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Advising Sequence

As a Psychology major, you must complete a series of courses, known as the advising sequence. In order, these courses are PSY 96, PSY 97, PSY 98, and PSY 99. Each year, you are to enroll in the appropriate advising course(s). These courses are designed to enrich your experience within the Psychology department and TCNJ’s campus as a whole. We created this FAQ page in order to help you understand which course to enroll in and how to complete your requirements.

In which advising course should I enroll?

The requirement begins your first full semester as a Psychology major. See below for different examples.

Freshman entering as Psychology major (including double/dual majors)

  1. Complete 96 the fall of your freshman year
  2. Complete 97 either semester of sophomore year
  3. Complete 98 either semester of junior year
  4. Complete 99 either semester of senior year

Internal transfer (transferring into Psychology major from another major at TCNJ, or adding Psychology as a second major)

  1. You do NOT need to complete PSY 96, since your previous major provided you with an orientation.
  2. Enroll in appropriate advising course based on class standing.
    1. If you are accepted into the major in the fall, begin the advising sequence in the spring. Ex: if you were accepted into the major the fall of your junior year, you will take PSY 97 in the spring of your junior year.
    2. If you are accepted into the major in the spring, begin the advising sequence the following year. Ex: if you were accepted into the major the spring of your sophomore year, you will take PSY 97 in the fall of your junior year.
    3. NOTE: PSY 98 will be waived for any internal transfer who transfers in with junior class standing.

External transfer (transferring into Psychology major at TCNJ from another institution)

  1. You DO need to take PSY 96. Enroll in 96 for your first semester at TCNJ.
  2. Enroll in appropriate advising course based on class standing the following semester. See below for clarification.
    1. If you transferred into TCNJ at the beginning of the fall semester, take PSY 96 in the fall, and begin the appropriate advising sequence course in the spring. Ex: if you transferred to TCNJ at the start of your junior year, take PSY 96 in the fall and PSY 97 in the spring. NOTE: PSY 98 will be waived for any external transfer who transfers in with junior class standing.
    2. If you transferred into TCNJ at the beginning of the spring semester, take PSY 96 in the spring, and begin the appropriate advising sequence course the following year. Ex: if you transferred to TCNJ in the spring of your junior year, take PSY 96 in the spring, PSY 97 in the fall, and PSY 99 in the spring of your senior year. (See above. PSY 98 will be waived for any external transfer who transfers in with junior class standing.)

Double/Dual Major:

  1. Double/dual majors are required to take advising sequence courses.
  2. Students entering as freshman double majors, follow same sequence as Freshman psychology majors (see above).
  3. Students adding psychology as a second major, follow same sequence as internal transfers (see above).

Do I need to enroll myself, or will my advisor enroll me into the appropriate advising course?

When you come to TCNJ as a first semester freshman or an external transfer (from another institution), you will be enrolled into PSY 96 by a psychology department faculty or staff member. After that, it is up to you to enroll in the appropriate advising course. Internal transfers (TCNJ students changing to or adding the psychology major) will be enrolled by the department into PSY 97 in the first full semester in the major. For all remaining required PSY Advising courses, you will need to enroll yourself. (See above. PSY 98 will be waived for all internal and external transfers who transfer in with junior class standing.)

You can see what advising courses you need to complete by going to your Academic Requirements page in PAWS.

I am enrolled in the appropriate advising sequence course. Now what?

Procedure for PSY 96 and 97

PSY 96 and PSY 97 meet regularly in a classroom as half-semester courses. Attend class sessions and complete all homework assignments (including course surveys) on time.

Procedures for PSY 98 and 99

  1. When you’re enrolled, you will be put into the appropriate Canvas course.
  2. Download the workshop form from Canvas and print it out. The workshop sheets are also available on the psychology department website under the advising resources tab.
  3. Attend 4 workshops that are listed on the Psychology Department Calendar and get a stamp from a faculty member to prove you attended the event.
  4. When your workshop form is complete, make a copy for your records. You can either submit the original to the main office (SSB 109) or upload a pdf version to Canvas.
  5. On Canvas, submit an updated resume by the last day of classes.
  6. Near the end of the semester, a link will be posted with the post-course survey. You must complete the survey before the last day of classes.
  7. If you are missing any components, you will receive a U at the end of the semester and need to retake the course.

 

I am enrolled in PSY 98 or 99 and cannot attend any of the workshops on the calendar. What should I do?

First, make sure you keep checking the psychology department calendar, as new workshops are added throughout the semester. We try to provide a variety of events at various times in order to accommodate working and commuting students.

Second, there are several options for obtaining credit that can work around your schedule. You can get one workshop credit for going to the Career Center for a resume review workshop, and you can get one workshop credit for a tutoring session or writing consultation at the Tutoring Center. To be clear, you can get one credit for each of those opportunities. We also now offer cyber-workshops, such as the workshop on microaggressions, that can be completed remotely.

 

What if I have other questions?

If you have any PSY Advising Course-related questions, contact Kristy McCadden at mccaddek@tcnj.edu or speak with your academic advisor.

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