Psychology Courses in General Education

The College has changed its General Education requirements as of Fall 2019. All students graduating with the Class of May 2020 and beyond must now adhere to the new requirements, whereas students graduating before this must still adhere to the old ones. See this page on the Gen Ed website for more information.

Please visit the website for the Program in General Education for all other questions concerning General Education and College Requirements. 


Psychology Courses in Gen Ed for Students in the Class of May 2020 and Beyond


As of Fall 2019, there are three categories of College Requirements that Psychology courses could fit into...

Psychology Courses in the General Education Requirements as of Fall 2019

All courses that fulfill the new General Education requirements as of Fall 2019 start with the Department tag "GENED".

Here is a list of all courses labeled "GENED" that have, thus far, been taught by Department of Psychology faculty...

  • GENED 1046, Evolving Morality: From Primordial Soup to Superintelligent Machines (Josh Greene)
    • Gen Ed Categories: Ethics & Civics, Science & Technology in Society
  • GENED 1066, Rationality (Steven Pinker)
    • Gen Ed Categories: Ethics & Civics
  • GENED 1154, The Science of Happiness (Jason Mitchell)
    • Gen Ed Categories: Science & Technology in Society
  • GENED 1162, Science of Stress (Kate McLaughlin) (As of Fall 2021, this course will be taught in the Gen Ed program, but students who have taken it as PSY 1809 in Spring 2019 or Spring 2020 may count it towards the same Gen Ed categories) 
    • Gen Ed Categories: Science & Technology in Society
       

Psychology Courses in the Distribution Requirement as of Fall 2019

Students must take one course in each divisional distribution of the College to complete this requirement. All courses with the "PSY" Department tag fall into one of two divisional distributions: Social Science or Science & Engineering & Applied Science.

 

To see whether a specific course helps fulfill Social Sciences or Science & Engineering & Applied Science, search for the course on my.harvard and check the “Divisional Distribution” section of the course information, like so...

MyHarvard Divisional Tag

 

Psychology Courses in the Quantitative Reasoning with Data Requirement as of Fall 2019

PSY 1900, Introduction to Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, can count towards the Quantitative Reasoning with Data requirement.


Psychology Courses in Gen Ed for Students Prior to the Class of May 2020


Students must take one Gen Ed course from each of the following pairs...

  • Humanities: Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding / Culture and Belief
  • Sciences: Science of Living Systems / Science of the Physical Universe
  • Social Sciences: Societies of the World / United States in the World

Students must take one Gen Ed course from each pair. Then, their second course can be from one of the Gen Ed areas in said pair, or may substitute a departmental course from that area.

Below is a breakdown of how certain psychology courses count for the Gen Ed requirements as they existed prior to Fall 2019...

  • SLS 20, Psychological Science can count for Science of Living Systems.
  • PSY 15, Social Psychology can count for Science of Living Systems.
  • PSY 1900, Introduction to Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences can count for Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning.
  • PSY 1002 (or ETHRSN 46), Evolving Morality: From Primordial Soup to Superintelligent Machines can count for Ethical Reasoning.

All courses with the "PSY" Department tag fall into one of two divisional distribution categories that can be used for departmental substitutions...

  • Courses in the Social Sciences divisional distribution can be used to fulfill SW/USW, provided students take a course already approved for SW/USW.
  • Courses in the Science & Engineering & Applied Science divisional distribution can be used to fulfill SLS/SPU, provided students take a course already approved for SLS/SPU.

To see whether a specific course helps fulfill SW/USW or SLS/SPU, search for the course on my.harvard and check the “divisional distribution” section of the course information. An for more information on what counts as a departmental substitution toward the old Gen Ed requirements, please contact the Gen Ed program

 

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions for the old Gen Ed requirements...

  • Courses can only count once for Gen Ed. That means that a course counting towards your General Education requirements cannot also be used to count as a divisional course. For example, Psychology 15 can either count for SLS or be used as a departmental substitution for the social sciences, not both.
  • If you are still under the Gen Ed requirements prior to Fall 2019 and have a course that is that is not currently counting towards Gen Ed on your Advising Report, you can petition Gen Ed to try and have it count. Please contact them here, and be sure to mention you are part of a graduating class prior to May 2020.

Any discrepancies between information on this page and information provided by Gen Ed will be resolved in favor of the Gen Ed policies.