ORIENTATION FOR NEW PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS
Location and contact information
Undergraduate Psychology Office: Rm’s 291/292 BSB, for Enquiries call 416-736-5117. For
further details about degree requirements, academic policies, awards and scholarships, FAQ’s,
etc. go to http://www.yorku.ca/health/psyc/about.html
Honours (120 credit) BA/BSc – Psychology specific degree requirements for all honours
degrees including single or double major and major/minor
Introductory Psychology requirement:
-Successfully pass PSYC 1010 6.0 with a minimum grade of “C” in order to enroll in further
Psychology courses.
Stats/research methods requirement:
-must complete 2020 6.0 (Stats I & II) and 2030 3.0 (Intro Research Methods) before enrolling in
4000/4170 6.0 thesis course.
-must complete 2020 6.0 (Stats I & II) or 2021 3.0 (Stats I) and 2030 3.0 (Research Methods)
before enrolling in 4th year seminar courses.
Psychology Breadth requirement
- one half course (3 credits) must be taken from PSYC 2100/3100 series and
- one half course (3 credits) must be taken from PSYC 2200/3200 series
Psychology Upper level requirement
- must have completed 84 credits to enroll in 4000 level seminar courses
- of the required credits taken at the 3000/4000 level, 12 must be in psychology at the 4000 level
(6 credits is for the thesis: 4000 6.0 or 4170 6.0)
Other 4000 level course prerequisite requirement
- you are responsible for fulfilling appropriate prerequisites BEFORE enrolling in 4000 level
courses. You need to check 4000 level courses to see what prerequisites you might need to take
in 2nd and 3rd year.
We offer a Specialized Honours BA/BSc Degree for the student interested in further postgraduate education (i.e., MA/MSc, Ph.D.)
- you can apply after completing a minimum of 53 credits that includes PSYC 1010, 2020 and
2030, with a cumulative GPA of B+ (7.0).
- you are guaranteed individual Honours Thesis supervision,
- involves increased course requirements in Research Methods, Statistics and History of Psyc.
- for more information about this program and application process see the following websites:
BA Degree http://www.yorku.ca/health/psyc/degreq_08_sh_ba.html
BSc Degree http://www.yorku.ca/health/psyc/degreq_08_sh_bsc.html
As an honours student you may want some further guidance regarding your thesis or on
topics around applying to graduate school
- we offer workshops on topics such as writing the GRE, applying for grad school scholarships,
preparing your research poster, writing in APA style, etc.
- for more information see website www.psych.yorku.ca/smurtha/honourstudents.html
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We offer a Joint York-Seneca Program in Rehabilitation for the student interested in
becoming a rehabilitation counselor at the end of their undergraduate degree
- in class instruction is combined with 800 hours of supervised fieldwork in three major domains
of rehabilitation: physical, emotional, developmental.
–see the Website at www.yorku.ca/health/psyc/joint_program.html or Psychology
supplemental calendar for details or contact Barbara Thurston in 283 BSB, phone 416-736-5115
ext. 66253, email bthurst@yorku.ca
We offer a BA/BSc (3year 90 credit) degree
-please see the website (http://www.yorku.ca/health/psyc/about.html) or supplemental calendar
for details about degree requirements.
If you are trying to figure out what you can do with your undergraduate degree in
psychology, then you should visit the CAREER CENTER on campus and participate in
their workshops
- 202 McLaughlin College. Call 416 736-5351, or Email career@yorku.ca or see
www.yorku.ca/careers for details.
OTHER Miscellaneous yet IMPORTANT DETAILS
 Deadline dates -Be aware of the deadline dates (they vary for Fall, Winter, Full year and
summer term courses) to drop courses so that you are not left with a failing grade on your
transcripts
 Be aware of financial deadline dates so that you do not lose money for staying in a course
you do not want.
 Student Organization in Psychology - U.P.S.A. (Undergraduate Psychology Student
Association). Go to 126B Calumet College or email upsa@yorku.ca or see their website
http://www.yorku.ca/upsa/ for details
- as a member you can take advantage of their tutoring resource (e.g. for Stats), and/or
their resource for volunteer positions, and other information
 Course Enrolment - If you are having problems getting into Psychology courses go to the
Undergraduate Office for assistance.
 Petitions – Faculty of Health offers information and assistance with Petitions. Contact
Cynthia Goodfellow at hhpet@yorku.ca – Office 019 HNES or call 416-736-5299.
 Learning Skills center - If you need help with general academic problems, such as test
anxiety, writing multiple choice tests, writing a research paper, then participate in the many
workshops offered through the learning skills center. See details http://www.yorku.ca/cds/lss/
 Grad School most grad programs require a minimum GPA of B+ calculated on the last 60
credits. To calculate your GPA – www.yorku.ca/health/current_students/gpa.html
-graduate schools in psychology require a minimum of 8 full course equivalents (48 credits) in
undergraduate psyc courses that include, stats, research methods, a thesis, and in some cases
satisfaction of very specific breadth requirements. If you are interested in going to grad school
it is your responsibility to learn what the graduate programs expect from you and to make sure
you satisfy those expectations while completing your undergraduate degree.
 Advising - Come to the undergraduate office for advising, see Anita for degree requirements,
or speak to the Director of the Undergraduate Program (Dr. Susan Murtha) for academic/grad
school/career advice. Call for appointments or drop-in hours.
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