# Courses ## expand\_more Psychology offers a broad array of courses across many different areas within the field. To help our students get the most out of our courses, we have designed a structured course progression. Students start with an [Introductory Course](/introductory-course), followed by [Foundational Courses](/foundational-courses) that provide a more in-depth survey of one of the major sub-areas of psychology, and eventually choose [Advanced Courses](/advanced-courses) in various specialized areas (which have Introductory and Foundational Courses as prerequisites). In addition to these, students will gain hands-on experience with research by taking [Methods Courses](/research-methods-statistics), and take a [Sophomore Tutorial](/sophomore-tutorial) that provides an intimate learning opportunity to develop critical thinking and writing skills. Many students also work in a [research lab for credit](/lab-courses), and have the option of pursuing an [honors thesis](/book/honors-thesis) in their senior year. Students may also have to take additional courses specific to their track. The [Requirements Chart](/requirements-chart "Requirements Chart") shows the full course requirements for each concentration track in Psychology! **Once you declare a concentration or secondary field, you can always check which of your courses are counting for concentration credit by accessing your** [**Academic Advising Report**](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=3939d2cadbeb4f04a914fff31d9619a3) **(AAR) on my.harvard**. But if you ever have questions about what's counting, just e-mail the Undergraduate Office at to ask! ## Useful Course Lists Some requirements can be fulfilled, optionally or only, by multiple pre-approved courses, and the Department maintains lists of these courses for student reference. [### Departmental Advanced Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/departmental-advanced-courses)Departmental courses that count toward the Advanced Course requirement in Psychology. [### Non-Departmental Advanced Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/non-departmental-advanced-courses)Non-departmental Advanced Courses are approved courses from other departments; students may also petition to count courses not on this list. [### Related Life Science Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/related-life-science-courses)Approved courses that may be used to meet the Life Science course requirements for students in the CNEP Track. [### MBB Advanced Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/mbb-advanced-courses)MBB Track students must take three MBB Advanced Courses from this list. [### Summer School Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/departmental-advanced-courses#SummerSchool)Courses at the Harvard Summer School that can count towards the Psychology concentration. [### Study Out of Residence and Cross-Registered Courses ](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/study-out-residence-previously-approval-courses)Examples of previously-approved courses; students must submit requests for credit for any courses they take. Open all sections Close all sections ### Recommended First Courses expand\_more At a minimum, all students should take the Introductory Course **Psychology 1, Introduction to Psychological Science** as early as possible. Students who received a [qualifying score](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/introductory-course) on the AP or IB psychology exam can choose to begin with a [Foundational Course](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/foundational-courses). Students planning to complete the [Life Sciences (Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology) Track](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/life-sciences) should also take one of the following courses in their first year: Life and Physical Sciences A*,* Life Sciences 1A, Life Sciences 1B, or Life Science 50A. ### Letter Grades vs. SAT/UNSAT expand\_more All courses taken for concentration credit must be taken for a letter grade - with the exception of PSY 985, PSY 991, and approved Freshmen Seminars, which are only graded SAT/UNSAT. If you have questions about other courses, please contact the Undergraduate Office. You will need to **send a request to the Undergraduate Office to count SAT/UNSAT courses towards your concentration** - please [e-mail the UGO](https://undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu/contact) to do this! ### Numbering System for Psychology Courses expand\_more Because of the interdisciplinary nature of many of our courses, this numbering system is not always applicable to every Psychology course. Use this page as a rough guide to assess the different course areas, but for more detailed course information, please consult the syllabus, or contact your [Concentration Advisor](/advisors) or the Undergraduate Office! ## **Number of Digits** - TWO, e.g. PSY 15: Foundational Courses - THREE, e.g. PSY 971: Tutorial Courses - FOUR, e.g. PSY 1501: Undergraduate/graduate lecture and seminar courses ## **Four-Digit Course Numbers** - **The first digit**, 1, indicates an undergraduate course (2000-level courses are primarily for graduate students but may allow advance undergraduates, and 3000-level courses are limited to graduate students). - **The second digit** indicates area in psychology (for 1000-level only). This breakdown is as follows... Sort0 = General Psychology 5 = Social/Applied Psychology 1 = Learning/Behavior 6 = Developmental Psychology 2 = Behavioral Neuroscience 7 = Personality/Motivation 3 = Cognition/Memory 8 = Experimental Psychopathology 4 = Sensation/Perception 9 = Methods/Statistics