets can be accessed online at the Psychology Dept. website) If approved, you will be taken off registration hold. If there is a problem, you will be contacted by email to come in for a meeting.
JUNIORS: All juniors are required to meet with the DUS during Advance Registration! Your Psychology Major Worksheet must be completed prior to your advising meeting.
SOPHOMORES: Sophomore majors will not be placed on hold and are not required to meet with an advisor during Advanced Registration.
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Undergraduate LPS (College of Liberal and Professional Studies ) Courses: The Psychology Department is not authorized to issue permits for LPS classes (formerly CGS). Students need to obtain a permit from LPS in order to take an evening class.
_____________________________________________________________________________Additional courses that count toward the Psych major, under "Additional Psych Courses" only:
ANTH 104: Sex and Human Nature
BIBB 240: Human Chronobiology and Sleep (does NOT count towards the Neural category)
MKTG 211: Consumer Behavior
OPIM 290: Decision Processes
CRIM 370-001: Neurocriminology (formerly Biosocial Criminology)(does NOT count toward the Neural category)
Students may not use any AP credit to fulfill the "Additional Psych Course" requirement. The courses above are not cross-listed with Psychology, but yes, they will toward the Psych major, under "Additional Psych Courses" only.
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Introduction and Background
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind. It deals with how we perceive information in the world, how we process that information, how we respond to it emotionally and cognitively, how we learn about it, and how our mental processes change over time. Because of the breadth of its content and its methodology, Psychology makes contact with a wide variety of other disciplines and interdisciplinary activities. It can be used either as the focus of a liberal arts education or as a complement to another focus. It provides the kind of analytic and conceptual skills which are relevant to becoming a thinking person. It also can serve as the foundation for any number of careers.
Overview of Major Requirements
Majors are required to take a total of 13 credits. At Penn, the study of Psychology begins with Psyc 001, Introduction to Experimental Psychology. This course provides a broad survey of the contents and methodologies that comprise Psychology. After completion of the introductory course, students can select from a range of higher level courses that cover such central topics as perception, learning, thinking, biological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, personality theory, and abnormal psychology. Majors are required to take a total of 13 credits, including 5 core courses, a statistics course, a research experience course, and several additional psychology courses.
Because Psychology is such a diverse discipline, majors are required to distribute their 5 core courses in a 2:2:1 pattern across three content areas in order to guarantee broad coverage: the neural basis of behavior; the cognitive basis of behavior; and the social/clinical aspects of behavior.
Declaring the Major
Students should declare a major in their sophomore year. To declare a Psychology Major you must meet with Dr. Thompson-Schill, Director of Undergraduate Studies (dus@psych.upenn.edu) during her office hours, or Ms. Claire Ingulli (cingulli@psych.upenn.edu), Undergraduate Coordinator, anytime M-F. You must fill out a Psychology Major Worksheet and bring it with you to the meeting.
Important: Your Psychology Major Worksheet must be completed prior to your advising meeting and brought with you to the meeting. Please note: you can click on the "Forms" link at left to access the Psychology Major Worksheet.