Frequently Asked Questions
If you are an Arts and Science student, you will select your degree plan (i.e. major) at the end of your first year. Students who have completed a minimum of 24.0 units are required to select a degree plan in order to register for second year courses. Please note that the Department of Psychology (and many other programs at Queen's) have first year grade (PSYC 100/6.0) and cumulative GPA thresholds which must be met in order to be accepted into the degree plan requested. You may view the thresholds on the Faculty of Arts and Science Undergraduate Plan Selection page.
We do not waive the PSYC 100/6.0 prerequisite unless a student has equivalent background and is granted official transfer credit by the Admissions Office at Queen’s.
Yes, you may retake PSYC 100 for the purpose of qualifying, but with a few cautions;
- Students are permitted to repeat PSYC 100 only once.
- Students who wish to repeat PSYC 100 will need to wait until open enrollment after first year students have registered.
Upper Year Students who retake PSYC 100 with the goal of applying again to a PSYC degree plan must be aware that, if successful, they are admitted into year 2 of the PSYC plan and it may take additional time to graduate.
We recommend to consider whether it is better for you to retake a 6.0 unit course, or whether you are able to move closer to your goals by completing 6.0 units in future courses. Consult with an academic advisor, if you think that can be helpful.
Only students who are in a Psychology Major, Joint Honours or Specialization plan may register in PSYC 202 and 203. This will not be waived.
Students may only repeat PSYC 202, 203, 301 or 302 by appealing to the Undergraduate Chair of Psychology.
Our program is a large, high-impact program, and we run our undergraduate programs at our maximum capacity. As a result, we only have space to accept students who completed our first-year Introduction to Psychology course in Arts and Science into the second year of our on-campus degree plans, and we do not accept transfers from outside of Arts and Science at Queen’s University.
As you are looking to transfer into Queen’s from another university, we encourage you to consider some of the many excellent alternative degree Plans in Arts and Science. You can find a list at https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/future-students/transfer-to-queens.
If you prefer only online studies, we offer a BA General in Psychology through Arts and Science Online, and you can learn more about that at https://www.queensu.ca/artsci_online/
Switching into a different plan always depends on space available and higher grades are always more competitive. Space in the Major is reserved for current students in the Major, and a space opening up requires a current student to leave the plan. If space becomes available, students who apply during the Upper Year Change of Plan window (typically in May) will be considered based on grades.
To apply for year 3 of the Major, students must have completed PSYC 202 and 203 and, at the minimum, meet the prerequisite for PSYC 301 “Adv. Statistical Interference” [A minimum GPA of 1.90 in (PSYC 202/3.0 or STAT_Options) and PSYC 203/3.0] and (a minimum GPA of 2.60 in PSYC at the 100 and 200 level).
The Psychology Minor requires the completion of 30.0 units (PSYC100/6.0 and 24.0 units from Psychology at the 200 level or above). The requirements are listed in the Academic Calendar: https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/schools-departments-programs/psychology/psychology-minor-arts/
ASUS Peer Tutoring is a service that partners upper year students with those looking for a tutor in a variety of Arts and Science courses. There are also bursaries available to students with financial need and first year students can sign up to tutor for local high school students.
Interested in becoming a tutee or tutor? Visit the Queen's ASUS Website Tutoring page for applications.
If you cannot find a tutor through this service, please contact the Undergraduate office at ug.psyc@queensu.ca . We may have contact information of an upper year Undergraduate student or Graduate student who is available for tutoring. Please note that the Undergraduate Office does not engage in matching students with tutors (e.g., we do not vet CVs, etc), negotiating regarding payment, or determining contractual details. Students hiring a tutor, and the tutors, are responsible for their business relationship.
Student Academic Success Services in Stauffer Library offers various learning strategies workshops including peer academic skills coaching and one-on-one appointments. Please find more information regarding the workshops/services offered on the SASS webpage.