Which Program is for me?
Psychology Programs
The Psychology Department at Western offers several different undergraduate programs.
Psychology Honours Specialization, BA
Psychology Honours Specialization, BSc
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Honours BA
Honors Psychology HBA/Ivey Combined Program
Psychology Major, BA
Psychology Minor
Which Program is For Me?
Honours Specializations in Psychology
If you wish to pursue graduate training in Psychology, the Honours Specialization Programs are for you. These programs are highly research-focused, and aim to teach students how to apply the concepts, content, research methods, and data analytic procedures of the discipline to create new knowledge. You will learn how to think critically, to write research reports using the writing conventions of the discipline, and to communicate your ideas orally to faculty and other students.
I want to be in an Honours Specialization, but I was not admitted this year. What do I do?
If your goal is to re-apply the following year for an Honours Specialization, we recommended that you “shadow” the course work of your preferred module as closely as possible. This will ensure you are not too far behind if you are admitted to the module the following year. This may require seeking special permissions for some courses from the Department. It is best to schedule an appointment with the Program Advisor to discuss your options in detail regarding an appropriate plan of action.
The four Honours Specialization Programs differ in content and breadth of specialization. All modules involve lecture, lab and research courses.
1. The Honours Specialization BA focuses broadly on biological, social, and psychological foundations of behavior. Program Requirements.
2. The Honors Specialization BSc focuses on biological foundations of behavior, with courses primarily in the areas of neuroscience, cognition, sensation, and perception. Program Requirements.
3. The Honours BSc in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience aims to understand the development of skills such as language, mathematics, and self-regulation from infancy through childhood. The science combines analyses of cognitive and behavioral development with modern neuro-imaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and genetic and hormonal analyses. Researchers in this area hope to understand how the mind and its disorders evolve out of an interaction of biology and experience. Program Requirements.
4. The combined Psychology-Ivey program allows students to complete all the requirements of the Honours BA in Psychology and the Honours Business Administration degree in a 5-year time frame. The training provided by the HBA program prepares students graduating with a HSP in Psychology to compete for professional careers in the administration of agencies that provide mental health and social services, or alternatively, enhances their preparation for graduate training in business related fields of Psychology (e.g., Industrial/Organizational Psychology).
Major or Double Major in Psychology
If you wish to learn the content, theories, and research methods of the discipline and be able to understand and critically evaluate research in Psychology, the Psychology Major Program is for students you. You will learn to communicate your ideas in oral and written form using the conventions of the discipline. You may earn an Honors degree by combining a Psychology Major with a Major in another Discipline (minimum 70% average required in each discipline). The Honors Double Major is a valuable stepping stone to other professional programs such as Education, Law, Business, and Medicine. Program Requirements.
Minor in Psychology
If you wish to study Psychology as part of your general education or as a complement to your training in another discipline or professional program, the Psychology Minor Program is for you. You will learn the content of the discipline and how Psychology is applied in various professional domains. Program Requirements.
Admission Requirements
There is a Mathematics prerequisite for the Psychology Major and Honours Specialization modules. Students must complete 1.0 course in mathematics during
their first year at Western for admission to these Psychology programs. We recommend Mathematics 1228A/B (Finite Math) and Statistical Sciences 1024A/B (Introduction to Statistics), but 1.0 course from Calculus 1000A/B, 1100A/B, 1301A/B, 1501A/B, Linear Algebra 1600A/B, Applied Mathematics 1201A/B (the former Calculus 1201A/B) and Mathematics 0110A/B, 1225A/B, 1229A/B may be taken. If Mathematics 0110A/B is selected, then either Mathematics 1228A/B or Statistical Sciences 1024A/B must be taken.
Students must have a Grade 11 or 12 University Mathematics course in order to take the 1.0 first-year course in Mathematics.
