Psychology minor still in question

The department hopes to have a plan in place within a couple of weeks.

By Amanda Wysocki

Published April 6, 2009

The psychology department is still working to figure out how to continue offering the option of a psychology minor.

"Our hope is to offer more spaces in upper-level psychology courses so that we can unsuspend the minor," psychology adviser Jill Edwards said.

Beginning Fall Semester 2009, the department has proposed only psychology majors will be allowed to take upper-level classes in the department, Edwards said. These changes are not official yet.

"One of our major priorities is to find a way for students who have earned nine or 12 credit hours in psychology to complete the minor before they graduate," said Psychology Undergraduate Studies director Alan Strathman. "I am fairly sure we are going to be able to do this. We have just not yet finalized a plan."

Students who were hoping to major in psychology are encouraged to send an e-mail to Edwards. She will put their names on a list and keep them updated on the status of the minor.

"We hope that someday we will hire more instructors and be able to offer more spaces in psychology courses so that we can offer the minor again, but unfortunately, we are not able to offer it now," Edwards said in the e-mail sent out to students on this list.

Any students who could take classes elsewhere to count toward a minor are encouraged to do so.

"Students who can complete the minor without taking additional 3000-4000 level classes should definitely go ahead and do that," Strathman said. "It is the 3000-4000 level requirement that is the bottleneck for our minors."

Edwards said students should check with the department before taking a higher-level class elsewhere in order to ensure the credit will transfer.

Students in the College of Arts and Science are only allowed to transfer in six hours of credit toward a minor, Edwards said. If any student has AP credit for psychology or took an introductory class elsewhere, that would count toward the six hours.

Another option is to take classes via the Center for Distance and Independent Study. CDIS offers two psychology classes through MU: Sleep and Sleep Disorders and Psychology of Women.

"The MU courses would not be considered transfer courses," Edwards said. "The non-MU courses would be considered transfer courses, and there is only one option for that."

Students cannot use classes in other concentrations toward a psychology minor, Edwards said.

The minor has not been officially eliminated, Strathman said. A decision will be reached within a couple of weeks.

"I hope that within two weeks, we will have a plan in place and will notify every advisor on campus what it is," Strathman said.

Edwards said the department is working to reinstate the minor as soon as possible.

"This is not something we are pleased about," Edwards said. "We have no projected date for when it will happen. Current students should not expect that the minor will be reinstated before they graduate."

The College of Arts and Science is working with the psychology department to find an approach so this action will not be necessary, Arts and Science Associate Dean Ted Tarkow said.