Introduction

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. It is both a social and a biological science. As a social science, psychology studies humans in interaction with other members of the same species. As a biological science, it regards human beings as the product of evolution and so emphasizes the biological perspective, comparing and contrasting human behaviour with that of other species.

The data of psychology are collected within the psychological laboratory by the use of experimental methods in the study of behaviour, and outside the laboratory by systematic observation of the behaviour of human and other animals. The combination of experimentation and observation results in a knowledge of human behaviour, and answers questions about how we perceive the world, learn, achieve goals, react to stress, deal with frustration and interact with other people. Experimental laboratory techniques, observation procedures, measurement, and statistical methods are important tools of the psychologist in the study of behaviour.

Psychology has many interdisciplinary aspects. The study of psychological problems often involves knowledge drawn from other disciplines such as biology, physiology, linguistics, sociology, philosophy, and mathematics. For this reason a student with varied interests can frequently find a place for these interests in psychology.

Although a number of undergraduate courses in psychology have applied implications, applied training is in no way the purpose of the undergraduate curriculum. The purpose of that curriculum is to introduce the student to an understanding of the basic core of psychological knowledge, theory, and method, regardless of questions of practical application.

The B.A. or B.Sc. with a major or honours degree in psychology is not a professional qualification. It does not qualify the individual to carry on professional work in psychology. At the present time, the minimum requirement for membership in the Order of Psychologists, the professional association governing the work of psychologists in the province of Quebec, is a Doctoral Degree, either Psy.D or Ph.D.  Undergraduate courses in psychology may prove of considerable value to students planning careers in professional fields other than psychology, such as medicine, law, education, social work, communication disorders, or business and industry.

Students who are interested in psychology as a career must pursue graduate studies. Persons who hold graduate degrees in psychology, usually the Ph.D., may find employment in universities, research institutes, hospitals, community agencies, government departments, large corporations, or may act as self employed consultants. At the graduate level, psychology has many specialized branches including social psychology, physiological psychology, experimental psychology, clinical psychology, child psychology, industrial psychology, community psychology, educational psychology, and others.

Although requirements for admission to graduate studies in psychology vary from one university to another, both the honours and major degrees in psychology may qualify the student for admission to many graduate schools, provided of course that the appropriate courses are taken and that sufficiently high grades are obtained.

Recommended Background for Students Entering the Bachelor of Arts Programs

Students entering the Bachelor of Arts programs (major, honours and faculty program) in Psychology are expected to have completed the following courses in college or during the freshman year of university:

Students who have not completed the recommended background will be required to register for these courses during the first year at McGill. In this case, the background courses will be taken as corequisites, along with all other U1 requirements. Students will receive elective credit for any background courses which must be completed at McGill.

Arts OASIS (Office of Advising and Student Information Services): The Arts OASIS website provides Arts students with general academic information and advice about issues such as faculty and degree requirements, registration issues, inter-faculty transfer, study away, academic standing, or graduation. In addition to advising students about such issues, either by appointment or on a daily drop-in basis, the Arts OASIS Faculty advisers offer a number of information sessions every term, such as degree planning workshops, study away workshops, and freshman information sessions. For more information, please click here.
 

Information Meeting for New Students

All new students entering the Psychology undergraduate program are required to attend an Information Meeting prior to registration.

Students who have been accepted into a Bachelor of Science program in Psychology must attend the meeting on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 11:00 am in room N2/2 in the Stewart Biology Building.

Students accepted into a Bachelor of Arts program and who intend to pursue a Major Concentration in Psychology must attend the meeting on Tuesday August 30th, 2011 at 9:30 am in room N2/2 in the Stewart Biology Building.

At this meeting, the Academic Adviser will explain the requirements of the Department's programs. Incoming students will have an opportunity to ask questions and receive advice on how to plan their courses. After this meeting students will make appointments for individual advising sessions.

For students entering the Psychology program in the January are encouraged to call the academic advisor, in December to clarify their course selections.

Entering students must bring their Letter of Acceptance, a copy of their collegial or university transcript(s), and the McGill Undergraduate Calendar.

MINERVA Form Approval

All students, new and returning, must fill out a MINERVA form listing their course selections for the whole year before they can officially register with the University. In order to have the MINERVA form approved by an advisor, students must bring their (1) Acceptance Letter and (2) a copy of their college or university grades to be left with the student's advisor. Returning students must bring a copy of their Report of Standing.

Selected courses in other faculties (e.g. management, education, engineering, etc.) may also be chosen consistent with the regulations of the student's home faculty (either Arts or Science). For further information regarding courses outside the faculties of Arts and Science, please consult the Student Affairs Office and select the link for your faculty (Arts or Science). Failure to do so may result in you not receiving credit for a course. The MINERVA registration system is not programmed to prevent students from registering for courses which have not been approved for credit. Therefore, do not assume that you will receive credit for a course simply because "MINERVA let you register". MINERVA is a machine, it does not have that kind of decision making capability . Furthermore, do not ask your friends if you can take a course for credit... no matter how smart your friends are, this is not their area of responsibility, and they may be mistaken. Do not assume that because they took it, so can you. The list of approved courses may change, or people's circumstances may be different. Do not assume that because you see other psychology students in the class, then it must be approved. How do you know that they checked the list? Finally, do not ask the professor of the course, since this is a rule of the faculty of Science or Arts, and it is not the professor's responsibility to be aware of whether or not the course is approved for you. He or she simply may not know. The only way to ensure that you will receive credit for a course in a faculty outside of Arts or Science is to check the web page indicated above.

Grade Requirements

Students must obtain a minimum grade of C in all courses required by their program. A grade lower than C may be made up by taking another equivalent course, by successfully writing a supplemental examination (if there is one), or by repeating the course. Honours students are normally expected to obtain a grade of B or better in their Honours courses.

List A and List B

The study of psychology covers many fields. To develop a breadth of understanding in psychology, students are expected to obtain knowledge beyond the introductory level in two or more areas of psychology. To ensure this requirement is met, Psychology courses are divided into two lists. List A covers the areas of behavioural neuroscience, cognition and quantitative methods. List B covers social, health and developmental psychology.

List A (Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognition and Quantitative Methods)
PSYC
301 Learning
308 Behavioural Neuroscience 1
310 Intelligence
311 Human Cognition and the Brain
315 Computational Psychology
317 Genes and Behaviour
318 Behavioural Neuroscience 2
329 Introduction to Auditory Cognition
340 The Psychology of Language
341 Psychology of Bilingualism
342 Hormones and Behaviour
352 Cognitive Psychology Laboratory
353 Laboratory in Human Perception
365 Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention
403 Modern Psychology in Historical Perspective
406 Psychological Tests
410 Special Topics in Neuropsychology
413 Cognitive Development
427 Sensorimotor Behavior
444 Sleep Mechanisms and Behaviour
451 Human Factors Research and Techniques
470 Memory and Brain
502 Psychoneuroendocrinology
505 The Psychology of Pain
510 Statistical Analysis of Tests
522 Neurochemistry and Behaviour
526 Advances in Visual Perception
529 Music Cognition
531 Structural Equation Models
532 Cognitive Science
536 Correlational Techniques
537 Advanced Seminar in Psychology of Language
541 Multilevel Modeling
545 Topics in Language Acquisition
561 Methods: Developmental Psycholinguistics
562 Measurement of Psych. Processes

List B (Social, Health and Developmental Psychology)
PSYC
304 Child Development
316 Psychology of Deafness
331 Inter-Group Relations
332 Introduction to Personality
333 Personality and Social Psychology
337 Intro: Abnormal Psychology 1
338 Intro: Abnormal Psychology 2
343 Language Acquisition in Children
351 Research Methods in Social Psychology
408 Principles of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
412 Deviations in Child Development
414 Social Development
416 Topics in Child Development
429 Health Psychology
436 Human Sexuality and its Problems
471 Human Motivation
473 Social Cognition and the Self
474 Interpersonal Relationships
491 Advanced Study in Behavioural Disorder (6 credits)
507 Emotions, Stress and Illness
509 Diverse Clinical Populations: Poverty and Psychopathology
511 Infant Competence
512 Advanced Personality Seminar
528 Vulnerability to depression
530 Applied Topics in Deafness
533 International Health Psychology
535 Advanced Topics in Social Psychology

Unclassified Courses
PSYC
395 Psychology Research Project 1
450 Research Project and Seminar (9 credits)
488 Special Topics Seminar
492 Seminar in Special Topics 1
493 Seminar in Special Topics 2
494 Psychology Research Project (9 credits)
495 Psychology Research Project 2
499 Reading Project

Graduate Study

The B.A. or B.Sc. program in Psychology does not provide professional training. The undergraduate degree is intended to give the student a general academic background. Those who are interested in practicing psychology professionally in Quebec must obtain a graduate degree, preferably the Ph.D. Most graduate schools require not only a record of high achievement, but also adequate performance on entrance examinations such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and/or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), as well as letters of recommendation. Before entering their final year, students are advised to take these tests. Experience with psychological research will enhance your chances of being accepted into many graduate programs. Major students should take either PSYC 450D1/450D2, PSYC 395, PSYC 494D1/D2 or PSYC 495. Students in the honours program will complete at least one research projects in U2 and/or U3. However, it is important to remember that admission to graduate studies is highly competitive and that no degree guarantees entry to advanced study. You could improve your chances by applying to a variety of universities and programs. Bear in mind that the admissions process varies from University to University. At McGill, for example, each staff member examine applications in his or her area of interest and may propose one or more candidates. Potential candidates are then discussed by the entire staff and a final decision regarding acceptances is made by the department as a whole.

Admission to the Graduate Program in Psychology (PhD degree) at McGill is highly competitive. Approximately 20 new students have been accepted out of 230 or so applicants each year for the past few years. Students who are completing, or have completed undergraduate courses in the McGill Department of Psychology may submit applications in the general competition for admission. Before applying to McGill, however, students should consider two advantages in pursuing a graduate degree elsewhere: 1) the likelihood of being exposed to new approaches to your field; 2) the self-development that comes from succeeding in a new academic environment.