1. When can I apply for a Psychology minor?
Once students declare their major, they can apply for a minor program, by the beginning of their 6th semester, the latest.
The Psychology minor program will no longer be accepting students who have registered to the University in 2019 or later. Currently-registered students can still apply to the program. Students who have already started their Psychology minor may either continue to receive their degree without making any changes, or they may switch to the Decision and Behavior program if they wish to do so.
2. Can I take psychology courses before I declare the minor? Will the courses I took before declaration be counted towards the minor?
Yes.
3. I took the psychology courses as free electives before declaring the minor. After I declare the minor, do they still count as free electives towards my major?
Yes. Those courses will have double roles. They will be free electives for your major and electives for the minor program. It also means that you don’t have to do an overload of classes (take extra credits) to get a minor.
4. Is there any fee to apply for the psychology minor?
No, there is no fee for application or any additional fee in the annual tuition.
5. Would the courses I withdrew from (W courses) prevent me from applying to the minor?
No, only a fail grade (F) will restrict your application.
6. Will there be a special quota for the minor students when we sign up for courses?
Currently, there is no special quota. Please talk to the instructor of the course if you are not able to add the required minor courses.
7. My GPA is below 2.72. Can I still apply?
The cumulative GPA must be at least 2.72 at the time of application. However, you can still take psychology classes, and if you improve your GPA, you will be able to apply for the psychology minor until the beginning of your 6th semester.
8. If I decide to do the minor, does it mean that I need to take 6 extra courses (in addition to my major courses) in order to graduate?
No, please refer to answer 2 above. The minor courses will act as elective courses for your major.
9. Can I apply for graduate (masters or PhD) programs in psychology after getting the minor?
Having a psychology minor would make your application stronger. However, you need to check for each school whether it admits non-psychology majors and whether minor in psychology would be enough.
10. How can I benefit from having psychology minor if I am not pursuing a psychology career?
Psychology is the general field that is concerned with human nature, behavior and cognition, which has a lot of intersections with other fields. It covers various topics related to visual arts (e.g., perception of arts, aesthetic preferences, visual cognition), cultural studies and sociology (e.g., social behaviors, group dynamics, identity), economics and political science (e.g., risky decision making, negotiation, political attitudes), management and marketing (e.g., organizational behavior, leadership, categorization), computer and natural sciences (e.g., cognition, artificial intelligence, neuropsychology) and etc. You will also get training in behavioral research methods, which is a major asset in a range of professional fields.
11. Will the knowledge of psychology help me in my personal life?
Certainly, the knowledge of psychology will stimulate your curiosity why people behave as they do and provide you with a better awareness of yourself and people around you, which can transform your everyday life.
You can check the Psychology Major Program's FAQ for further questions.