Major/Double Major in Psychology

Link to Course Breakdown of The Program

What is the Purpose of a Major in Psychology?

The purpose of this module is to provide understanding on the principles of Psychology for students who are interested in a wide range of careers in fields such as business, education, law, the health sciences, social work, and other related disciplines.

Important Things to Note About a Major in Psychology

1. This program DOES NOT offer a Bachelor of Science (BSc)Major in Psychology option, only a Bachelor of Arts (BA).

   • The only BSc that is offered at UWO is in the BSc Honours Specialization in Psychology or BSc Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

2. This module does not require the completion of a thesis which may be required by many graduate psychology programs.

   • A possible alternative for an individual who wants to complete a Major in psychology rather than an Honours Specialization module, but wants the course and experience equivalent of most theses is to complete an independent study. The course codes include Psychology 3996F or 3997G. These courses require special permission from the psychology department to conduct an independent study project under the supervision of a faculty member.

   • NOTE: Please check requirements for specific graduate programs or careers to ensure that the independent study is a valid replacement for a thesis (requirements are subject to change).

3. You can still get an Honours degree while completing a Major in psychology. In order to do so, you will have to have another Major from a different program at UWO. This is considered a Double Major (ex. Double Major in Biology and Psychology).

• However, you must meet specific grade requirements to qualify for an Honours Double Major which may be applied to both programs an individual is majoring in.

4. Those completing a Double Major should look specifically at anti-requisite of courses, such as research methods and statistics, which may overlap across different majors/program modules.

• This means the individual will have to take additional courses to fulfill the missing required course credits in that module. If this is unclear, contact Psychology counselling.

5. Select third-year or higher psychology courses may be restricted to Honours Specialization in Psychology students and may not be taken or have limited availability to those in the Major module.

• Students who are following the Major module may have to wait for first priority lift to access some third courses.

FAQs About Majors and Double Majors

"What's the biggest difference career-wise between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) in psych?"

• Speaking generally, in most cases, it does not differ much. A BSc requires more specific, science-related psychology courses to be taken which means that individuals who know that those types of courses are of interest to them may select to be part of this module. However, most graduate programs do not typically select those with a BSc more than a BA and generally consider the degrees equally. Those who want a more broad and flexible choice of courses that are not limited to science or neuroscience dominant content may benefit from selection the BA Honours Specialization in Psychology. Being in the BA program does not limit a student from taking more science-based psychology courses. These programs are more about personal preference as a BSc program is more specialized while BA is more general.

"Can I apply for a master's without an honours thesis?"

• • Yes - there are some programs that don’t require an honours thesis, nor even an honours degree. You just need to do some research and make sure you understand the requirements. As well, keep in mind that master's programs with and without this requirement may differ in terms of what you would be studying. For example, a clinical psychology degree would *normally* require an honours thesis and/or degree, but you can find counselling programs that might not.

  • If research is not something you are interested in and you would rather jump into a career directly working with people once you graduate from your masters, you can also find terminal masters programs. “Terminal” refers to the fact you are not expected to complete a PhD upon graduation from your masters, as most programs do.

  • INDEPENDENT STUDY OPTION: fear not! A thesis is not the only research-based project you can work on. Check out point #2 in "Important Things to Note" above for more information.

  • For more information on Independent Study: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/course_information/independent_studies.html

"Can I get a BSc in psychology while only doing a major?"

• • Not at Western - the only option for a BSc is to be in the HSP stream.