Registration

Registration Policy

The Department of Psychology offers popular courses that students across WWU, regardless of major, often want to take. To ensure that intended psychology, human development, and behavioral neuroscience students can access required courses in a timely manner, most PSY courses are major restricted (MJ). To gain access to PSY courses, please declare/complete prerequisites as follows:

PSY Course(s) Required Declaration

PSY 101

No declaration required
PSY 203 Declared psychology/HD/BNS interest/pre-major*/major/minor + 44+ completed credits and successful completion/transfer of PSY 101 (C- or better; 3+ AP score)

PSY 210-250, 274

Declared psychology/HD/BNS interest/pre-major*/major/minor + successful completion/transfer of PSY 101 (C- or better; 3+ AP score)

PSY 305

Declared psychology/human development major

PSY 306; 310-378

Declared psychology/human development major + successful completion of PSY 305

PSY 307

Declared psychology/human development major + successful completion of PSY 306

PSY 410-472

Declared psychology/human development major + successful completion of PSY 307

 

Exceptions include:

PSY Course(s) Exception
PSY 203 During the first 7 days of Phase I, this course is restricted to psych interest, minor, pre-major*, and BNS interest and pre-major students. Restriction will be lifted to include KIN, PE, and public health interest, pre-major, and major students at 9AM on day 8. All restrictions (not prerequisites) will be lifted on the first day of Phase II registration.
PSY 210-250, 274 During Phase I, course is restricted to students who have declared: psychology interest, pre-major*, minor, or major; BNS interest, pre-major, or major; KIN, PE, and public health interest, pre-major, or major; sport psych minor; human development major. All restrictions (not prerequisites) will be lifted on the first day of Phase II.

PSY 305-472

No exceptions available


*The psychology pre-major has been retired.

Frequently Asked Questions: Before You Register

Determine how many total credits you have completed via Web4U Unofficial Transcript or your Degree Works worksheet.

Based on the number of total credits completed, determine your registration date and time.

Visit ClassFinder to plan future schedules. Utilize your Degree Works worksheet hyperlinks to determine available GURs, minor, major, and university requirements by upcoming quarter. 

To review a future schedule, please connect with a department advisor and/or contact your faculty advisor to set up an appointment. Not sure who your faculty advisor is? Check Degree Works

If you have AP General Psych credit that hasn't transferred over fully, please:

  1. submit your official scores to the Registrar's Office, and
  2. send a copy of your scores (jpeg/image are fine) to Rochelle.Robinson@wwu.edu to request a 200-level course override.

If you have a transfer PSY course from another institution that is showing up as 1XX or 2XX, AND has a name almost identical to a psych course offered at Western, there is a good chance it needs to be evaluated for equivalency by the department. To have a course reviewed, complete the Transfer Equivalency Request Form 

Please note: Transfer credit evaluations from other institutions MUST be completed prior to the start of Phase I registration. This process can take approx. three weeks 

If you need to repeat a course contact Rochelle.Robinson@wwu.edu to request an override code. Please note: Most course repeats occur during summer quarter and/or become available during Phase 3.

297/397 represent temporary course numbers. For example, PSY 297A was the temporary number for PSY 203 Research Methods.

Overrides are required to utilize a temporary numbered course to gain access via pre-req. E.g., An override is required to register for PSY 305 if a student completed PSY 297A vs. s03.

Presently, PSY 397V Culture and Human Development serves as a pre-req for PSY 430 Seminar in Developmental Psychology and will require an override code for registration. Please reach out to Rochelle.Robinson@wwu.edu for all override requests.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Register

To register for 200-level psych courses you will want to update your academic interest: Web4U> Student> Student Records> Academic Interest Update Form. You can indicate two interests.

Major declaration opens during week one of fall, winter, and spring quarters.

To declare or drop a minor in psychology please complete Section I of the Minor Declaration and Change Form and forward to robins63@wwu.edu, see the Signatures & Attachments box.

Log into Web4U and utilize Add/Drop Classes, where you will input CRNs for the courses you intend to take.

Ways to productively fill your schedule:

  1. Complete all GURs, including your MATH
  2. Complete all PSY 200-levels
  3. Complete the 20 upper-division credits required for graduation that the psychology major will not fulfill; these courses might be random or apply to a minor/double major
    • explore upper-division courses that request few to no prerequisites here
    • explore potential minor/double major options here
  4. Take elective courses that bring your total completed credits, including the 40 remaining upper-division psych major credits, to meet the total 180 credits required for graduation.
Example Credit Breakdown
  _____ total credits after the current quarter
  _____ remaining GUR credits
  _____ remaining psych major credits (75 total; 40 UD)
+ _____ remaining upper-division (UD) credits (20 total)
  _____ total credits at graduation (180 minimum)

 

In the event that you are already declared in another major/certification program but still intend to minor/major in psych/HD you will run into issues registering for PSY 200-level courses. To bypass these issues:

  1. declare the minor; your declaration form should be processed in 1-3 business days, or
  2. request overrides until you can apply and are accepted to the psychology major
    • please send all course override requests to Rochelle.Robinson@wwu.edu, including reason for needing the override, W#, and specific course CRN