This Web site is for students who are currently attending other colleges or universities and who want to transfer to Illinois State and major in psychology. High school seniors should see The Major in Psychology at Illinois State.

Studying Psychology at Illinois State

Psychology is a very popular field of study at Illinois State and undergraduate education is a top priority in the department. With more than 40 full-time faculty members, the department offers its students teaching assistantships, and research and internship opportunities. The department currently haves over 500 majors; therefore, admission to the Major is very selective.

The Major in Psychology consists of several required psychology courses plus courses in other disciplines that complement psychology. Psychology courses focus on research methodology and statistics as well as an introduction to content areas of development, social psychology, learning and cognition, personality, and physiological psychology.

Students from other colleges and universities who want to transfer to Illinois State and be admitted to the Major in Psychology must have a transfer grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher and meet certain criteria. As explained below, the criteria is different according to the number of credit hours completed at the transfer institution.

A. Students with less than 30 hours completed may be admitted to the Major in Psychology if they have met the ACT score and the high school class ranking standards for new freshmen at Illinois State.
B. Students with 31-66 credit hours completed may be admitted to the Major in Psychology if they have earned a C or better in each of the following courses;

a transfer course equivalent to PSY 110 Fundamentals of Psychology or PSY 111 Introduction to Psychology:
a transfer course equivalent to MAT 120 Finite Mathematics, MAT 121 Applied Calculus, MAT 144 PreCalculus, or MAT 145 Calculus I; and
a transfer course in laboratory science.

Students with 75 or more hours completed are not typically admitted to the Major in Psychology.

Undeclared Students

Transfer students who are admitted to Illinois State without a designated major area of study are identified as undeclared students. This status is based on one of three situations:
1. the student has not yet decided on a major;
2. the student applied to a major but did not meet the requirements for admission to the major; or
3. the student applied to a major and qualified for admission but the major was full.

Undeclared students who want to pursue psychology as a major have only one semester after admission to Illinois State, to meet all of the requirements needed to be admitted to the Major in Psychology. See Requirements for the Major. Due to the popularity of psychology as a major at Illinois State, the department cannot accept all the applications it receives. The most common reason for transfer students not being admitted to the Major in Psychology is not having completed the math requirement.

For example, transfer students must enroll in PSY 138 Reasoning in Psychology Using Statistics during their first semester at Illinois State. Completing the math requirement at the transfer institution (see B2 above) is a prerequisite for enrolling in PSY 138. It is not possible to enroll at Illinois State in both the prerequisite math course and PSY 138 during the first semester.

Important Information About the Major in Psychology

Apply Early: Apply to the University early and indicate psychology as the first choice major. Students who wait to apply to the University just before the admission deadline will find that the Major is closed and the department is no longer admitting transfer students.

Participation in Transfer Day: Transfer students who are admitted to the University are required to participate in the Transfer Day Program.
Advice: Students who do not attend the Transfer Day Program may find it impossible to register for their required first semester psychology courses. Failure to register for the required courses will jeopardize students' ability to meet the department's Standards for Progress in order to remain in the Major.

Completing the Math Requirement: Specific mathematics courses fulfill the prerequisite for the psychology statistics course. It is not possible to complete the prerequisite mathematics and psychology statistics courses during the same semester at Illinois State.
Advice: Students should complete a course in finite mathematics, applied calculus, precalculus, or calculus before transferring to Illinois State. Statistics courses from the transferring institution typically will not satisfy the mathematics or statistics requirement at Illinois State.

Proof of Grades: Transfer students with courses in progress at the transfer institution that require a grade of C or better for the Major must show proof of their grades prior to transferring to Illinois State.
Advice: Proof of grade includes a transcript, official course grade report, or a printed copy of the semester grade. Proof must be submitted to Dr. Karen Mark, via fax at (309) 438-5789, by e-mail at kimark@ilstu.edu, or delivered in person to DeGarmo 423.

Additional Courses for the Major: In addition to the admission criteria, the Major in Psychology requires an extra laboratory science course, an English composition course equivalent to ENG 145, and a philosophy course. Although not required for admission, it is recommended that these courses be completed at the transfer institution prior to enrolling at Illinois State.

Graduation Requirements: Transfer students must meet the graduation requirements for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences, The College requires completion of a foreign language requirement, which is satisfied by taking three years of one foreign language in high school or by completing the second semester of college foreign language.
Advice: Pursue foreign language prior to transferring to Illinois State, if possible.

Important Information About the University

Grade Point Averages Do Not Transfer: The University's GPA is based on courses taken only at Illinois State; the GPA from the transfer institution is not reflected in the GPA at Illinois State. It is important to achieve the best GPA possible during the first semester at Illinois State.

Maximum Transferred Credit Hours: A maximum of 90 credit hours can be transferred to Illinois State; however, only 66 credit hours can be transferred from a community college.

Credit Hours: Community college courses articulate as lower level courses regardless of the designated course number and do not count toward senior college hours (200- and 300-level courses at Illinois State) that are required by the Major and the University for graduation. See Transferring Credits from Another University.

Course Articulation: Students should carefully review the University's Course Articulation guides. These guides identify which courses taken at other colleges and universities will receive credit at Illinois State toward graduation requirements.

Graduation Requirements: Transfer students must meet the graduation requirements for the University. The University requires students to pass an examination on the constitution and complete a global studies course.
Advice: Check with an advisor at the transfer institution or an Illinois State advisor about which courses fulfill the constitution and the global studies requirement.

Illinois State Policies and Procedures: Transfer students are subject to Illinois State's policies and procedures when they transfer to the University. Students should review the following policies and procedures:

Academic expectations at Illinois State may differ from those at the transfer institution. Expectations at Illinois State are often higher regarding coursework. Students are responsible for their own academic progress.

Questions about transferring to Illinois State and the Major in Psychology should be addressed to one of the following individuals: Ms. Raz Steward (e-mail), Dr. Cooper Cutting (e-mail), or Dr. Karen Mark (e-mail.)