Approved Barnard Courses

The Columbia Psychology Major requires the completion of at least 30 points, including one course in each of categories 1 – 7 below. You may complete up to 9 points toward the Psychology Major, or 5 points toward the Psychology Concentration, with a combination of approved Barnard or transfer credits. You will not receive credit for courses that overlap substantially with other courses you have taken in our department. Please refer to the table of Overlapping Courses for a partial list of Barnard courses known to overlap with our courses.

The table below lists the seven requirements of the Columbia Psychology Major and, under each, all Barnard courses pre-­­approved as meeting that requirement. The same courses may be used for the comparable requirements of the concentration. Barnard courses listed as elective courses may only be applied toward the total point requirements of the major or concentration, not toward any of the specific requirements.

If you are interested in registering for a Barnard psychology course not listed below, please send a copy of the syllabus to your Psychology Program Advisor. Your Program Advisor will consult with other members of the curriculum committee to determine if the course meets any of the fixed major requirements.

Please note that seats for Columbia students in Barnard psychology classes are limited. The fact that you have been able to register for a Barnard class does not necessarily mean you have been admitted to it. Almost all Barnard courses require instructor approval to stay in the course, and such approval may not be given until the first class meeting. Spots in statistics courses and laboratory sections are particularly rare and generally not open to Columbia students.

1. The Science of Psychology: PSYC UN1001, S1001, or BC1001.

2. Statistics: PSYC UN1610 (recommended), or STAT UN1001, UN1101, or UN1201.

3. Laboratory: Any course numbered in the UN1400's.

**Beginning Fall 2019, Barnard Lab courses will not count towards the Research Methods requirement of the Psychology Major or Concentration.**

If you took a Barnard Lab course prior to Fall 2019 and were planning to use it toward the Laboratory requirement of the Psychology Major, please consult with your Major advisor.

4. Group I. Perception & Cognition: 2200's, 3200's, or 4200's. Also UN1420, UN1480, or UN1490.

Barnard has update some of their course numbers from 1000 level courses to 2000 level courses. They are the same courses but with updated course numbers. We have included both the old course numbers and the new course numbers in the list below. 

5. Group II. Psychobiology & Neuroscience: 2400's, 3400's, or 4400's. Also UN1010.

Barnard has update some of their course numbers from 1000 level courses to 2000 level courses. They are the same courses but with updated course numbers. We have included both the old course numbers and the new course numbers in the list below. 

6. Group III. Social, Personality, & Abnormal: 2600's, 3600's, or 4600's. Also UN1450 or UN1455.

Barnard has update some of their course numbers from 1000 level courses to 2000 level courses. They are the same courses but with updated course numbers. We have included both the old course numbers and the new course numbers in the list below. 

7. Seminar Requirement: 3000-­­ or 4000-­­level seminar of at least 3 credits. (Not UN3910, UN3920, or UN3950)

8. Special Elective Courses: 

For students entering Columbia in Fall 2020 or later, one course must be taken to fulfill the integrative/applied Special Elective.

The Special Elective encompasses a wide range of courses: those that cut across and connect different sub-disciplines within psychology; those that integrate psychology with other disciplines; those that apply psychology to real-world problems; those that dig deeper into advanced statistics and methods topics; and those that offer hands-on experience with psychology research.

9. Elective Courses: The following courses may be applied toward the 30-­­point requirement of the major, but have not been approved for any of the above specific requirements. For the new major requirements, these courses may be used to reach the 11 course requirement. 

*All Barnard PSYC courses can count as an elective for the PSYC concentration or major (up to each program's limits on Barnard/transfer courses). If you are interested in taking a new Barnard course that is not yet on this list and you would like it reviewed to see which requirements (if any) it might count toward, please send a syllabus to your DUS for review before enrolling in the course

No more than 8 pts total of research and/or field work credits may be applied toward the major, or 4 pts toward the concentration. Such courses include BC3465/66, BC3473, BC3591/92, BC3593, and BC3599 as well as W3950.

*Courses marked with (*) overlap with courses within the Columbia Psychology Department. Credit towards the major cannot be received for any courses that overlaps with a course previously taken. Please refer to the table of overlapping courses here.