The following eight goals of general education will be addressed during your four year program. These goals are based on the knowledge, skills, and experiences that Sweet Briar College uses to describe and define a liberally educated individual.

• Clarify and develop personal values.

• Identify and deal with contemporary problems and issues.

• Explore the questions of existence and ultimate meaning.

• Understand and explore the cultural heritage of western civilization.

• Improve the skills of reasoning, critical thinking, and communication.

• Investigate the relationships that govern nature and the physical world.

• Gain insight into the factors that determine individual and social behavior.

• Develop an awareness of, and a respect for the history, contributions, and interdependence of world cultures.

Undergraduate courses fall into three categories: (a) those taken to satisfy general education requirements, (b) those taken to satisfy major requirements, and (c) those taken as electives. The purpose of elective courses is to allow students to exercise a degree of control over their academic destiny while adding to the knowledge and strengthening the skills that they have acquired in their general education and major courses.

The following sample four year plan includes the minimum number of psychology courses required for the major (BA). Students who major in psychology are encouraged to take more than the minimum. Students planning to continue in graduate school are recommended to pursue the BS and to take as many psychology courses as possible.