How to Declare the Psychology Major

If you have general questions about the Psych major or just want to know more before possibly declaring a major, we welcome you to visit our drop-in advising center in Tobin 501 weekdays 10am-3pm during fall and spring terms.

Declaring a major in general Psychology (BA or BS) will require the following steps. PLEASE ALLOW 4-10 DAYS TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS (during summer allow 1-2 weeks).

1. This process is NOT for students who have not yet arrived at UMass for their first semester of study.  Those students should attend New Students Orientation advising and discuss change of major with the advisor in their ADMITTED major.  
2. If you have questions about the major or would like advice about course planning for a Psych major, we encourage you to visit our drop-in advising in-person in Tobin Hall 501 or on zoom. (See hours and details.)
3. Use this link to enroll in the Canvas course and learn about the Psychology major requirements, etc. 
4. When you see the Psychology Major Declaration - General Psychology course appear in your Canvas courses, complete this brief course to learn about the major through the videos and links to our requirements, information about advising, and using our website. 
5. Test your knowledge on your new major on the Canvas site AND submit a google form requesting change of major. The google form is linked on the Canvas site.  Please allow at least 48 hours for your change of major to be completed on SPIRE (especially if you complete it on a Friday or weekend!)

Watch your UMass email in case we have any questions or updates for you!

To declare the General Psych major, you do not need to make an appointment on Navigate.  Navigate appointments are ONLY to declare the Neuroscience track (see below).

When you're a major, watch for updates from advising and visit our advisors and peer advisors. We are always happy to see you!

Declaring the Neuroscience Track

If you would like to join the neuroscience track, you must have a 3.0 GPA and make an appointment with one of the neuroscience advisors or come to their drop-in hours. See their hours. If you want to eventually join the neuroscience track, but do not yet have a 3.0 GPA, you can join the General Psych major (see process above) and add neuroscience later.