Distribution Courses
Please note: Starting in Summer 2022 all PSYC courses will have a 4-digit course number.
A list of Lecture Courses with their old numbers (1000- and 2000-level) can be found here:
Distribution Requirement (6 courses): Psychology majors take six lecture courses which approach the various areas of the discipline in greater depth. Because Psychology is such a diverse discipline, majors distribute their six core courses across three content areas to ensure broad coverage. These content areas are biological science, cognitive science, and social science. Majors are required to take a 1000-level lecture course in each content area, as well as a second lecture course in each content area (the second course can be either a 1000- or 2000-level course). This totals six distribution courses. Please use Path@Penn to search for which courses are offered in a particular semester. The eligible courses will change from time to time as new courses are added and others deleted, but the current courses are below. Please note: Courses in italics are listed in more than one column, but can only be counted once.
| Biological Science | Cognitive Science | Social Science | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1210 Intro to Brain & Behavior (every semester) | 1230 Cognitive Neuroscience (every semester) | 1462 Abnormal Psychology (usually Spring) | 1000-level |
| 1230 Cognitive Neuroscience (every semester) | 1333 Intro to Cognitive Science (every semester) | 1440 Social Psychology (every semester) | |
1530 Memory (no longer offered) ______________________________
| 1340 Perception (usually Fall) | 1777 Intro to Developmental Psychology (Spring 2026) | |
1310 Language and Thought (Fall 2025) ______________________________ 1530 Memory (no longer offered) ______________________________ 1777 Intro to Developmental Psychology (Spring 2026) | |||
| 2233 Neuroethology (usually Spring) | 2310 Psychology of Language (usually Spring) | 2737 Judgment & Decision Making (every semester) | 2000-level (old number 200-level) |
| 2240 Visual Neuroscience (Fall 2025) | 2737 Judgment & Decision Making (every semester) | 2750 Behavioral Econ & Psych (no longer offered) | |
| 2250 Drugs, Brain, and Mind (usually Spring) | 2750 Behavioral Econ & Psych (no longer offered) | 2400 Positive Psychology (usually Spring) | |
| 2220 Evolution of Animal Behavior (usually Fall) | 2555 Neuroeconomics (usually Spring) | 2477 Social and Emotional Development (rarely offered) | |
| 2260 Neuroendocrinology (rarely offered) | 2377 Cognitive Development (rarely offered) | 2288 Neuroscience and Society (usually Fall) | |
| 2288 Neuroscience and Society (usually Fall) | 2314 Data Science for Language and Mind (usually Fall) | ||
| 2555 Neuroeconomics (usually Spring) | 2740 Choice (usually Spring) |
N.B. Courses in italics can count toward in either of two columns, but can only be counted once.
Information about the other requirements of the Psychology major can be found here.