Undergraduate Programs

You need to apply to the university through Undergraduate Admissions and be accepted as a degree-seeking student. On your application, you can indicate your interest in the psychology major. If you do not meet the criteria to be a degree-seeking student, and/or you missed the deadline, but want to take classes at NC State, you should visit the Non-Degree Studies website to learn about opportunities to take classes as a non-degree seeking student until you are able to be admitted as a degree-seeking student.

You should go to the Cashier’s Office website and/or the Financial Aid website.

There are two issues to consider when determining whether your courses will transfer to NC State: first, whether or not you will receive credit at NC State for this course; second, whether or not the course will meet a specific course requirements needed order to graduate with a degree in psychology. In order to see how a course will transfer to NC State, visit the Transfer Course Equivalencies website.

Once you have identified how your courses will transfer to NC State, you need to see if they meet the requirements for the programs you are considering. To see what the current requirements are, go to the Psychology Curriculum page. Please keep in mind that the degree requirements may change by the time you actually attend NC State and students are held to the requirements that are in place when they begin a major.

Please realize that there are limits to how many courses from another university can be used towards graduation requirements. At least 25% of your coursework in the total required hours for graduation must be taken at NC State in order to earn a degree at NC State. Additionally, at least 50% of the coursework used towards the psychology major requirements must taken in the psychology department at NC State in order to get a psychology degree at NC State.

If a course transfers to NC State as a XXX ***, this means that NC State recognizes credit for this course, but that we do not have an exact equivalent. In this case, the course is considered an elective in that department. For example, if a course transfers as PSY ***, then you will receive credit for a psychology elective. Other courses may count toward free elective requirements.

A course typically transfers as a *** course if NC State doesn’t offer an equivalent course, if we do not have much data about the transfer course, if the transfer course has been determined to be less rigorous than the equivalent NC State course, or if the transfer course was not the same number of credit hours as the equivalent NC State course.

If you are interested in receiving credit for a *** course toward a specific requirement once you have transferred, you will need to request special permission for it to be moved. The procedure for getting permission to count a *** course towards a specific requirement is a fairly straight-forward process but it does require you to make some effort and it takes multiple steps. Please contact your academic advisor to discuss the necessary steps.

If you were involved in a dual-credit enrollment program during high school, you will need to get the transcripts for the college/university that you took classes at sent to undergraduate admissions at NC State. NC State cannot determine how those courses will count based on your high school transcripts.

To identify how NC State gives credit for the different scores on the different Advanced Placement tests, go to the Undergraduate Admissions Advanced Placement Policy website.

To identify how NC State gives credit for the different scores on the different IB Placement tests, go to the Undergraduate Admissions International Baccalaureate (IB) Policy website.

• Freshmen: 0-29 hours
• Sophomore: 30-59 hours
• Junior: 60-91 hours
• Senior: 92+ hours

The Co-operative Education program can help students get work experience and internships. There is also an internship program called STEP, which is a good fit for many Psychology majors. Job opportunities can also be researched through the Career Development Center. All of these programs are housed at the career development center so making an appointment with a career advisor is always a great place to start. Financial Aid also maintains a listing of part-time jobs for students. Additionally, some employers contact the Director of Advising when they are recruiting NC State psychology majors and/or graduates. These opportunities are posted on the Psychology Advising moodle page when available.

A minor is usually around 15-18 credits and can be used to enhance the value of your major, open a particular job market to you, or satisfy an interest area you have. There are currently over 100 different minors available at NC State. To see the full list of available minors, requirements for the minor, and information about the minor advisor, go to the NCSU Minors website. Minors can distinguish your transcript from other job or graduate school candidates and help you stand out in a crowd. For advising related to the minor, it is always best to see the specific minor advisor listed on the website above. Additionally, you can run a “what if” on your degree audit to see how your current and planned courses align with the minor requirements. Paperwork to declare your minor must be completed and filed with the appropriate department at least one semester prior to graduation.

Study abroad is a unique opportunity to gain insight about oneself and other cultures. It has enriched the lives of many students. However, one must plan ahead to maximize the academic benefits of studying abroad.

When you are actually getting ready to study abroad, remember to fill out the form from the study abroad office that allows you to identify how your study abroad courses will count towards your graduation requirements. You want to get all of the courses you plan to take approved BEFORE you actually travel. You must get approval from the appropriate authorities. General education requirement courses must be approved by the Dean’s Office, Psychology Major requirement courses must be approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator for Psychology, Minor courses must be approved by the minor advisor for the Minor department. It is often wise to get approval for more courses than you actually plan to take while you are abroad. That way, if you cannot get into the courses that you wanted to, you have several other pre-approved courses to choose from. If you must take a course that was not approved before you left, be sure to save your syllabus and assignments to help the approving authority with the decision of whether/how it can count when you get back.