Undergraduate Program

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

The Undergraduate Program in Psychology offers students a number of options for study, including the Psychology major (Bachelor's degree) and minor, an Honors program, partnership programs with Lorain County Community College and Lakeland Community College, and an evening-only major.  Some of our courses are offered in an online format, although it is not possible to complete the entire major course of study online.

Members of the Psychology Department faculty who are involved in teaching at the undergraduate level participate in an Undergraduate Program Committee, which reviews and makes improvements in our Bachelor's degree curriculum, and addresses special circumstances and student concerns as they arise.

Undergraduate student advising is available for Psychology majors and minors, as well as those who may be interested in studying Psychology at the graduate level, or who wish to explore potential careers in or related to Psychology. Students majoring in Psychology are not assigned an advisor; rather, a trained cadre of graduate students is available on a regular schedule to provide information about the CSU Psychology curriculum and requirements. Issues related to transfer credits, graduation, or the community college partnership programs are managed by the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, while all of our regular, full-time faculty have scheduled office hours during which students can meet with them to discuss postgraduate and career interests.

The Psychology Department has prepared a 2024-2025 Department of Psychology Undergraduate Program Handbook for undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Psychology. We hope it will answer many questions that students typically have. 

In addition to Psychology Departmental scholarships, students at CSU may also obtain information about other financial aid opportunities.

Advising

If you are interested in advising about the psychology major, including potential careers, what psychology classes you need to take, and advising on the 4-to-3 transition, please visit the Psychology Undergraduate Advising website. If you are interested in learning about the General Education requirements, speak to an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences Student Services Center. Some Psychology courses meet General Education requirements in the areas of Quantitative Literacy, Social Sciences, U.S. Diversity, and, of course, Writing.

Psi Chi

Psi Chi is a national honors society for psychology students. The CSU chapter is a student-run organization that offers a number of programs and activities during the year, including an information session about applying for graduate study. For more information, visit the CSU Psi Chi website or stop in at the Psi Chi office, which is located in Room 701 of the Union Building (1836 Euclid Ave).

If you are interested in joining Psi Chi, you need to complete an application, be at least a second-semester sophomore and have completed at least one semester of courses at CSU. In addition, you must be a declared Psychology major (or minor), have completed at least 9 semester credit hours of Psychology courses, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Honors Program

See the Psychology Honors Program information page.

Partnership Programs

Through a collaborative program co-sponsored by CSU and local community colleges, students enrolled in Lorain County Community College and Lakeland Community College can earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Psychology from Cleveland State University, without having to attend classes on the CSU main (downtown Cleveland) campus. Students earn their degrees by completing a combination of community college courses and CSU courses (offered on the community college campuses). Students interested in the partnership program should speak to advisors in both the CSU Psychology Department and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Please view the Dual Admissions page for information about these partnership programs. You can review the current requirements for the Lorain partnership program in Psychology, and for the Lakeland partnership program in Psychology.

Psychology Writing Across the Curriculum Courses

Psychology courses that satisfy the Writing Across the Curriculum requirement of General Education are PSY 412 (Psychology Laboratory), PSY 415 (Evaluating Psychological Research), and, for students enrolled in the Honors Program in Psychology, PSY 498H (Honor's Project and Defense).  Each of these courses also satisfies the Capstone Experience requirement of General Education.

Evening-Only Major

You can complete requirements for the Psychology major on the main campus at CSU entirely through the evening and online courses. All required courses –– and at least one course from each of the core areas -- are offered at least once per year in the evening (after 4 pm, Monday through Thursday).

Advanced Placement Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) credit is offered under the auspices of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) for high school students who have completed an authorized AP course. Arrangements for AP testing are made by the high school in which the student is enrolled. If you are interested in receiving AP credit for PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology), please have your CEEB score report sent directly to the CSU Office of the University Registrar. An AP test score of 3, 4, or 5 will be treated as equivalent to 4 semester hours of credit for PSY 101.

Exit Evaluation

Students completing requirements for graduation with a major in Psychology must register for PSY 499 (Exit Evaluation), a no-credit course that is graded on a Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory basis. This course must be completed (with a "Satisfactory" grade) before the student will be permitted to graduate. The requirement for PSY 499 is to simply complete an exam (for which no special preparation is needed) that is available online within the Blackboard shell for this course.  The exam covers all of the major topic areas in Psychology and is used by the Department faculty to evaluate our instructional program. Students also complete a survey about their experience as an undergraduate majoring in Psychology; results are used for planning purposes.