FAQs

About the Psych Minor

When can I fill out the paperwork for the psychology minor?

Students do NOT need to have all of the minor courses completed prior to completing the minor paperwork. To complete the paperwork for a Psychology Minor, please contact the Undergraduate Advising Office at 573-884-3811, or stop by 100 McAlester Hall during walk-in hours (posted on door). We recommend that you do not come by during the first few weeks of registration periods, as our office is extremely busy during registration times.

After a Psychology Academic Advisor signs my minor form, where do I need to turn it in?

• Remember to make a copy of your minor form for yourself before you turn it in!
• If your major is within the College of Arts & Science, you need to turn in the form at the A&S Advisement Center: 107 Lowry Hall, 573-882-6411.
• If your major is not in the College of Arts & Science, you need to turn in the minor form to your Academic Advisor.
• The semester that you graduate, A&S staff will verify that you have completed the psychology minor requirements, and the psychology minor designation will be added to your final MU transcript.

What if I take different courses than the ones I picked out on the minor form?

Students only need to complete the minor paperwork once. They do NOT need to complete a new form if they take courses other than the courses they chose on the minor form. Upon graduation, minor student transcripts will be checked to be sure the student has completed the minor requirements. Course substitutions are okay -- of course, if you are not sure that a course can substitute for a course you chose for the minor, it is your responsibility to check with a Psychology Academic Advisor.

When can I register for psychology courses?

Most psychology courses are restricted to psychology majors only during registration appointment times. Appointment times begin with the seniors and end with the freshmen -- the appointment times generally take place during the first four weeks of registration. During the appointment times, psychology minors are not able to add restricted psychology courses to their schedules. The "This course has a degree plan restriction" psychology-majors only restriction is lifted the day after the last registration appointment times.

Check the online Schedule of Courses each semester to find out which psychology courses are restricted to majors only and which are not restricted. We try to have a few courses that are unrestricted each semester. Note: Psych 1000 is always unrestricted, we leave a few 2000-level (formerly 100-level) courses unrestricted, and we leave at least one 3000-level (formerly 200-level) course unrestricted during registration appointment times each semester.

What if I need to request an override into a closed psychology course?

If you are not able to register for a psychology course, please note that override requests for psychology courses are accepted beginning at 8 A.M. on the Monday before classes begin each semester. We do not take requests before this time. We do not take phone or email requests. If you are not able to come to 100 McAlester to complete an override request, you can send a friend to fill out a form for you (your friend needs to know your name, ID, major, graduation date, and the reference number of the course). Psychology majors graduating at the end of the semester receive first priority for overrides, followed by Interdisciplinary Studies majors (with psychology as an area) graduating at the end of the semester, followed by psychology minors graduating at the end of the semester. DO NOT WAIT until your final semester to take several psychology courses for your minor. It may not be possible for you to receive an override into the psychology course(s) you would like to take.

If you have any other questions about the psychology minor, please contact the Psychology Advising Office at 573-884-3811.

A Note about Criminal Profiling

Note: This information was gathered from the APA's American Psychology-Law Division 41 website.

Due to depictions in popular media (e.g., Silence of the Lambs, Profiler, Forensic Files) many student express an interest in and ask questions about criminal profiling, which may be described as a criminal investigative technique based, in part, on psychological expertise and knowledge. In reality, few law enforcement agencies employ such techniques and there is little call for such professionals. Those interested in such work would probably do better to consider a career in law enforcement than clinical-forensic psychology.

The Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI, does employ a few FBI agents who engage in this activity. The FBI makes a distinction between mental health and law enforcement: FBI agents are law enforcement professionals, not mental health professionals. In order to work as a profiler, or with the FBI in any other role, it is necessary to become an FBI agent. Experience in criminal investigation is needed before an agent can even be considered for a profiling position, but only a small number of agents ever become profilers. Since this would be a difficult goal to achieve, the FBI encourages prospective applicants who are interested in being special agents to do so because they are interested in the range of opportunities available with the FBI, not because they want to be a profiler. Further information is available from their office in Washington, D.C.

For more info about this, check out the APA's American Psychology-Law Division 41 website

Overrides

What is an override?

Once a psychology course is filled to capacity, the course is "closed"—no more students will be able to register for the course. If a course is closed, you should continue to check STARMU to see if a space opens. If a space does not open, you can choose to request an override into the course. An override is a form that gives a student the approval to add the closed course to his/her schedule. If you are approved for an override, you will be asked to come to the Psychology Undergraduate Advising Office (100 McAlester Hall) to pick up your override slip before a certain day. You will take the override slip and your student ID to the Registration Center (205 Brady Commons) to add the course to your schedule. The Advising Office does not place students in classes; we give permission for the Registration Center staff to allow a student with an override to register for a closed course/section.

The psychology course I want to take is closed and I would like to request an override into the course. What should I do?

Most override requests are handled by the Advising Office (100 McAlester Hall). A few instructors handle their own override requests. To find out who is handling the override requests for the undergraduate psychology course you would like to take (i.e., the Advising Office or the Instructor), please check the bulletin board outside of the Advising Office (100 McAlester Hall), or you can email Jill Edwards at EdwardsJi@missouri.edu and ask. Please wait until one week before a registration period begins to ask Jill for this information (she will not know this information until then!).

The Advising Office is handling override requests for the course I would like to take. What do I need to do?

If the Advising Office is handling override requests for the course, you will be able to request an override the Monday before the semester begins at 8am in 100 McAlester Hall. (If MU happens to be closed on that Monday, we will accept requests beginning at 8am on the Tuesday before the semester begins.) We will not take override requests until this date. We will not take phone or email override requests. If you are not able to come to 100 McAlester to complete an override request form, you can send a friend to turn in a form for you. Your friend needs to know your name, your student ID, your email address, your major/minor, your graduation date, and the reference number(s) of the course(s) you would like to take.

The Course Instructor is handling override requests for the course I would like to take. What should I do?

If the Instructor is handling override requests for the course, you will need to contact the instructor to request an override. Contact information can be found on the bulletin board outside of the Advising Office (100 McAlester Hall), or you can email Jill Edwards at EdwardsJi@missouri.edu to find out this information. You can contact the instructor anytime before the semester begins. If the Instructor is handling his/her own override requests, we will not accept override requests for the course in the Advising Office. We will tell you to contact the instructor to request an override.

I turned in an Override Request form. Should I still keep trying to register for the course?

NO. If the Advising Office is handling the override requests for the course, that means the course enrollment has been "frozen" and no one will be able to add the course without obtaining an override into the course. The course enrollment will be a negative number on STARMU. This means that the course has been "zero capped" and no one can add the course without an override.

If I turn in an Override Request form, will I receive an override into the course?

MAYBE. Every effort is made to accommodate as many students’ requests as possible. However, there is a limit to the number of students who may be placed in each course or section. You need to be aware that filling out a request form is NOT a guarantee that you will receive placement in a course/section. For this reason you need to be certain you have a replacement class available. Have a back-up plan! REPEAT: Have a back-up plan!

Some things to keep in mind:

• Do not count on getting an override into a Writing Intensive psychology course. These courses are small and most of the time overrides (if any are available) are only available for graduating psychology majors.
• Do not count on getting an override into a small lecture. For example, Psych 2410: Child Psychology usually has one big lecture and two or three smaller lectures. Note the course enrollment size on STARMU. If the course enrollment is large (e.g., 250 students), your chances of getting an override are better. If the course enrollment is small (e.g., 30 students), your chances of getting an override are not so good. The Advising Office receives a ton of requests for the smaller lectures, and we are generally only able to give overrides (if any are available) to psychology majors.
• Psychology majors: If the course you need to take is part of the research methods sequence for the psychology major (i.e., Psych 3010, Psych 3020, or a capstone lab course), and not getting into the course will affect your graduation date, be sure that you indicate this on your override request form. We will do our best to get you into a research methods course. It may not be your top choice, but we will get you into a course.

Do psychology majors have priority in the override process?

YES, psychology majors receive priority in the override process. Psychology majors who are graduating at the end of the semester and need the course to meet a degree requirement will receive first priority. Interdisciplinary majors (with psychology as an area) who are graduating at the end of the semester and need the course to meet a degree requirement will receive second priority. Psychology minors graduating at the end of the semester who need the course to complete the minor will receive third priority. All other psychology majors will receive fourth priority. All other psychology minors will receive fifth priority. All other students will receive sixth priority.

NOTE: Our office can and will verify your major, minor, and graduation date. If you are a psychology major planning to graduate at the end of the upcoming semester, then your name must be listed on the official Graduation List kept by Melissa Pemberton (the Academic Advisor who approves psych majors for graduation). Please contact Melissa Pemberton (107 Lowry Hall, 882-6411, PembertonMe@missouri.edu) if you are not sure if you are listed on the Graduation List.

When and how will I find out if I have been approved to receive an override form?

When you turn in your override request form at the Advising Office, you can pick up an information sheet that will tell you when you will find out if you have been approved for an override. Usually you will find out within five days. Often you will find out sooner. You will find out via email, so you will need to check your email each day to see if your request has been approved. If you receive an email that says you have been approved for an override, you will have 2 days (48 hours) to come to 100 McAlester Hall and pick up your override and take it over to the Registration Center (205 Brady Commons) to add the course to your schedule. If you do not pick up your override before the deadline, your override will be given to the next person in line based on the priority system described above.

I turned in an override request and I was not approved for an override. What should I do now?

If you are not approved for an override, please put your back-up plan into action! If you failed to put together a back-up plan, then we wish you the very best in working out your schedule, but please do NOT contact the Advising Office about being re-considered for an override. Once we make the decisions about overrides, the decisions are final.

I have not received an override form to be able to register for the course. Should I attend class during the first week?

If it is possible, it would be a good idea to attend the course/section you have requested, but please understand that you may not receive an override form to register for the course. You need to have a back-up plan in place in case you do not receive an override form. In addition, if there are a limited number of seats in the classroom, please exercise common courtesy and give up your seat to a student who is already registered for the course.

The Advising Office is handling the override requests for the course I would like to take. Should I contact the professor for the course also?

NO. If the Advising Office is handling the override requests for the instructor, then NO, you should not contact the instructor. You should complete an override request form and turn it in at the Advising Office (100 McAlester). If the Advising Office is handling the override requests for the course, the course instructor is not able to grant overrides. If you do contact your instructor, he or she will direct you to the Advising Office to complete a form.

Should I contact anyone in the Advising Office to ask about the status of my override request?

NO, please do not contact our office unless you have a question that is not answered by this information sheet. We understand that you really want an override into a psychology course, and we will accommodate you if possible. You will receive an email from the Advising Office that will indicate whether you have been approved for an override. Either way, you will receive an email.

If you have any questions that are not answered by this information sheet, please e-mail Jill Edwards (EdwardsJi@missouri.edu).

Psych 2950 and 4950 (Special Problems)

What is "Psych 2950: Special Problems"?

The course description for Psych 2950 reads: "Research apprenticeship with a faculty member, assisting a faculty member in the development and execution of research. May be repeated to 6 hours maximum. Prerequisite: Instructor's consent."

Psych 2950 is a non-regularly scheduled course that provides students with 1 to 3 hours of credit for working on a research project with a faculty member. Typically students arrange with the faculty member to work 3 to 4 hours per week for each hour of credit they receive for the course (e.g., for 3 hours of credit, a student should expect to spend 9 to 12 hours each week working on a research project). Examples of what a student might be expected to do for Psych 2950 credit include entering data into a statistical computing program, scheduling research participants, assisting with experiments, giving directions to survey participants, interviewing subjects, and gathering research articles.

What is "Psych 4950: Special Problems"?

The course description for Psych 4950 reads: "Independent investigation leading to a project or paper. Repeatable upon consent of the department. Prerequisite: Instructor's consent."

Psych 4950 differs from Psych 2950 in that the student is more actively involved in the research process, and the student is usually expected to write a research paper. Students interested in Psych 4950 should contact faculty members directly to inquire about Psych 4950 opportunities. Lists of current faculty members and their research interests are available from the Advising Office, 100 McAlester Hall.

How will Psych 2950 and/or Psych 4950 benefit me?

Both courses provide students with an opportunity to be involved in a research project and work directly with a faculty member. The experience is particularly helpful if the student is considering graduate school in a psychology-related or research-related field.

• For Arts & Science students (e.g., psychology, sociology, history, communication), the hours count as elective credit towards graduation. The course does not count as an A&S Behavioral Science foundation course.
• For psychology majors, it is important to note that Psych 2950/4950 does not count as a 2000-level psychology elective course because it is not a "regularly scheduled course"; however, the course will count as an additional psychology course. Psychology majors can count up to 40 total hours of psychology courses in the overall hours needed for graduation.
• For psychology minors, it is important to note that Psych 4950 cannot be counted toward the "two courses numbered above 3000" requirement, but the course can be used to count toward the "two additional psychology courses" requirement. For example, students will earn a psychology minor if they complete Psych 1000, 2510, 2950, 3830, and 3150. Students will NOT earn a psychology minor if they complete Psych 1000, 2510, 2310, 4950, and 3830: these students are missing the second "3000-level or above" regularly-scheduled psychology course.

If you have any questions about how Psych 2950/4950 will count toward your degree, please contact the Academic Advisor for your major or minor.

How many hours of Psych 2950/4950 can I take?

• Psychology majors may receive up to 6 hours of credit for Psych 2950. Psych majors may receive up to 9 hours total for taking Psych 2950/4950 hours. So, a psych major can take 6 hours of Psych 2950 and 3 hours of Psych 4950, or they can take 3 hours of Psych 2950 and 6 hours of Psych 4950.
• All other majors should check with their Academic Advisor to find out how many hours of Psych 2950/4950 can count toward graduation.
• Student who have used up their Psych 2950/4950 hours can still volunteer to help, but they should not register to receive Psych 2950/4950 credit hours. (Students can register for the hours, but they will not count toward the hours they need for graduation.

How do I register for Psych 2950/4950?

Registering for the course is similar to finding a job. Many faculty members advertise their Psych 2950/4950 opportunities on the bulletin board located across the hall from the Advising Office, 100 McAlester. The flyers posted on the bulletin board advertise the Psych 2950/4950 opportunities available during the current and upcoming semester. Students can also contact faculty members directly to ask about Psych 2950/4950 opportunities. Before agreeing to the course, the student should ask the faculty member about his or her expectations of Psych 2950/4950 students. Once the student and faculty member have agreed to these expectations, the student will be given a consent card to register for the course.

If you have any questions, please contact an Advising Office staff member: 100 McAlester Hall, 573-884-3811.

Welcome to the Department of Psychological Sciences

Our Goals for the Undergraduate Psychology Major

Directions to the Advising Office (100 McAlester Hall)

Advising Office Information

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

• Psychology Major Requirements – Important Reminders
• Required Courses for Psychology Majors
• Distribution Areas
• 2000-Level Psychology Elective
• Optional: Additional Psychology Courses
• Optional: Minor and/or Additional Major
• Minor
• Additional Major
• College of Arts & Science Foundation (Basic Skills), University General Education Requirements and graduation requirements for the B.A. in Psychology

Helpful Websites/Contact Information

How To Be Successful at MU: Ten Tips From Your Advisor

Forms

• Undergraduate Major Info (pdf)
• Undergraduate Minor Info and form (pdf)
• Graduation Plan: Department and Arts & Science worksheets (pdf)

Courses

FAQs

• About the Psych Minor
• About Criminal Profiling
• Overrides
• Psych 2950 & 4950 (Special Problems)

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Last Modified: Mon Jun 26 13:02:33 CDT 2006