Psychology Joint Honours Component (B.A.) (36 credits)

Offered by: Psychology (Faculty of Arts)    
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36

Program Description

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. The B.A.; Joint Honours Psychology Component (36 credits) provides students with an overview of psychological science, covering the core areas as well as select advanced courses. Students are required to take a 2-term research course and seminar; students also have the option to complete an additional research course (see Program Requirements for details). This program emphasizes practice in the research techniques and statistics used in graduate school and professionally later on. However, the Joint Honours Program is not as comprehensive as the B.A. or B.Sc. Honours Program, and does not give students the space to take the additional courses they may need for certain graduate programs in psychology or to complete the undergraduate credits in psychology as specified by the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (which are required by some graduate psychology programs). Students must apply to the Joint Honours program; admission is selective.

Program Requirements

Students who wish to study at the Honours level in two Arts disciplines may apply to combine Joint Honours program components from two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs".

Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection.

Admission to the B.A. Joint Honours Component Psychology is highly selective. Typically, students apply to the B.A Joint Honours program at the end of U1; students may apply at the end of U2, although there are often fewer seats for students applying in U2 (also the B.A. Joint Honours program requirements must be completed within the remaining terms). To be eligible to apply to the B.A. Joint Honours in Psychology, students must have completed a minimum of 27 graded credits in the academic year prior to applying (fall and winter terms only). All applicants must have taken PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics., PSYC 211 Introductory Behavioural Neuroscience., PSYC 212 Perception., PSYC 213 Cognition., PSYC 215 Social Psychology. and PSYC 305 Statistics for Experimental Design.. Exceptional performance in these courses is a primary criterion for acceptance into the B.A. Joint Honours program. In addition to performance in these psychology courses, a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.50 is required to apply. However, since enrolment is limited, the typical CGPA cut-off is ~3.75, although this varies from year to year depending on the applicant pool. Once in the B.A. Joint Honours program, students must obtain a GPA of 3.00 in the U2 year to continue in the B.A. Joint Honours program for U3. Students are also encouraged to continue to complete a minimum of 27 graded credits in their U2 and U3 academic years. This is also the minimum number of credits required to be eligible for fellowships and awards.

The application is available on the Psychology Department website at: https://www.mcgill.ca/psychology/undergraduate/current-students/research-opportunities/research-courses. The deadline is specified on the website. Candidates will be informed of the Department's decision via email before classes begin in September.

Awarding of the B.A. Joint Honours program will depend on both CGPA and a minimum grade of B in PSYC 380D1 Honours Research Project Seminar./PSYC 380D2 Honours Research Project Seminar. and PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology.. "First Class Honours" is awarded to students who obtain a minimum CGPA of 3.50 and a minimum grade of A- in PSYC 380D1 Honours Research Project Seminar./PSYC 380D2 Honours Research Project Seminar. and PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology.. "Joint Honours" is awarded to students with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and a minimum grade of B in PSYC 380D1 Honours Research Project Seminar./PSYC 380D2 Honours Research Project Seminar. and PSYC 306 Research Methods in Psychology..

In addition to the requirements of the B.A. Joint Honours Component Psychology, students must also complete all requirements of their other Joint Honours component.

Degree Requirements — B.A. students

To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.

We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.

Degree Requirements — B.A. & Sc. students

This program is offered as part of a Bachelor of Arts & Science (B.A. & Sc.) degree.

To graduate, students must satisfy both their program requirements and their degree requirements.

• The program requirements (i.e., the specific courses that make up this program) are listed under the Course Tab (above).
• The degree requirements—including the mandatory Foundation program, appropriate degree structure, and any additional components—are outlined on the Degree Requirements page.

Students are responsible for ensuring that this program fits within the overall structure of their degree and that all degree requirements are met. Consult the Degree Planning Guide on the SOUSA website for additional guidance.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Program Prerequisites (0-6 credits)

Students planning to enter the B.A. Joint Honours Psychology program, should have completed an introductory course in general psychology, biology and statistics at the CEGEP level. Otherwise, they can complete them in their first year of study at McGill University (see below).

Introduction to Psychology or General Psychology in CEGEP is equivalent to PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology. at McGill. Students who have not completed either of those courses are advised to take PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology. in their first year.

Students who have completed Human Biology or General 1or 2 in CEGEP would have the recommended biology background.

Student who have not completed ones of those courses are advised to complete BIOL 115 Essential Biology. or BIOL 111 Principles: Organismal Biology. or BIOL 112 Cell and Molecular Biology. during their first year.

McGill Freshman students are recommended to complete the following courses in their U0 year:

3 credits from:

Required Courses (33 credits)

U1

¹

Advising note for PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics.: CEGEP students are exempt from PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics. if they have completed, with a minimum grade of 75%, the following two courses: 1) Quantitative Methods and either 2a) Advanced Quantitative Methods or 2b) Statistics for Social Science. CEGEP students are also exempt from PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics. if they have completed Probability & Statistics or Statistics with a minimum grade of 75%.

Bachelor of Arts students exempt from PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics. replace this course with 3 credits at the 300 level or above in Psychology (PSYC), Anthropology (ANTH), Linguistics (LING), or Sociology (SOCI).

U1 or U2

¹

Note: Students who wish to apply to the Joint Honours program in Psychology must complete the required courses above, including PSYC 305 Statistics for Experimental Design. in their U1 year to be eligible for admission. Also, all students must complete a minimum of 27 graded credits in the academic year prior to applying (fall and winter terms only). For additional information about applying to Joint Honours, please refer to the Joint Honours program description.

U2

U2 or U3

Complementary Course (3 credits)

3 credits in Psychology at the 400 or 500 level.