Undergraduate
Our undergraduate curriculum is rooted in Boston College’s liberal arts education; our students reflect on the human condition from varied perspectives as they learn about seminal findings and discuss cutting-edge discoveries in psychology and neuroscience. Faculty balance the teaching and mentorship of our students with the conduct of world-class research, providing our students with ample opportunities to learn by doing and to experience scientific discovery first-hand.
- The Psychology B.A. is the most flexible major, well suited to students who wish to pursue a minor in another area or to embrace the range of elective courses offered at the University.
- The Psychology B.S. is most appropriate for students who are interested in the many other facets of psychology—including a research-based approach to developmental, social, or abnormal psychology—and who desire a more research-focused approach to psychological science..
- The Neuroscience B.S. is designed for those students who are interested in how the brain gives rise to thought and behavior and who desire a more research-focused approach to psychological science.
Facts & Figures
128
Students involved in research, both on campus and in Greater Boston
27
Students with clinical placements for the academic year
25
Students within the clinical concentration
Beyond The Coursework
Undergraduate students are integrated into our department in many ways, including their participation in independent research, clinical internships, and senior theses; through participation in departmental colloquia and workshops; through participation in outreach events to children, young adults, and older adults; and by showcasing their knowledge and learning from other students at the research fairs and the Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Non-majors can register for our courses the morning after first year registration ends. Due to the large number of majors we restrict seats in courses PSYC1120 Introduction to Behavioral Statistics and Research I and higher to Psychology BA, BS and Neuroscience majors only during the initial registration period. This is done to ensure our officially declared majors are able to register for the classes required to complete their major and graduate on time.
Non majors may be able to register for our two introductory courses during the initial registration period (PSYC1110 Brain, Mind, and Behavior, PSYC1111 Self, Mind, and Society) as we only restrict a portion of seats to Psychology BA, BS and Neuroscience majors.
A research practicum is a small seminar-style hands-on course in which students learn about research methods through a combination of designing studies, collecting data, analyzing data, reading academic papers, and writing research reports. PSYC1121 Introduction to Behavioral Statistics and Research II gives students a broader foundation in statistics.
If you're not planning to work in a lab, and you'd like to demonstrate that you have some research skills, a research practicum might be a better bet. If you're planning to do a thesis, then a research practicum is great preparation for that. In contrast, if you want to demonstrate that you have a strong foundation in statistics (graduate program will require you to be comfortable doing some data analysis), PSYC1121 Introduction to Behavioral Statistics and Research II might be better. Please consult the major requirements checklists to see which research practicums can satisfy your major requirements.
We strongly discourage students from double majoring in psychology and neuroscience. You’ll need to take 27 credits that are unique to the psychology major and another 27 credits that are unique to the neuroscience major. Adding in the University Core requirements to the psychology and neuroscience major courses, you are left with very little room for exploration into other academic areas and are putting yourself in a situation where you may need to overload on courses to complete your program of study. Keep in mind that only a few of the courses you would be taking would count towards the University Core requirements. Few students have tried this and have quickly realized that this was not a reasonable pursuit.