Psychobiology FAQ

General Information About the Major

How do I declare the major in Psychobiology?

We want to make sure all new Psychobiology majors get off to a good start. Before you declare as a Psychobiology major, you must participate in a brief advising session with the Psychobiology Program's Academic Advisor. At this meeting, in addition to being officially declared, you will have an opportunity to review the course requirements for the major.

Where can I get forms/materials related to the major (i.e., Honors Program application)?

These forms are available in the Psychobiology Program Advising Office (S4, 230).

Where can I get information about the major?

Check out this website -- you may find the answers to many of your questions online! You can also see the Psychobiology Program's Academic Advisor (S4-230). You may also call 607-777-4100 or e-mail us at psybio@binghamton.edu.

I am thinking about attending graduate school with a major in Psychobiology. Where can I get information about this?

First, check out our Careers in Psychobiology page. You can also visit the Psychobiology Program Advising Office (S4-230) for some graduate school resources. The Career Development Center (LSG-500, x7-2400), has books on graduate programs, GREs, careers in science, resumes and job-hunting, they also have guides to online resources, and you can schedule appointments with one of their counselors for more information.

The Psychobiology Program Requirements

Will any independent study in psychology or biology count towards the major?

No. Only an independent study with course content that is psychobiology-related will count towards the major. Discussion with the Psychobiology Program's Academic Advisor prior to taking an independent study will clarify if a course is psychobiology-related and whether approval will be given for it to count.

What requirements will independent study courses fulfill?

Up to 8 credits of independent research may be used to fulfill Psychobiology major requirements. Following are the policies on independent research:

In order for the full 8 credits to count toward the major, one independent research course must be in Biology and one independent research course must be in Psychology.
If you have two independent research courses in either Biology or Psychology, only one will count toward the major.
The first independent research course you take will fulfill the following 3 requirements:

1. Lab Elective credit

2. Upper-Level Elective credit

3. Psychology Elective or Type A or B Biology Elective credit, depending on the department in which it is taken

The second independent research course you take will fulfill the following 2 requirements:

1. Upper-Level Elective credit

2. Psychology Elective or Type A or B Biology Elective credit, depending on the department in which the class is taken

Note that only one independent research course may fulfill a Lab Elective requirement.
Independent research courses will not automatically appear in the major section of your DARS report. You will need to see the Program's Academic Advisor during your senior year, so that a DARS Exception can be made, to allow the research courses to count.
Independent research courses are BIOL 496, BIOL 497, PSYC 392, PSYC 397, PSYC 490, and PSYC 499.

I've heard it's hard to get into a psychobiology seminar. Do you have any advice? And how will I know which seminar I should take?

First, we recommend that you schedule the seminar as early as possible during your academic career. Second, to fulfill the Psychobiology seminar requirement, you need to take a 4-credit seminar from the approved list. You can take either one 4-credit or two 2-credit approved seminars to meet the requirement. A list of eligible seminars is posted before the advance registration period for each semester. This information is available in the following places: (1) outside the Psychobiology Program Advising Office; (2) on our News & Upcoming Events web page; and (3) sent to the e-mail account of all declared Psychobiology majors via the Psychobiology LISTSERV, prior to advance registration each semester.

How do I know if a course I've taken or plan to take at another college will count towards psychobiology requirements?

Decisions regarding transfer credits are made by the Director of the Psychobiology Program. To find out if a course taken elsewhere will count towards your Psychobiology requirements, please bring a written description of the course (e.g., the catalog description from the other university) to the Psychobiology Program Advising Office. You can also email course descriptions (or a link to the description on a website) to psybio@binghamton.edu.

Please note that there are many courses that have already been approved for transfer from other collleges; for a list of these courses, refer to Harpur Advising's "Transfer Course Tables," found on the Harpur Advising Office website (click the "Transfer Course Tables" tab at the top of the page).

Advising

Who do I see for advising?

The Psychobiology Program's academic advisor handles questions about schedule planning, DARS, transfer credits, and other academic issues. If you have questions about graduate programs, professional issues, research, etc., please see your faculty advisor. Faculty advisors are assigned alphabetically and are listed on our Who's Who web page.

How should I prepare for a meeting with my advisor?

You should first refer to your DARS report (available on the BUSI website), and prepare a list of specific questions.

What do I need to do to graduate?

Questions about the mechanics of graduating (outside of Psychobiology major requirements) should be directed to the Harpur Advising Office.

Have I fulfilled my all-college and General Education requirements?

Questions related to all-college and General Education requirements are answered by the Harpur Advising Office.

If you have questions or comments, please e-mail us at psybio@binghamton.edu. This page was last updated on 8/5/2004.