Undergraduate Program

College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Psychology Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

Transfer students must have a 2.0 transfer GPA.
Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

Completion of the University Writing and Speaking Core.
Completion of the University Mathematics Core.
Completion of the University Foreign Language Core.

Completion of Department of Psychology admission coursework with grades of "C" or better:

PSY 105.
One PSY course at 200-level or above.

Major Study Requirements

Students wanting an introduction to psychology should take PSY 105. Students should then take multiple 200-level courses before registering for more advanced courses. Although the prerequisites for any course may be waived by permission of the instructor, it is strongly advised that students take the prerequisites in order to be adequately prepared for the course.

Acceptance of any transferred credit hours toward a major or minor in psychology must be approved by the Associate Chairperson for Undergraduate Education.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

To obtain a B.A. in Psychology a student must satisfactorily complete (i.e., a grade of C or better) 36 credit hours in Psychology (35 credit hours if an upper-division lab is taken. See item 6 below), and should minor in an Arts and Sciences Department.

The 36 credit hours of Psychology must include:

PSY 105 (3 credit hours)
PSY 200 (3 credit hours)
Four courses (12 credit hours) selected from the six 200-level core courses: PSY 220, 240, 260, 265, 271, and 280
PSY 302 (3 credit hours)
Four psychology electives at the 300/400-level (12 credit hours)
One psychology elective (3 credit hours). Students may elect to take an upper-division psychology laboratory (2 credit hours).

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

To obtain a B.S. in Psychology a student must complete a minor in, or distributed among (see distributed minor policy): Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics or Anthropology (Evolutionary Anthropology concentration) and complete (i.e., a grade of "C" or better) 35 credit hours in Psychology.

The 35 credit hours of Psychology must include:

PSY 105 (3 credit hours)
PSY 200 (3 credit hours)
Four courses (12 credit hours) selected from the six 200-level core courses: PSY 220, 240, 260, 265, 271, and 280
PSY 302 (3 credit hours)
Four psychology electives at the 300/400-level (12 credit hours)
One upper-division (300/400) psychology laboratory (2 credit hours)

Concentration in Basics in Addiction Counseling (B.A./B.S.)

The concentration in Basics in Addiction Counseling (BAC) within the Psychology major is for a select group of undergraduates who are interested in a career in the alcohol/drug counseling field. In addition to the standard psychology major requirements, it involves a series of specialized addiction courses, as well as a multi-semester field placement at a substance abuse agency. The BAC concentration is designed to meet the educational requirements for a Licensed Alcohol/Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC). Entrance into the concentration is competitive (see below).

Requirements:

All applicants are required to be Psychology majors and meet the following requirements:

Are enrolled in the equivalent of the 4th semester of full-time coursework toward a college degree.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or a Psychology GPA of 3.5.
Are committed to a career in the alcohol/drug counseling field.
Have interpersonal skills appropriate for a counseling career.
Have the ability to meet the program standards (with or without reasonable accommodation), and
Have read and acknowledged understanding of the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board standards for licensure.

Procedures:

Interested applicants provide:
- - a. Letter of interest
  - b. Current resume (work and academic experience)
  - c. At least two letters of recommendation that address the qualifications, character, and motivation of the applicant. These letters may come from employers, professors, or supervisors; these are not personal references
  - d. College transcripts
Applications typically are considered twice a year.
All applications are reviewed by an admissions committee.
Selected applicants are interviewed; interviews query any aspect of program requirements described above.

To obtain a B.S. or B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Basics in Addiction Counseling a student must complete 47 credit hours in Psychology and an approved College of Arts and Sciences minor (see B.A. and B.S. requirements).

The 47 credit hours of Psychology must include:

	Credit Hours
PSY 200	3
PSY 200	3
PSY 240	3
Three other courses (9 credit hours) selected from five 200-level core courses:	9
PSY 220, 260, 265, 271, and 280
PSY 302	3
Four required electives:	12
PSY 332, 347,430, 411
PSY 335L or PSY 480L or other pre-approved laboratory experience	2
PSY 311	1
PSY 312	1
PSY 313	1
PSY 412	9 total

Distributed Minor for Psychology Majors

A distributed minor is appropriate when a combination of courses from different departments better serves the student’s career objectives and overall program of education than does a minor in a single department. Distributed minor petitions must be approved by the Associate Chairperson for Undergraduate Education. See Department Advisor for details.

The requirements for a distributed minor with a Psychology major are:

A minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework in related departments
At least 15 credit hours of those included in the student proposed distributed minor shall be at the 300- or 400-level (upper-division)
At least one advanced (300+) course in each of two or more areas
Approved petition

For the B.S. degree, the minor must be distributed among biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, or physics.

Minor Study Requirements

To obtain a Psychology minor, students must complete 18 credit hours in Psychology.

PSY 105 (3 credit hours)
15 credit hours in Psychology

One quarter of Psychology credit hours (6 credit hours) must be successfully completed (i.e., a grade of "C" or better) while in residence at the University of New Mexico.

Departmental Honors

Superior sophomore students, especially those anticipating graduate study in psychology or interested in research training, are invited to apply for admission to the Undergraduate Honors Program to begin in the Fall semester of the junior year. Students participating in this program are eligible to graduate with departmental honors if recommended by the faculty on the basis of outstanding performance.

The Honors program requires 33 credit hours beyond 3 credit hours of general psychology, including 200, 302, 391, 392, 491, 492 and four courses from the six 200-level core courses. The usual requirement of an upper-division laboratory for B.S. majors is waived for honors majors.

NOTE: Students enrolling in PSY 391, Junior Honors Seminar, must have taken PSY 200 and either PSY 260 or 265 as prerequisites and PSY 302 as a prerequisite or corequisite.

Keys and Symbols Reference