Psychology Academic Advising

Psychology Academic Advising is here to help! We have many resources available on this page. Be sure to check our other pages as well, such as Upcoming Courses, and Undergraduate Resources.         

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Quick Links:

Meet with our advisors

Degree and Course information

Helpful material for Psych majors

Declaring your major 

Transfer students

FAQ

Meet with our advisors!

• Appointments are available Monday through Friday.
• Our Academic Advisor and Peer Advisors are here to help, with both in person and Zoom appointments!
• Schedule your appointment on B-Successful. Instructions on scheduling appointments, rescheduling/canceling appointments and more can be found here.
• For simple questions, please email us at: ugpsyc@binghamton.edu

Walk-in advising hours vary and are announced through the listserv. Check your email in the morning to see what hours are available that day. 

Important Reminder about Advising:

Binghamton University operates on a "dual advising model." Which means you should be meeting with a psychology advisor AND a Harpur advisor on a regular basis. Additionally, certain academic questions and concerns are handled specifically by Harpur Advising. See Major/Minor Faculty Advising for clarification.

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Degree and Course Information

• Students should consult their DegreeWorks for more detailed information about their degree requirements. You may also view psychology major requirements on the Academic Guides and on the Psychology, B.A. Major Requirements Sheet
• See our Course Offerings page for information about our projected courses for upcoming semesters. Course descriptions are available in the Schedule of Classes. 
• To see how courses transfer from other institutions, use the Transfer Equivalency Table.

Helpful Material for Psychology Majors:

• Psychology, B.A. Major Requirements Sheet
• Useful information for Psychology majors
• Sample Curricular Plan for the Psychology, B.A. 
• 4 Year Course Planner for PSYC Majors
• PSYC Major GPA Calculator

 Important Dates:

• Registrar's Calendar
• Academic Calendar

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Declaring Your Major

All students enter Binghamton as undeclared, so declaring an interest in psychology on your admissions application does not mean you have declared your major. Please review the Harpur information page on choosing a major to learn more.

If you are a STEM major with specific funding requirements, please see our Integrative Neuroscience Advising website. 

*It is important to note that due to significant overlap in course requirements, it is not possible to double major in psychology and integrative neuroscience.

• How to declare your psychology major:

  Declaring your major as psychology can be done at any time. However, you must receive a C or higher in both PSYC 111 and PSYC 243 in order to progress to upper level courses in the major.

  To declare, fill out the Psychology Declaration of Major Form. You must be logged into your browser using your B-mail account in order for the forms to work correctly. Declarations are processed weekly and you will receive a confirmation email when your request has been processed.

  *By filling out the declaration form, you acknowledge that you are aware of the requirements for the major and you affirm that you will work to meet those requirements. If you do not continue to make consistent progress towards your psychology degree requirements, you will risk being dropped from the major. 

• How to declare the Psychology Track in ASD

  Admission to the Track in Autism Spectrum Disorders is open only to psychology majors who are enrolled in or who have completed PSYC 355, the Lab in Applied Behavior Analysis. To declare in ASD, you must meet with the Psychology Academic Advisor. 

  Learn more about the ASD Track here.

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Are You A Transfer Student?

We understand that as a transfer student you are coming into a new environment and that you may feel initially lost. See the links below for helpful campus resources:

• Transfer Students Initiatives and Services
• Reminders for Transfer Students in Psychology and Integrative Neuroscience
• Transferring credits for the Psychology major

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Frequently Asked Questions:

• How can I get into closed courses?

  First, check whether the course has a waitlist. If it does, the only way to enter the course is to add yourself to the waitlist. For more information regarding the waitlisting procedure, check out these helpful videos about registration.

  If the closed course does not have a waitlist, you may self-register if a spot becomes available. Monitor BU Brain closely during open registration periods.

• How do I add myself to a waitlist?

  The registrar has several helpful videos about registration, including the waitlist process. 

  Some important things to note about waitlists:

  Putting yourself on the waitlist does not mean that you are guaranteed a spot OR you are enrolled in the course.

  Check your email every 12 hours to see if you have received an email from the registrar that says that a seat has become available. You have 18 hours to add yourself to the course from the time you received the email (not when you open the email). If you do get the email, you must add yourself to the course on BU Brain by going to "Register for Classes" and selecting "Web Register" from the same drop-down menu as when you were signing up on the waitlist.

  If you get an email offering you a seat in the course that you no longer want to take, please drop the course as soon as possible so that other students can enroll.

• Is a course restricted?

  Check Restrictions for a course by going onto BU Brain and clicking on the course title. At the bottom of the page, restrictions for the course will be listed.

  If a course is restricted, you must meet the prerequisites for the course before you are able to register. If you are having credits for the prerequisite transferred in, but the credits do not yet appear on your Binghamton University transcript, please email ugpsyc@binghamton.edu.

• I'm trying to register for the PSYC 344 lecture and discussion sections, but it won't let me. What do I do?

  When registering for a lecture and discussion section (ex. PSYC 344), you must make sure that the two are linked. In the schedule of classes, on the far right of the lecture section there will be a button that says "View Linked." There you will find a list of discussion sections linked to that course. Choose the one that best fits your schedule. 

  Watch Register for a Linked Course for step-by-step instructions. 

• I'm taking the pre-req course over the summer/winter, will I be able to register for my course(s) in fall/spring?

  If you are taking the pre-req course at BU, then the system will recognize it and assume you will meet the requirement. You should be able to register for your courses as you normally would.

  *Keep in mind, if you do not earn the minimum grade in the pre-req course, you will be removed from the course(s) that require it. 

• How do I register for an independent study? (PSYC 397)

  Complete the PSYC 397 Independent Study Registration Form. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly.

  An email will be sent to your supervising professor, requesting confirmation for the position and for the number of credits you will receive. Once approved, you will automatically be registered for PSYC 397. 

  Note: Be sure to submit these forms early. Students who want to register for 4 credits of independent study after the add/drop deadline will need to file a late add petition through Harpur and pay the late add fee. See the Harpur Forms and Petitions page for information. It is possible to register for 2 credits of independent study a couple weeks after the regular add/drop deadline. Please email Psyreg@binghamton.edu to verify the deadline for 2 credit late registration. 

• How do I register for a teaching assistantship? (PSYC 391)

  Complete the PSYC 391 Teaching Assistant Registration Form. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly.

  An email will be sent to your supervising instructor, requesting confirmation for your position and the number of credits you will receive. Once approved, you will automatically be registered for PSYC 391.

  Note: Be sure to submit these forms early! Students who want to register for 4 credits of teaching assistantship after the add/drop deadline will need to file a late add petition through Harpur and pay the late add fee.  See the Harpur Forms and Petitions page for information. 

• How do I get transfer credits to count toward my major?

  First, it is important to review Harpur Transfer Guidelines and Policies.

  Use the Transfer Equivalency Table to see how your credits will transfer to Binghamton. If courses are listed as transfer equivalencies here they do not have to be reviewed.

  If the course does not show on the transfer equivalency table, please submit a Course Evaluation for Transfer Credit Petition Form  including a full copy of the courses syllabus and course description. You can petition for a completed, in-progress or future course to be evaluated. You must be logged into your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly. Please complete this form carefully.

  Be aware that evaluation of these requests can take up to a week or more.

  Students are highly encouraged to petition BEFORE taking courses at other institutions as there is no guarantee that the courses/credits will be counted toward the requirements for your major.

  *Please note that this course evaluation is only for major specific credits! Evaluations for Gen Ed/Harpur requirements must be reviewed by Harpur. 

• How do I get credits from a study abroad program to count toward my major?

  Complete the Course Evaluation for Transfer Credit Petition Form. You must be logged into  your B-mail account in order for the form to work correctly. Include the full course syllabus in your form. Your submission will be sent to Psychology/IN Academic Advising to be reviewed. 

  Be aware that evaluation of these requests can take up to a week or more.

  Students are strongly encouraged to have a course reviewed BEFORE taking courses abroad. There is no guarantee that the courses/credits will be counted toward the requirements for your major.

  *Please note that this course evaluation is only for major specific credits! Evaluations for Gen Ed/Harpur requirements must be reviewed by Harpur. 

  During this process we encourage you to keep in close contact with the Office of International Education and Global Initiatives as well as the Harpur Academic Advising in order to ensure a smooth pre-departure.

• Can I take a course pass/fail and then retake it later?

  If you take a course as pass/fail, and pass, then the retake would not count towards your GPA or earn you additional credits for your degree.

  If you failed the course, then both the original attempt and the retake will count towards your GPA, and since you did not earn credit for the failed attempt, you will earn credit on the retake so long as you pass.

  See Harpur's Retake Policy for more information. 

  * You MUST speak with the Psychology Academic Advisor before changing a course to pass/fail. 

• What if I need to take an incomplete in a course?

  You must meet with your instructor to determine if you will be permitted to receive an incomplete in a course. An incomplete is warranted when a student has a personal or medical emergency that prevents them from completing coursework.

  We highly encourage students and faculty to use the Incomplete Contract to ensure that all parties know exactly what coursework remains and when it must be completed by. Copies of the contract should be provided to the instructor, the student, and the advising office (Science 4, Room 175).

  Please keep a copy of any correspondence regarding special requests for course credit for your records.

• The lab for my experimental is not being offered the same semester. Will the lab be offered next semester?

  All the experimental labs must be offered at least once an academic year, so if you don't see the lab in one semester, it will be offered the next semester. For example, if PSYC 361 is not being offered in the Fall, then it will be offered in the Spring. 

• Can courses that I take for my minor also count towards my Psychology major, and vice versa?

  What courses count for each major/minor depends on the policies of the individual departments. For example, the Forensic Health Minor accepts two psychology major courses (PSYC 111 and PSYC 220) as electives. Review the requirements for each department and speak with their respective advisors to verify what can overlap. 

  Harpur College has a policy that no more than two classes (8 total credits) can double count for both a major and a minor. 

• Can I minor in Psychology?

  We do not offer a psychology minor at this time.

• If I decide that psychology is no longer right for me, how do I drop my psychology major?

  If you are already declared but would like to drop the psychology major, send an email with this request to ugpsyc@binghamton.edu.

  If you are unsure, please schedule an appointment with a psychology advisor to see if dropping the major is best for your situation.

  If your Degree Works has "Major: PSYC" you are not actually declared! It means you put down "interested in psychology" when you enrolled at Binghamton University. You do not need to contact our office if you wish to declare a major other than psychology. 

• If I want to switch from Psychology to Integrative Neuroscience, do I have to drop Psychology first?

  Since Psychology and IN declarations are handled by the same department, you do not need to drop psyc before starting the IN declaration process. You would need to email psyadvis@binghamton.edu stating that you wish to swap majors. 

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More Information

For more information about course registration, graduation/commencement, enrollment verification and the final exam schedule, as well as access to many forms, see the Registrar's website.

See Harpur Academic Advising for any gen ed or Harpur College requirement questions. You may access overload requests, course petitions, transfer petitions on the Harpur Forms and Petitions page.