Most psychology majors take the same core classes no matter where they enroll: introductory psychology, research methods, statistics, and survey courses in social, abnormal, developmental, cognitive, and biological psychology, plus hands-on research or lab work. Each program sets its own specifics, but this common foundation shows up in nearly every accredited psychology degree.
Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate majors in the country. About 129,600 students earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2021-22, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, which keeps it among the top six fields of study. That popularity means intro lectures are packed, but it also means most students start the major without a clear picture of what they’ll actually study.
The exact requirements vary by school, by concentration, and even by degree type. A bachelor of science usually has more lab and statistics requirements than a bachelor of arts, and a forensic track differs from an industrial-organizational one. Your department advisor and the course catalog are the only sources for your specific program. Still, the core is remarkably consistent across accredited programs, and that’s what this guide covers.
Most psychology major classes follow a clear arc. Lower-division courses build the foundation: intro psychology, statistics, and research methods. Upper-division courses, where you’ll spend most of your junior and senior years, let you go deep into specializations through survey courses and electives. Alongside the psychology classes, you’ll also complete general education requirements, many of them in related subjects like biology, math, and communication. In the best undergraduate psychology schools, you’ll have a wide menu of upper-division options to choose from, whether on campus or through online psychology schools.
Here are the ten classes you’re most likely to take, at a glance and then in detail.
| Course | What You Study | Typical Year |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Psychology | Broad overview of the whole field | First year |
| Fundamentals of Research | Study design, observation, and analysis | First or second year |
| Social Psychology | How groups shape individual behavior | Second or third year |
| Behavioral Psychology | Learning and measurable behavior change | Second or third year |
| Abnormal Psychology | Categories and causes of mental disorder | Third year |
| Developmental Psychology | Mental development across the lifespan | Second or third year |
| History of Psychology | Major theorists and schools of thought | Third or fourth year |
| Biopsychology / Neuropsychology | The brain behind behavior and emotion | Third or fourth year |
| Cognitive Psychology and Emotion | How people learn, think, and regulate emotion | Third or fourth year |
| Lab | Hands-on research and measurement | Third or fourth year |
1. Introductory Psychology
This is the venerable Psych 101, the course packed with both majors and students filling a general education requirement. It’s a broad overview that touches on every other subject in the field, from research methods to neuroscience. Think of it as the map you’ll spend the next few years filling in.
2. Fundamentals of Research
Psychology is a science, and science runs on research. Even if you never plan to work in academia, your psychology major classes will include at least one course in observational and statistical methods. This is where you learn how studies are designed, how data gets analyzed, and how the theories you’ll later apply as a practitioner were established in the first place. Many programs split this into separate statistics and research methods courses, both of which are near-universal requirements. If the quantitative side worries you, it’s worth knowing up front whether psychology requires math and how much of it you’ll face.
3. Social Psychology
It’s hard enough to understand one person’s mental processes. Put that person in a group, shaping and being shaped by everyone around them, and the picture changes entirely. Social psychology covers perception, persuasion, conformity, and how communities and relationships influence behavior. It’s one of the most relatable courses in the major because the examples come straight from everyday life.
4. Behavioral Psychology
Behaviorism is a major school of thought, and many programs offer it as a dedicated course or fold it into a broader learning class. Wherever you meet it, the material frames psychological processes in terms of measurable behavior and teaches you to identify the environmental triggers and consequences that shape what people do. These principles are the backbone of applied behavior analysis and much of modern therapy.
5. Abnormal Psychology
Often a student favorite, abnormal psychology describes and classifies the major categories of mental disorder, from anxiety and mood disorders to psychosis and personality disorders. You’ll learn the diagnostic framework clinicians use and the leading theories about what causes these conditions. For anyone heading toward clinical or counseling work, this course is a direct preview of the job.
6. Developmental Psychology
These survey courses trace mental development across the human lifespan, from prenatal stages through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. You’ll study the major theories of intellectual and emotional development alongside research on aging and cognition, in both individual and social contexts. It’s an essential background for anyone interested in child, school, or geriatric psychology.
7. History of Psychology
Understanding psychology today means understanding how it got here. The field developed through the contributions of figures such as Freud, Jung, Skinner, James, and many others, so it helps to know who they were and what they argued. This course lays out how the major schools of thought developed and how they relate to and react against one another.
8. Biopsychology / Neuropsychology
Everything you study in psychology runs on the hardware of the human brain. To work effectively as a psychologist, you need at least a working understanding of the physical processes underneath the mental ones. Biopsychology connects the firing of neurons to depression, anxiety, and other conditions that mental-health professionals work to understand and treat. Expect some biology and a closer look at brain structure here.
9. Cognitive Psychology and Emotion
This course is a little meta: you’ll spend it learning about how people learn. It covers the major learning theories along with how we regulate behavior, form memories, and organize emotional experience. Cognition and affect sit at the center of how the mind works, which makes this one of the more theory-heavy courses in the core.
10. Lab
Before you graduate, most programs require some hands-on research, whether that’s a dedicated lab course, a practicum, or an experimental project. Options often include animal behavior, human performance, social psychology, or experimental studies. What they share is a hands-on research approach, where you practice the actual science of measuring and evaluating mental processes rather than just reading about it.
So how do you find out exactly what you’ll take? You talk to your department advisor and read the course catalog for your specific program. But if your degree plan includes a solid dose of social, abnormal, developmental, biological, and cognitive psychology, plus hands-on research and a strong methods component, you can be confident you’re in a well-built program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes are required for a psychology major?
Nearly every accredited psychology program requires introductory psychology, statistics, and research methods as a foundation, followed by survey courses in social, abnormal, developmental, cognitive, and biological psychology, and hands-on research or lab coursework. The exact list of credits and number varies by school and degree type, so check your program’s catalog for specifics.
Is psychology a hard major?
Psychology is challenging but manageable for students who enjoy studying people and behavior. The research methods and statistics courses tend to be the toughest because they’re quantitative, and upper-division courses expect close reading of scientific literature. Most students find the subject matter engaging enough to carry them through the harder material.
What’s the difference between a BA and a BS in psychology?
A bachelor’s degree in psychology comes in two main forms. A bachelor of arts usually carries more humanities and language requirements and fewer lab and math courses. A Bachelor of Science emphasizes statistics, research methods, and the biological side of the field. Both qualify you for graduate study, so the better choice depends on whether you want a science-heavy or a broader liberal-arts foundation.
Key Takeaways
- The core is consistent everywhere. Intro psychology, statistics, research methods, and survey courses appear in nearly every accredited program.
- Lower division builds, upper division specializes. Foundations come first, then you choose deeper survey courses and electives in your junior and senior years.
- Statistics and research methods are unavoidable.e Both are near-universal requirements and tend to be the most demanding courses in the major.
- BA and BS differ in emphasis. A BS adds more lab and quantitative work, while a BA carries more humanities, but both lead to graduate study.
- Your catalog is the final word. Requirements vary by school and concentration, so confirm the specifics with your department advisor.
Select your state below to find accredited psychology programs, course requirements, and application links for schools near you.