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 2.00 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 course work 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.

It is the department’s point of view that course work older than ten years be subject to review. This is due to advancements and changes being made in the discipline, as well as time to degree completion considerations. In light of this, the department has established the following guidelines:

PSY 105 normally must be retaken if the course was taken over 10 years. Exceptions may apply (e.g., continuous enrollment with academic progress).
Other course work over ten years of age may sometimes be applied, if PSY 105 is retaken.
Course work is reviewed by members of the faculty in cases of special circumstances.
Undergraduate psychology advisors coordinate faculty reviews on behalf of students.

This policy is designed to ensure that students have the most relevant information in their chosen discipline. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to one of the undergraduate advisors in the Psychology department.

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 second major in, or a minor in, or distributed among (see distributed minor policy): Anthropology (Evolutionary Anthropology concentration), Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or Physics 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 Basics in Addiction Counseling (BAC) concentration is designed for a select group of undergraduate Psychology majors who are interested in a career in the alcohol/drug counseling field. In addition to the standard Psychology major requirements, the BAC concentration involves a series of specialized addiction courses, as well as a multi-semester field placement at a substance abuse agency. Students admitted to the BAC concentration must have completed all course work requirements to become a Licensed Substance Abuse Associate (LSAA) and/or Licensed Alcohol/Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC).

To complete the BAC concentration, students must complete 45 credit hours in Psychology courses. In addition, students must earn a grade of "C" or better (grades of "C-" are not accepted) in all Psychology courses. Twenty-four credit hours must be taken at UNM to satisfy the residency requirement. Major requirements are only one portion of the undergraduate degree. Meet with an Undergraduate Program Advisor located in the department to discuss the University and College-level requirements in addition to the major. To earn the B.A. or B.S. degree in Psychology, students must declare a minor. To earn the B.A. degree, students must select a minor from the approved College of Arts and Sciences minor list. To earn the B.S. degree, students must declare a minor from: Anthropology; Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Mathematics; Physics; or Statistics. Meet with the minor departmental advisors to review minor requirements.

Application and Admission

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

Are enrolled in the equivalent of the fourth semester of full-time course work 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).
Have read and acknowledged understanding of the New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board standards for licensure.

Interested applicants provide:

Letter of interest.
Current resume (work and academic experience).
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.
College transcripts.
Completed BAC application.

Requirements

The required 45 credit hours of PSY courses to complete the BAC concentration include:

		Credit Hours
	Core Courses
PSY 105	General Psychology	3
PSY 200	Statistical Principles	3
PSY 240	Brain and Behavior	3
PSY 302	Psychological Research Techniques	3
	Total	12
	200-level PSY courses Choose three:
PSY 220	Developmental Psychology	3
PSY 260	Psychology of Learning and Memory	3
PSY 265	Cognitive Psychology	3
PSY 271	Social Psychology	3
PSY 280	Health Psychology	3
	Total	9
	Required 300- and 400-level PSY electives
PSY 332	Abnormal Behavior	3
PSY 335	Clinical Psychology	3
PSY 347	Drugs and Behavior	3
PSY 411	Treatment of Addictions	3
PSY 430	Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorders	3
	Total	15
	PSY Laboratory* Choose one:
PSY 335L	Clinical Psychology Laboratory	2
PSY 445L	Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory	2
PSY 480L	Health Psychology Laboratory	2
	Total	2
	Additional Requirements
PSY 313	Case Management in Addictions	1
PSY 412	Applied Clinical Experience in Addictions Counseling Field Work	6
	Total	7

*There are alternative options to these Laboratory courses. Other upper-level PSY labs may also satisfy the requirement, or working in a psychology professor's research lab as part of PSY 499 experience may count. These options must be approved in advance by a BAC Advisory Committee member.

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 course work 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-level or above) 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