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Declaring Your Major/Minor in Psychology

Would a major or minor in Psychology contribute to your plans for the future? If you decide that Psychology is for you, then by all means declare a major or minor as soon as possible.

Selecting an area of study is an important step in your college career. Although changing majors is always possible, the farther along you are in your college career, the harder it becomes to accumulate the necessary courses in a given period of time. Therefore, before you declare a psychology major, we suggest that you:

Pay close attention to the content of your PSYC 103 (Introduction to Psychological Science) course. Did you find the subject matter interesting? Exciting? Challenging?
Do some reading about psychology on your own. Visit the Psychology Department web page resources - there are many links to excellent resources in our field. Browse journals such as the American Psychologist and Current Directions in Psychological Science in the library, or borrow a copy of the APA Monitor or APS Observer (monthly publications for psychologists) from a faculty member. Intelligent reading and web surfing will give you an idea of the current interests and concerns of psychologists.
Discuss your interest in becoming a psychology major or minor with your instructors and advanced psychology majors. Ask your psychology instructor about his or her courses, research interests, and view of the field. Attend a meeting of the Psychology Club and strike up a conversation with a peer about his or her view of the field. Psychology faculty and advanced majors will be able to answer many of the questions you may have; when they can’t, they will refer you to someone or to a resource who can.
Consider, but don’t be overly swayed, by current estimates of career incomes, job projections, and the like. Focus on what you enjoy, what you are good at, and what's important to you. Your interests, abilities, skills, and values are the keys – try to match your choice of major with these.

**How do you declare a major in Psychology?**

There are several steps you will need to complete in order to be registered as a Psychology major. The process begins with your completing an online request and ends with your meeting with a Psychology advisor and returning completed paperwork to the Department Office. Here are the specifics:

Log in to MyCharleston.
Click on the Academic Services tab.
Look for the Program of Study Management channel, and click on the link Open Program of Study Management (POSM) System.
Notice that there are several buttons representing different actions you can take. Click on the Declare or Add a Major button and follow the directions.
Please note that you will be given a choice to declare an A.B. or a B.S. degree in Psychology. The B.S. degree is the standard Psychology degree program. If you declare the A.B. (Artium Baccalaureatus), you are indicating that in addition to the Psychology major degree requirements, you are also planning to complete 18 hours in Latin or Greek and 6 hours in courses in classical civilization.
VERY IMPORTANT: Once you have submitted the online request to declare a Psychology major, you are not finished! This is only a request to declare a major. Check your college-issued email account for a message as to what the next step is.
Basically, you will be told that you must visit the Psychology Department Office (57 Coming Street, 953-5590) during the next 10 business days to learn about your advisor assignment and receive your paperwork. Next, you will need to:
- Meet with your advisor for your initial advising session. During this session the two of you will review Psychology major requirements and your progress towards graduation.
- Return the signed form (completed with your advisor) to the Department Office. Office staff will obtain the remaining signatures needed to complete the declaration of major process.
To summarize: Your request to declare a Psychology major will be processed ONLY AFTER you have completed the above steps! If the final step is not completed in a timely manner, your request to declare a Psychology major will be denied and you will need to repeat the declaration process.

**How do you declare a minor in Psychology?**

Becoming a Psychology minor is quite easy:

Log in to MyCharleston.
Click on the Academic Services tab.
Look for the Program of Study Management channel, and click on the link Open Program of Study Management (POSM) System.
Notice that there are several buttons representing different actions you can take. Click on the Declare or Add a Minor button and follow the directions.

Once you have completed this simple online application, you will be officially registered as a Psychology minor!

Minors are not assigned Psychology advisors, so if you have questions about your Psychology program of study, speak with your Psychology teacher or the Associate Chair of the Psychology Department, Dr. Rhonda Swickert. The requirements for the Psychology Minor are covered in this area of our advising website.

Changing Your Psychology Advisor

If for whatever reason you wish to change advisors, you can do so by completing a Change in Psychology Advisor Form and submitting it to Ms. Sandy Bennett in the Psychology Department Office at 57 Coming Street. The form is available in the Department Office and also in the Important Forms area of this website.