Advising

Declaring the Major

First, determine if you meet the admissions requirements. 

If you are switching to Psychology from another major, plan to spent at least FOUR terms to complete the Psychology degree requirements. Several of our required courses are sequential. This means that you must take courses in a particular order because of prerequisites. If you are switching to a Psychology major at WVU and have already earned more than 60 credits, completing the major requirements might require more than four semesters, based on what you have already taken. Please contact a Psychology academic advisor to discuss your path to graduation.

If you are switching to Psychology from another WVU College, you may also have Eberly College requirements to complete. Please consider this as you evaluate your options. We invite you to meet with one of our advisors to discuss your plan to complete your Psychology major and how to best prepare for a career using your Psychology degree. To schedule a meeting, email psychadvisors@mail.wvu.edu.

Psychology Success Planning

Mapping the Degree

A bachelor’s degree will require 120 credits. Typically, students will take 30 credits per academic year. Some funding sources and scholarships require students take a minimum number of credits per semester or per year. Visit the  Mountaineer Hub for more information. In addition, some types of aid require students to take at least 12 credits of required coursework each semester to maintain eligible. Most scholarships require at least 30 earned credit each year.

Each year, some of these credits will be requirements for the BA or BS degree and others will be either General Education Electives or electives based on the student’s interests. The Psychology courses suggested by year are as follows:

Freshman:

• PSYC 101 (Introduction to Psychology)
• MATH 124 (or higher)
• PSYC 241 (Introduction to Human Development)

Sophomore:

• PSYC 203 & PSYC 204 (Research Methods 1 and 2)
• PSYC 251 (Introduction to Social Psychology)
• PSYC 281 (Introduction to Psychology Disorders)

Junior:

• PSYC 302 & PSYC 302L (Behavior Principles and lab)
• PSYC 301 & PSYC 301L (Biological Foundations of Behavior and lab)
• Upper-division Psychology elective

Senior:

• PSYC Cluster A or B elective
• PSYC Capstone (field work, research, or teaching)
• Upper-division Psychology elective

Planning for the Degree

Each semester, students should:

1. Review their Degree Works page.
2. Review their Plan of Study or matriculation plan and the classes they will take in the next term.
3. Explore possible minor degrees, second majors, or electives in areas that supplement their career goals and interests.
4. Develop questions for their advisor.
5. Meet with their academic advisor each semester before your priority registration date.

Additionally, here are some activities to help your planning by year:

Freshman:

1. Complete your First Year Seminar 191 course
2. Research majors and minors and explore electives (use the Catalog to identify areas of interest)
3. Map out a 4-year plan to complete degree(s) with Advisor’s help
4. Learn how to manage your time and finances well
5. Join the Psychology Club
6. Seek out mentoring with upper classmen/graduate students/faculty
7. Focus on your GPA (overall and in Major)

Sophomore:

1. Explore career options
2. Ask faculty and graduate students about internships & research opportunities
3. Seek leadership and service experiences
4. Visit Career Services and attend a Career Fair
5. Continue to seek out mentoring with upper classmen/graduate students/faculty
6. Continue to focus on your GPA (overall and in Major)

Junior:

1. Plan capstone experience
2. Update resume and attend Career Fair
3. Seek leadership and service experiences
4. Learn about graduate programs or job openings, research opportunities to pursue capstone and enrichment experiences in a potential career
5. Continue to focus on your GPA (overall and in Major)
6. Plan your summer before your senior year to build your competitiveness for post-graduation positions

Senior:

1. Complete Capstone Experience.
2. Update resume and attend Career Fair.
3. Seek leadership and service experiences.
4. Continue to focus on your GPA (overall and in Major).
5. Complete degree requirements.
6. Apply for graduation!
7. RSVP to the Commencement Ceremony and celebrate your accomplishments.
8. Connect with the Department of Psychology as an alum!

Connect with an Advisor

Your academic advisor is indicated at the top of your Degree Works page. You can click on the name of your advisor in your Degree Works page to start an email. Advisors also have office hours. You can stop by your advisor’s office to see their posted office hours. Your advisor may also set up special advising office hours. Watch for emails from your advisor which include links to set up either in-person or virtual advising appointments.

If you have been recently admitted to the major and you do not have a Psychology Advisor assigned to you yet, please contact our main office (304-293-2001) and we will assign you to an Advisor. You can also visit the Psychology Advising Center in LSB-1120 and ask one of the Advising Coordinators present for assistance.

If you have questions or need other support, you can email the Director of Recruitment, Advising, and Student Success, Dr. Levelle, at elizabeth.levelle@mail.wvu.edu.

Your advisor is an important resource as you progress through your college degree. Advisors can help with choosing courses that will keep you on track, assist you in adding minors or second majors, and provide valuable post-graduation and career advice. Some reasons to meet with your academic advisor include:

• Maintaining good academic standing
• Completing University forms
• Declaring a minor or second major
• Switching from a BA to a BS or vice versa 

Registering for Classes

Registration Process

To register for classes, you must have your advising hold removed. You must attend an advising session with your advisor to have this hold lifted. Advising sessions cover degree requirements, classes to schedule, reviewing eligibility for funding (scholarships and aid), advice for career and grad school preparation, and instructions for graduation. If you have a second major, you will need to see both major advisors before you can have your advising hold lifted so that you can enroll in courses.

Look for emails from your major advisor about scheduling an advising session and make sure you complete this meeting before your priority registration date. This way, you will be able to enroll in classes as soon as your registration window opens.

Students who delay their registration until later may have difficulty finding available seats in their required courses.

Navigating successfully through your major and degree is our shared goal. We are here to assist you. However, it is your responsibility to monitor your progress and meet degree requirements. Attention to detail is essential. You can learn degree and major requirements by using Degree Works, the Course Catalog and the Office of Undergraduate Studies website.

Minimum and Maximum Credits per Semester

Full-time status is 12 credits or more a semester. Some students choose to take fewer credits, which is part-time. However, students are not permitted to enroll for more than 20 credit hours without permission of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. Students wanting to take more than 20 credits in Fall or Spring or more than 14 credits over the summer session will need to work with their advisor in order to obtain this permission.

Holds and Registration Errors

Sometimes students encounter obstacles when they try to register. The student might have a “hold” on their account, or the student might encounter a registration error. All registration information can be found at the Registrar’s website.

Holds - Check to see if you have outstanding parking tickets, fees, or other matters to resolve. If you have “Holds” on your Degree Works, you will need to have these resolved before you can register. Your major advisor cannot lift these holds for you.

Errors – Errors often occur when students try to register for courses that are not open to them. For example, students might try to enroll in a course that is restricted for students on a specific campus or enrolled in a specific major. You can identify which courses are open to you by opening the Schedule of Courses, looking up the class, and clicking on the title of the course. You will see a pop-up menu. Click the Restrictions button to see if the course is open to all students or specified groups. Click the Prerequisites button to review any courses that need to be completed before the start of the desired course. All possible errors are described on the Registrar’s website.

Waitlisted Courses – If a course is full, and you want to be notified if a seat becomes available, you can join a waitlist for a specific course. If you are notified, you’ll have 24 hours to register for the open seat. If you do not enroll in time, you will lose your opportunity and the next student on the wait list will be notified of the available seat. If you are attempting to register for a lecture with a required lab, you will need to register for both the lecture and lab simultaneously. This can be difficult if students are waitlisted for both a lecture and lab section. You can review more instructions at the Registrar’s website.

Minors and Certificates

Minors

Minors allow students to increase their exposure to a particular topic. Some upper-level electives are only available to students who have declared a major or minor in that discipline. WVU Minor degrees require at least 15 credits with at least 9 credits taken at the junior or senior level. You can see all minors in the WVU Undergraduate Catalog.

Most psychology undergraduates can complete at least 1 minor if they start planning early. Completing a minor usually takes 3-4 semesters due to pre-requisites and sequential courses.

Popular minors for psychology majors include Addiction Studies, Biology, Child and Family Development, Communication studies, Criminology, Forensic and Investigative Science, Political Science, and Women and Gender Studies. 

Certificates

Certificates provide specialized training and curricula in a discipline of study and are often tied to career preparation. Certificates are generally 12-18 credits (4-6 courses) and students must declare the Certificate. The courses for the certificate will be shown on the student’s Degree Works page. You can see all Certificates in the WVU Undergraduate Catalog.

The Psychology Department offers a Certificate in Behavior Analysis. This certificate nests within the requirements for the major, with only a few additional courses or experiences required.

To add a minor or certificate, review the requirements of that minor or certificate in the Undergraduate Catalog or using the What-If feature in Degree Works. Meet with your advisor to go over the minor or certificate and see how you can add the electives to your overall plan. Your advisor is responsible to request the minor or certificate, if they agree that you have time to complete that set of requirements while you successfully complete the Psychology major.

Minors and Certificates can only be awarded if they are granted simultaneously with the student’s baccalaureate degree.

Double Majors and Dual Degrees

A double major describes when a student has two majors within the same college and with the same degree. A popular double major is a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminology.

A dual degree describes when a student has two different types of degrees. An example could be a BS from the Chambers College of Business and Economics and a BA or BS in Psychology. Another example could be a BS in Psychology and a BA in Criminology. In the latter example, we have two majors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, but two degrees are being completed – a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science.

To add a double major or a dual degree, review the requirements of that degree in the Undergraduate Catalog or using the What-If feature in Degree Works. Meet with your advisor to see how you can add second degree to your overall plan.

Transferring Credits

Transferring from Another Institution

Visit the Registrar’s website to learn about how courses taken elsewhere can count for WVU courses. You will need to have approval from WVU before bringing in transient credits. You will also need the approval of your major advisor before you enroll in courses elsewhere. Your advisor and specialists at the HUB will be able to help you determine how taking transient courses could impact your degree completion and ability to maintain eligibility for any funding you receive.

Students planning to enroll at WVU and declare a Psychology major will meet with an Advising Specialist in the Office of Academic Affairs in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and will enroll in courses for which they meet prerequisites. After this, students will be introduced to their advisor in the Department of Psychology and can continue to discuss how to best take advantage of being a student at WVU.

Students should also be aware of requirements related to residency, which include the number of credit hours that must be completed at WVU.

AP/IB/CLEP/Transfer credits and Dual Enrollment Credits

Visit the Admissions Office website to learn about how AP/IB/CLEP or other credits might be applied to your degree progress at WVU.

Students will need to work with their advisor to apply AP/IB/CLEP credits as is most beneficial for the student and their goals. AP credits can be articulated (applied to your progress) individually.

Dual Enrollment Credits earned in high school will be applied in total when records are received by the WVU Office of Admissions and processed by the Office of the University Registrar.

You can see if your AP or Dual Enrollment Credits are being counted by reviewing your Degree Works page.

If anticipated courses or credits do not appear or do not appear as expected, contact the Office of the University Registrar.

Failed Courses

Some classes will require a C- or better. Within the Psychology major, students must earn at least a C- in PSYC 101, PSYC 203 and PSYC 204 to complete the major. Furthermore, if you want to take a senior-level (400-level) course that requires PSYC 301 or PSYC 302, you will need at least a C- in the prerequisite course. Some math and/or science courses also need a grade of C- or better if they are used as a prerequisite for more advanced math or science courses.

Some students will want to repeat courses in which they earned a D or F to improve their GPA. Students are directed to review the current D/F Repeat policy and to work with their advisor concerning if and when to repeat a course for which the student earned a grade of D or F. 

Failure to make timely progress toward graduation may interfere with maintaining funding, such as scholarships and/or financial aid. In addition, students who are behind on their Benchmarks in Psychology may be removed from the major. If a student anticipates that they are likely to earn a D or F in a course, the student should meet with their major advisor and discuss their options and potential consequences.

Academic Probation

Students should review the current policies concerning Probation and Suspension.

Eberly College students on academic probation will need to contact the Office of Academic Affairs in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at 304-293-7476 to make an appointment with an Eberly College academic advisor.

Parent Access to Student Records

As per the Federal Education Records Privacy Act (FERPA), parents, family members, and friends are not permitted access to personal academic records without permission.

If you would like to give someone access to your personal academic records, please complete the proper permissions forms. Parents contacting the university to discuss their student’s progress must have approval noted in the parent/guest portal and give the personalized password listed in the parent/guest portal.