Psychology (B.A.)
Total Semester Hours required for the Degree: 120 semester hours
Major
Semester Hours required for the Psychology Major: 36-39 semester hours depending on the Math requirement
Criteria for admission to the Psychology Major:
- Completion of MAT 1271 or higher-level math course, with a grade of C or better; or ACT mathematics score of 26 or higher or SAT math score of 610 or higher.
- Completion of PSY 1879G (or equivalent) with a grade of C or better.
- Additional requirement for admission to the online degree completion option: 42 semester hours of college credit.
The requirements of the Psychology BA are composed of core courses; selected courses from the Abnormal/Social, Biopsychology, Cognitive/Learning, and Development groups; and electives.
Core Courses for the Psychology Major: 15-18 semester hours depending on the Math requirement
or higher-level math course, or ACT math score of 26 or higher or SAT math score of 610 or higher
One of the following courses to meet the capstone requirement (See footnote 1) – 3 hours
Group A. Abnormal/Social Group – 6 hours
At least two courses from
Group B. Biopsychology Group – 3 hours
At least one course from
Group C. Cognitive/Learning Group – 3 hours
At least one course from
Group D. Developmental Group – 3 hours
At least one course from
Electives – 6 hours
Six semester hours from any Psychology Courses2 except Psychology 4274 and 4275.
Footnotes:
1 Capstone Requirement: Graduation with a major in psychology requires the completion of a capstone experience entailing four components:
1. Oral presentation of information about psychology
2. Engagement with original primary literature in psychology
3. Written communication of information about psychology
4. Critical and integrative thinking about psychology
The capstone requirement must be met after the student has completed 90 semester hours and PSY 3805 - Research Methods in Psychology, with a grade of C or better.
The capstone requirement may also be met by completing individual components in other classes (e.g., PSY 4100F), or by non-class activities. All activities outside of a capstone course must have the approval of the department chair.
2 No more than 3 semester hours each of PSY 3900A-E or PSY 4100A-E may count toward this requirement.
A grade of C or better is required in all courses counting towards the Major.
(Major GPA based on all psychology courses taken at EIU)
Information sourced from the 2025-2026 EIU Undergraduate Catalog.