General advising suggestions and issues

• Meet with your advisor early and often.  S/he can help you think about all aspects of being a successful major.
• Discuss your career goals with your advisor early and then again frequently as they develop or change.  S/he can assist you with thinking about supplementary courses, field experiences, research opportunities, etc., that may help in this regard.
• Discuss possible minors with your advisor.  S/he can help you think about the type of minors that may best complement your major or strengthen your record for graduate schools or for career goals.
• Begin your foreign language sequence as early as possible, and plan to work primarily on fulfilling the College course requirements in areas such as literature, natural and social science, etc., in your first two years.
• For the Social Science requirement, your psychology course will meet 9 of the required 15 credit hours.  However, you are still required to complete courses from at least 2 other social science departments.  See the discussion of the Marshall Plan requirements below, because Social Science courses are frequently used to meet part of these requirements.
• Integrated Science courses are high demand courses; realistically, you should may not be able to enroll in one until you are a senior, but don’t wait until your senior year to first consider a course in this area.
• Spring or Fall courses:  not all courses are offered every semester.  Discuss these with your advisor.  For example, History and Systems of Psych (PSY 460) and our field practicum courses (PSY 470 and 471) are typically offered just once per year.
• Marshall Plan requirements: Though discussions with your advisor, make sure that you understand the Marshall Plan Requirements:  which courses meet the requirements, which departments offer them, how to find them in the schedule and the benefits of courses that meet more than one requirement.*
• Be sure you are clear about the rules associated with upper and lower division credit requirements.  This is particularly important for transfer students, for whom courses taken at another institution may not transfer in the way that the student might have expected them to.
• Junior/Senior Evaluation:  All seniors MUST schedule a Senior Evaluation meeting with the Academic Advisor (Kandace Napier) in the College of Liberal Arts office.  You call the college to schedule the appointment.  In this meeting, your academic record will be carefully examined, and you will receive an official list of whatever graduation requirements remain for you to complete.  This is an important meeting!  Though sometimes call a “senior” evaluation, you ought to plan to make that appointment near the end of your junior year (or as soon as you achieve senior status at the very latest) so that you have at least two semesters to meet any requirements that might have slipped by you!

 *Please note that several PSY classes may meet Marshall Plan requirements.  PSY 302 (if taught by Dr. Williams) and PSY 323 (if taught by Dr. Mewaldt) are writing intensive and PSY 426 is “multicultural.”  These can change, so please check with your advisor.

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Choosing a Minor

• Majors intending to apply for graduate/professional schools (e.g., Psychology, Medical School, and/or Law School) should consult with their advisor for suggestions for a minor:

• Majors intending to work in business and industry after completing their BA degree, should take Economics 100 and Accounting 215.We suggest a minimum of two computer courses beyond IT 101, including PSY 427 and a minor in Marketing, Management, Safety Technology.

• Majors intending to work in mental health settings after completing their BA degree, should minor in Counseling or Social Work.

• Majors who wish to use psychology as a general Liberal Arts degree, can choose any minor, in consultation with your advisor.