Honours Program

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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Honours Psychology(60 Credits)

    Offered by:Psychology
    Degree:Bachelor of Arts

Program Requirement:

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. The B.A. Honours in Psychology (60 credits) is a specialized program that provides students with an in-depth overview of psychological science, covering the core areas as well as more advanced courses. Students are required to take a 2-term research course and seminar; students also have the option to complete additional research course(s) and/or gain additional training in arts related disciplines (see Program Requirements for details). This program emphasizes practice in the research techniques and statistics used in graduate school and professionally later on. It also provides students with the space to take the additional courses they may need for applying to graduate school in psychology and for completing the undergraduate credits in psychology as specified by the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (which are required by some graduate psychology programs). Students must apply to the Honours program; admission is selective.

Typically, students apply to the Honours program at the end of U1; students may apply at the end of U2, although there are often fewer seats for students applying in U2 (also the Honours program requirements must be completed within the remaining terms). To be eligible to apply to the BA Honours in Psychology, students must have completed a minimum of 27 graded credits in the academic year prior to applying (fall and winter terms only). All applicants must have taken PSYC 204, PSYC 211, PSYC 212, PSYC 213,
PSYC 215 and PSYC 305. Exceptional performance in these courses is a primary criterion for acceptance into the Honours program. In addition to performance in these psychology courses, a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.50 is required to apply. However, since enrolment is limited, the typical CGPA cut-off is
~3.75, although this varies from year to year depending on the applicant pool. Once in the Honours program, students must obtain a GPA of 3.00 in the U2 year to continue in the Honours program for U3. Students are also encouraged to continue to complete a minimum of 27 graded credits in their U2 and U3 academic years. This is also the minimum number of credits required to be eligible for fellowships and awards.
The application is available on the Psychology Department website at: https://www.mcgill.ca/psychology/undergraduate/current- students/research-opportunities/research-courses.The deadline is specified on the website. Candidates will be informed of the Department's decision via email before classes begin in September.
Awarding of the Honours degree will depend on both CGPA and a minimum grade of B in PSYC 380D1/PSYC 380D2 and PSYC 306. "First Class Honours" is awarded to students who obtain a minimum CGPA of 3.50 and
a minimum grade of A- in PSYC 380D1/PSYC 380D2 and PSYC 306. "Honours" is awarded to students with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and a minimum grade of B in PSYC 380D1/PSYC 380D2 and PSYC 306.



    Program Prerequisites (0-6 credits)

    Students planning to enter the BA Honours Psychology program, should have completed an introductory course in general psychology, biology and statistics at the CEGEP level. Otherwise, they can complete them in their first year of study at McGill University (see below).

    Students who have completed Human Biology or General Biology 1 or 2 in CEGEP would have the recommended biology background. Students who have not completed one of those courses are advised to complete BIOL 115 or BIOL 111 or BIOL 112 during their first year.

    McGill Freshman students are recommended to complete the following courses in their U0 year:


    • PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    3 credits from:


    • BIOL 111 Principles:Organismal Biology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • BIOL 112 Cell and Molecular Biology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • BIOL 115 Essential Biology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    Required Courses (33 credits)

    U1


    • PSYC 204 Intro to Psychological Stats 3 Credits*
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 211 Intro Behavioural Neuroscience 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 212 Perception 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 213 Cognition 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 215 Social Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    *Advising note for PSYC 204: CEGEP students are exempt from PSYC 204 if they have completed, with a minimum grade of 75%, the following two courses: 1) Quantitative Methods and either 2a) Advanced Quantitative Methods or 2b) Statistics for Social Science. CEGEP students are also exempt from PSYC 204 if they have completed Probability & Statistics or Statistics with a minimum grade of 75%.

    **Note: Students who wish to apply to the Honours program in Psychology must complete the required courses above, including PSYC 305 in their U1 year to be eligible for admission. Also, all students must complete a minimum of 27 graded credits in the academic year prior to applying (fall and winter terms only). For additional information about applying to Honours, please refer to the Honours program description.

    Bachelor of Arts students will replace this requirement with 3 credits at the 300 level in one of the following disciplines: Psychology (PSYC), Anthropology (ANTH), Linguistics (LING), or Sociology (SOCI).

    Bachelor of Arts and Science students will replace this requirement with 3 credits in Psychology at the 300 level or above.


    U1 or U2


    • PSYC 305 Statistics for Exper Design 3 Credits**
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    U2


    • PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 380D1 Honours Research Project Sem 4.5 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 380D2 Honours Research Project Sem 4.5 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    U2 or U3


    • PSYC 439 Correlational Techniques 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    Complementary Courses (27 credits)

    3-9 credits must be completed with the following course(s):
    Any 500-level Psychology course


    • PSYC 486 Independent Honours Research 1 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 487 Independent Honours Research 2 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 488D1 Independent Honours Research 3 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 488D2 Independent Honours Research 3 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 492 Special Topics Seminar 1 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    If the 9 credits are not fulfilled with the above courses, the remaining 3-6 credits are to be completed with any 400-level Psychology course.

    Note: Students entering Honours in U3 who previously took PSYC 385, PSYC 484 D1/D2 and/or PSYC 485 may use these courses to fulfill the Honours Complementary course


    18 credits of Honours courses are to be completed with the following courses:


    • PSYC 403 Modern Psych in Hist Persp 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 483 Sem. in Exp. Psychopathology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 495 Psychology Research Project 2 6 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 496 Senior Honours Research 1 6 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 497 Senior Honours Research 2 6 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 498D1 Senior Honours Research 4.5 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 498D2 Senior Honours Research 4.5 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    List A - (Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognition and Quantitative Methods)

    6 credits in Psychology from the following:


    • NSCI 201 Intro. to Neuroscience 2 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 301 Animal Learning and Theory 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 302 The Psychology of Pain 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 310 Intelligence 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 311 Human Cognition and the Brain 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 315 Computational Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 317 Genes and Behaviour 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 318 Behavioural Neuroscience 2 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 319 Computational Models-Cognition 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 329 Intro. to Auditory Cognition 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 340 Psych of Language 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 341 The Psychology of Bilingualism 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 342 Hormones & Behaviour 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 352 Res Mthds & Lab in Cog Psych 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 353 Res Mthds & Lab in Hum Percept 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 403 Modern Psych in Hist Persp 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 406 Psychological Tests 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 410 Sp Topics in Neuropsychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 413 Cognitive Development 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 415 EEG Laboratory in Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 427 Sensorimotor Neuroscience 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 433 Cognitive Science 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 439 Correlational Techniques 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 443 Affective Neuroscience 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 444 Sleep Mechanisms and Behaviour 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 470 Memory and Brain 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 502 Psychoneuroendocrinology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 506 Cognitive Neuroscience of Attn 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 513 Human Decision-Making 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 514 Neurobiology of Memory 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 522 Neurochemistry and Behaviour 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 526 Advances in Visual Perception 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 529 Music Cognition 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 531 Structural Equation Models 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 537 Adv Seminar in Psych of Lang 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 538 Categoriz Communic & Consciou 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 541 Multilevel Modelling 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 545 Topics in Language Acquisition 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 560 Machine Lrng Tools: Psychology 3 Credits*
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 562 Measurement of Psych Processes 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    * 1. Students who have taken COMP 202 or COMP 204 and who have taken freshman linear algebra and calculus might instead consider taking COMP 551.
    2. Students in both psychology and computer science are strongly encouraged to take COMP 551 over PSYC 560.


    List B - (Social, Health and Developmental Psychology)

    6 credits in Psychology from the following:


    • PSYC 304 Child Development 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 309 Postve Psych:Sci of Well-Being 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 328 Health Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 331 Inter-Group Relations 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 332 Intro to Personality 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 333 Personality & Social Psych 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 337 Intro to Psychopathology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 351 Res Mthds & Lab in Soc Psych 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 408 Princip&Apps of Psychother 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 409 Positive Psychology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 411 Discrimtn&Wellb:MargnlzdCommts 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 412 Child Dev.: Psychopathol. 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 414 Social Development 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 436 Human Sexuality & Its Problems 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 471 Human Motivation 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 473 Social Cognition and the Self 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 474 Interpersonal Relationships 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 475 Neuroscience of Social Psych 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 483 Sem. in Exp. Psychopathology 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 491D1 Adv Study:Behaviour. Disorders 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 491D2 Adv Study:Behaviour. Disorders 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 507 Emotions, Stress, and Illness 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 509 Diverse Clinical Populations 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 512 Advanced Personality Seminar 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 528 Vulnerability to Dep. and Anx. 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 530 Applied Topics in Deafness 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 535 Adv Topics in Social Psych 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer

    • PSYC 539 Adv Topics in Social Psych 2 3 Credits
        Offered in the:
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Summer


    6 credits at the 300 level or above selected from the following disciplines:
    Anthropology (ANTH), Linguistics (LING), Psychology (PSYC), or Sociology (SOCI).



       

       

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