Spring and Summer 2026 Advising Guide

Unsure about the requirements for the major?

Visit this website for a complete outline of all the major requirements and deadlines.

If you are a dual/double major:

See the College Core website for more details as you may have different requirements.

Interested in learning more about a specialization?

Check out this website to see each specialization’s requirements.

Interested in research?

Check out the ELOPsy pages to learn about different research opportunities:

• Collaborative Research (labs)
• Internships (including information on internships held by previous students)
• Learning Assistantships
• Independent Study/Research
• Senior Honors Thesis

Interested in an Internship, Independent Study, or Course Overload?

See the HSS website for forms and applications.

Prepare for registration!

• Review the Records & Registration Guide on how to get ready for the registration period.
• Course waitlists are now available in PAWS and students will now have the opportunity to place themselves on a waitlist in PAWS during registration; however, waitlisting a class does not guarantee enrollment. Be sure to register for a full course load, even if you are waitlisted for other courses that you may prefer to swap. In other words, if you are planning to enroll in and take four courses, register for four courses (or if you would like to take three courses, register for three, etc.), even if you are on waitlists for other courses. If you are looking to take four courses, do not only enroll in two courses, for example, and wait for your waitlisted courses to be confirmed. For more information on course waitlists, view Records & Registration’s page.

How to remove an Advising Hold:

Be sure to reach out to your advisor soon to schedule an appointment before registration begins!

Remember to register for the Psychology 4-Year Advising Sequence

• Double/dual majors are required to complete the advising sequence.
• Internal transfer students who have completed an in-major 096/099 course will have PSY 96 waived and will be placed in the next advising sequence, PSY 97.
• External transfer students should consult with their advisor to determine which advising courses to take.

Get involved!

• Join Psych Club, email psychclb@tcnj.edu for details
• Apply to the Psychology Student Advisory Board, contact psycdept@tcnj.edu for more information.
• Attend department events! The department hosts and promotes various events throughout the semester! All students are welcome to attend! Check the department calendar for a listing of the events. *Note that events are added throughout the semester.

PSY 212: Biopsychology

Prerequisite: PSY 101
Explores biological influences on human behavior. Topics include sensation, sleep, hunger, sexual behaviors, memory, attention, movement, fear, stress, aggression, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Students learn how neurotransmitters and hormones influence behavior, and how these effects are modified by drugs

PSY 213: Learning and Memory

Prerequisite: PSY 101
Applies the principles of learning and memory to behavioral change in animal and human situations. Following the course, students will be prepared to conduct group research and to prepare reports on topics that pertain to learning and memory, as well as to explore more specific topics in courses including Cognitive Seminar, Memory, and Applied Behavior Analysis.

PSY 214: Cognitive Psychology

Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course introduces students to cognitive science. Major topics include the neural basis of cognitive processes, the nature of consciousness, visual pattern recognition, attention, memory acquisition, encoding and retrieval errors, associative networks, semantic knowledge, language, decision-making, and problem solving.

PSY 215: Social Psychology

Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course will examine how the real or imagined presence of others influences people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Through lectures, discussions, class activities, and written assignments, students will learn about the relationship between the individual and society.

PSY 217: Psychological Disorders

Prerequisite: PSY 101
Examines psychological disorders of adulthood, as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Complexities of the diagnostic process will be highlighted. Psychological theories of etiology and treatment will be considered, along with relevant research literature.

PSY 219: Clinical Psychology

Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course provides an introduction to the field of clinical psychology. Focus is on the major contemporary theories of psychotherapy and counseling, taking account of the diversity of both clients and therapists in the US today. For each model, evidence of effectiveness and multicultural appropriateness is evaluated.

PSY 220: Development across the Lifespan

Prerequisite: PSY 101
An examination of the biological, psychological, socioemotional, and social/contextual changes that occur during development, across the human lifespan (i.e., infancy, childhood, adolescence, young and middle adulthood, old age, and death). The emphasis is on understanding the important theories, concepts, and controversies relating to human development.

PSY 267: Organizational Psychology

Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course examines current theory and issues in understanding and managing organizational psychology: the study of human behavior in organizational settings. Topics such as motivation, communication, personality, feelings, stress, attitudes and group dynamics are examined from both the perspective of the organizational members (e.g., employees) and the organization. The course has an applied emphasis and should prepare a student for entry and participation in any type of organization.

PSY 299-01: Research Seminar: Memory

In this course, we will attempt to replicate a memory study. We will work as a group to collect and analyze data. Students will get experience with experimental methods used to investigate memory.
DESIGN: Experimental
ANALYSIS: Quantitative
PROJECT STYLE: Group data collection
TOPIC SELECTION: Instructor selects (but there might be student input)
DATA SOURCE: PIPER
SPECIALIZATION FIT: Most relevant to Cognitive

PSY 299-02: Research Seminar: Improving Psychological Science

This research seminar course will focus on methods for improving the scientific study of psychology. It reviews methodological and data analytic practices that ushered in a crisis of confidence in psychology, and identifies reforms and best practices for improving psychological science. With the faculty member, students develop a research project using some of these improved practices to evaluate the strength of psychology research. Group and individual work questions developed by both faculty and student quantitative archival.

PSY 299-03: Research Seminar: Improving Psychological Science

This research seminar course will focus on methods for improving the scientific study of psychology. It reviews methodological and data analytic practices that ushered in a crisis of confidence in psychology, and identifies reforms and best practices for improving psychological science. With the faculty member, students develop a research project using some of these improved practices to evaluate the strength of psychology research. Group and individual work questions developed by both faculty and student quantitative archival.

PSY 299-04: Research Seminar: Culture and Emotion

Students will work individually on the topic of culture and emotion. Students will use archival data and quantitative methods to individually develop and test a hypothesis.

PSY 299-05: Research Seminar: Metaphor and Therapy

Psychotherapy involves talking and listening. What is it about language that allows these activities to be therapeutic? Focusing on therapeutic uses of metaphor, we will investigate the processes of language that allow people to understand their experiences in new ways and to make therapeutic changes in their thinking, emotions, and behaviors.

PSY 299-06: Research Seminar: Intergroup Relations

Students will work in individually on a class-wide study on a topic related to intergroup relations. In past semesters, students have examined topics such as advantaged-group allyship and cross-group solidarity. Students will work with a question provided by the instructor, use an experimental design with quantitative analyses, and use archival data.

PSY 299-07: Research Seminar: Cognitive Development

This research seminar focuses on cognitive development in infants and/or young children. Students will review literature on the development of learning and memory, and will work in groups to analyze archival data from child participants. Groups will develop future study ideas together, but students will write papers independently.
DESIGN: Experimental
ANALYSIS: Quantitative
PROJECT STYLE: Group project
TOPIC SELECTION: Faculty-directed topics
DATA SOURCE: Archival
SPECIALIZATION FIT: Developmental & Cognitive (but open to all)

PSY 299-08: Research Seminar: Alcohol Studies

This course will use behavioral economic techniques to examine how price affects alcohol consumption in college students. Students will be trained in behavioral economic theory, quantitative methods, and demand curve analysis. Students will work in teams to lead a class discussion of a published article relevant to our research and perform data analyses on a dataset using a hypothetical alcohol purchase task. Each student will review research methods and statistical knowledge gained in PSY 121 and 203 and write an individually produced, full-length APA-formatted report of the project. This course is a prerequisite for upper-level psychology courses, including all 400-level courses.
DESIGN: Experimental
ANALYSIS: Quantitative
PROJECT STYLE: Group project
TOPIC SELECTION: Faculty-directed with student input
DATA SOURCE: PIPER/student sample (archival data)
SPECIALIZATION FIT: Most relevant for Biopsychology, Counseling/Clinical, and Social (Health Psych)

PSY 316: Applied Behavior Analysis

Prerequisite: PSY 121
Provides a foundation in behavior-analytic theory and explores how behavior-analytic principles are applied to the treatment of such disorders as autism, anxiety disorders, and developmental disabilities. Emphasis will be placed upon experimental design and data collection in applied settings.

PSY 322: Children and the Media

Prerequisites: PSY 121, 220 (or equivalents)
The course examines the relations between children and youth, and traditional and new media. The course begins by reviewing the developmental stages of children, and theories about childhood as socially constructed. The course presents up-to-date research highlighting the potentially negative impact of age-inappropriate or excessive media use on children’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional well-being. Further, the course focuses on benefits of media and how they enhance children’s education and social relationships.

PSY 323: School Psychology

Prerequisites: PSY 121
This course will provide an overview of school psychology. School psychology involves using psychological principles to assist students with disabilities in public school settings. Topics include, but are not limited to: the various roles/functions of a school psychologist, the historical evolution of school psychology, legal and ethical considerations, the use of assessment to identify students with disabilities, the use of counseling techniques for mental health concerns at school, monitoring interventions for struggling students, and current controversies affecting the work of school psychologists.

PSY 332: Psychology of Self and Identity Development

Prerequisites: PSY 101
This course will provide students with opportunities to gain insights about different dimensions of their identity. Through readings, class discussions and course assignments, students will be encouraged to explore different lenses for viewing the self and other. Students will examine the role of social statuses such as gender, social class, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, vocation and religion/faith on identity formation. In doing so, this course provides students with a unique opportunity to share their experiences, attitudes, thoughts and emotions regarding how they have come to view themselves and how they perceive themselves to be viewed by others, while in the company of peers with similar and dissimilar backgrounds. Important interpersonal skills are fostered throughout the discussion, including self-awareness, perspective-taking, empathic listening and assertive self-expression.

PSY 340: Health Psychology

Prerequisites: PSY 121 or ANT 240
Examines how psychological, social, and behavioral factors interact with and affect the success people have in maintaining their health, obtaining medical treatment, coping with stress and pain, and recovering from serious illness.

PSY 341: Personality and Culture

Prerequisites: PSY 121 
This course examines interactions between culture and personality. Much of mainstream personality theory in the US remains rooted in a largely unexamined set of cultural values (Western, white, male, etc.). Here we take the perspective that personality is embedded in culture and we seek to understand both the many types of interaction that occur between personality and culture as well as the different types of personalities and identities that emerge from different cultural contexts. In particular we examine the impacts of cultural power structures. Our emphasis is on cultures within the US, although we consider cultures in other parts of the world as well.

PSY 346: Cognitive Neuroscience

Prerequisites: PSY 212 or PSY 214
Cognitive neuroscience blends the study of behavior (psychology) with the study of the brain (neuroscience). This course will introduce students to this field by examining the brain’s role in behaviors such as perception, attention, memory, learning, planning, and other cognitive activities.

PSY 350: Psychology of Women 

Prerequisite: PSY 121
Examines the psychology of women in light of biological, social, and cultural influences. A variety of psychological theories and research findings will be explored to study the development and behavior of women in various social contexts.

PSY 355: Psychology of Power, Oppression, and Privilege

Prerequisite: PSY 101
Psychology of Power, Oppression, and Privilege is designed to be a specialized course for the Social Specialization within the Psychology major. This course provides an in-depth coverage of psychology topics, including stereotyping, prejudice and privilege, discrimination and advantage, intergroup relations, attributions, social influence, personal self-esteem and collective self-esteem. In addition, this course provides further opportunities for students to develop their writing, speaking, and presentation skills.

PSY 357: Men & Masculinities

Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course explores the concept of masculinities and their expression by those of all genders. It also explores how masculinities intersect with race, class, sexuality, and ability and with several societal factors such as academics, the workplace, and health. We will focus this exploration through the APA¿s Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. We will be reading articles, text excerpts, and media pieces that inform the topic and explore clinical, social, biological implications.

PSY 360: Psychology of Leadership

Prerequisite: PSY 121 or permission of instructor
This course explores developmental, cognitive, and social psychology perspectives on leadership emergence, development, and effectiveness. Diversity is an important theme in the course, which emphasizes the roles of individual differences such as gender, race, and nationality in leadership processes. Other topics include emotions in leadership, charisma, and abusive or toxic leadership. The material is intended to be accessible and relevant to students regardless of specialization interests.

PSY 363: Psychology of Ethics

Prerequisites: PSY 101 or MGT 201
While many courses have an ethical component, they tend to be restricted in topic (research, workplace, client) and focus they are prescriptive in nature, telling students what they should and should not do, This course moves beyond prescriptive to a descriptive study of ethics, examining ethics as human behavior and not a value system. Thus, we apply many concepts learned in other courses (learning theory, motivation, developmental models) to enhance our understanding of ethical and unethical behavior.

PSY 365: Consumer Behavior

Prerequisite: PSY 101 or SOC 101 or MKT 201
Students will learn to apply basic social science principles and theories to an understanding of the behavior of consumers. Basic psychological principles (e.g., learning, memory, perception, attitudes, and motivation) as well as sociological and anthropological concepts (e.g., demographics, group dynamics, cultural influences) are explored and then examined in relation to consumption processes and activities used by marketers and public policy actors to influence consumer behavior. Cross listed with MKT 365.

PSY 375: Social Psychology Seminar – Cross-Cultural Psychology (STUDY ABROAD)

Prerequisites: PSY 121 and one foundation course
Rice, Sheep and K-Pop: Culture and Psychology in South Korea
Program Dates in South Korea: June 21- July 2 (Readings and discussions to be conducted online prior to departure so that when we’re in South Korea, we can focus on experiencing the culture instead of sitting in the classroom and doing readings). In this course, we will learn about the different ways in which cultures vary (rice/wheat/herding/collectivist/vertical, and more!), and explore the ways in which culture influences every aspect of who we are and how we interact with each other by experiencing a culture vastly different, yet very similar, to ours.

Interested students should apply through TCNJ’s Center for Global Engagement. More information can be found on the Global Engagement webpage here.

PSY 419: History & Systems of Psychology

Prerequisites: PSY 299
This course will consider how psychology’s goals, methods, and beliefs have evolved throughout its history. As a senior experience, this course will allow students to integrate experiences from various areas of the discipline, to analyze and evaluate psychology’s past and to make recommendations for its future

PSY 470-01: Psychological Well-Being among Adolescents and Young Adults

Prerequisites: PSY 299
Concerns about mental health have dominated recent conversations about young people in the United States. According to national surveys, adolescents are experiencing alarmingly high rates of distress, as well as adversity linked to poor health outcomes. This senior topics course will examine the role of culturally-responsive positive psychology interventions to improve psychological well-being. The study group is a community of learning in which students direct their own in-depth exploration of a field, discuss their ideas with others in the group, and express their discoveries and conclusions in successive drafts of a major written paper and oral presentation.

PSY 470-02: Self-Regulation

Prerequisites: PSY 299
Self-regulation describes the many ways in which people exercise control over their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in the pursuit of goals. In this course, we will explore how goals form and interact, how to pursue goals effectively, and how self-regulation shapes our health and wellbeing. This topic is explicitly multidisciplinary with readings drawn from many different areas of Psychology and is suitable for any Specialization area.

PSY 470-03:  Rational Optimism

Prerequisites: PSY 299
This seminar explores the idea of rational optimism—the view that optimism is not wishful thinking but the stance best supported by evidence about global progress. We will examine how cognitive heuristics and biases foster an overly dramatic worldview that underestimates progress and exaggerates challenges. Along the way, we will consider why pessimism feels compelling, why optimism is often dismissed as naïve, and how insights from the psychology of judgment and decision making can help us separate distorted perceptions from grounded facts. Through shared readings, guided discussions, and explorations of real-world issues, students will apply the principles of rational optimism to cut through misconceptions, counter unwarranted gloom, and support constructive problem-solving. This course is suitable for students aligned with any specialization in psychology.