Frequently Asked Questions

Students can schedule advising appointments or attend drop-in advising hours. Note that during peak enrollment times (November and April), the Psychology advisors will only be meeting with declared Psychology majors. Students not yet declared can either declare the major online or attend drop-in advising hours for assistance.

1. How to read DARS 
2. How to run DARS for a declared major
3. How to run DARS for a not yet declared major or certificate

The Degree Planner is a tool for you to do just that, plan your degree. This tool helps structure and plan your courses during your time at UW-Madison. Use the tool to quickly and simply view the courses you have planned for each term, grades from past terms, credit load per term, and more to help you succeed in meeting your academic goals. Note that you can make multiple plans if you want to plan for different scenarios.

Once you create your degree plan, you can run a DARS report including your planned classes. The DARS with your planned classes will show if you’re missing any requirements!

Note – if you’re pursuing a pre-health plan, the Center for Pre-Health Advising regularly hosts 4-year planning workshops, which you may want to attend.

With permission from your school or college, yes! If you are interested in completing psychology as well, come in and see us to discuss this process. Please note, students with PRE designations – Pre-nursing, Pre-engineering, etc. may not declare a second major in L&S until they have been officially accepted into their limited enrollment program. 

Many psychology students study abroad and graduate in a timely fashion. If you plan to study abroad meet with a psychology advisor to discuss your intended graduation date and semester/year you wish to go abroad. The earlier you plan for study abroad, the better. Also, go to the study abroad resource room in the Red Gym for more information on study abroad programs and opportunities. Often students are able to study abroad without taking any psychology courses and still graduate on time. Study abroad is a time to immerse yourself in another culture, so we frequently encourage students to take courses that you may not be able to take at UW-Madison.

1. You need to indicate your intent to graduate in a specific term. You do so by ‘applying to graduate’. More information about Graduation is on the Registrar’s website, including specific instructions on how to Apply to Graduate.
2. Students can graduate (meaning complete all their degree/major requirements) in a separate term from when they wish to participate in commencement activities. For example, you could commence in a Spring term and graduate in the following Summer term. You indicate your intended graduation and commencement terms when you apply to graduate. 
3. Information about University commencement and related matters such as cap/gown rental can be found on the University commencement website. 
4. The Psychology Department hosts a Graduation Reception at the end of the Spring term.
5. I have questions about my Diploma – see FAQs here.

Current students may take classes at another institution and transfer the credits back to UW-Madison. There are many nuances to transferring credits, so we encourage you to contact your advisor before doing so. Note that if you do complete transfer courses, only the credits transfer back to UW-Madison, the grade will not. 

More detailed information on transferring credits is on the Registrar’s website. Note the rules for transferring credits and the FAQs listed toward the bottom of the page. There is also information on there about Transferology (right side of page). Transferology can assist you in identifying courses that may transfer to UW-Madison from other institutions.

The L&S Academic Deans Office provides valuable information about ‘Winterim’ courses. Please visit their website for detailed information. Generally speaking, there are few UW-Madison ‘Winterim’ courses. There are no UW-Madison Psychology major courses taught in ‘Winterim.’

The Dean of Students Office is a primary resource for connecting students who are navigating personal, academic, or health issues to supportive campus or community resources. Visit this page for additional information.

Visit the following pages for information on how to add, swap, or drop a class using Course Search and Enroll.

Visit the Registrar’s Dates and Deadlines website for detailed information. Select the specific term you’re interested in to see the dates/deadlines associated with it.

1. Students who have waitlisted for a course should enroll in an alternate course, in the event they do not get a seat from the waitlist. Waitlisting for a course does NOT guarantee you will get a seat in the class. The Psychology department does NOT inform students of their position on the waitlist. Students might be offered a seat in a waitlisted Psych course through the end of the first week of classes. Contact your advisor to discuss adding a course after the first week of the semester.
2. Students are strongly encouraged to look for ways to make an open section work with their schedules, before adding to the waitlist for a full section of the same course.
3. If you are offered a spot off the waitlist, you will receive an email instructing you to enroll in the course within a certain time frame. Therefore, you should be checking your email daily, even over breaks.
4. Even more FAQs about waitlists​​

At times, CSE might appear as though there are ‘available’ seats in a class. However, you need to look closely at the section level course information. If there is an orange triangle icon next to the course, it is at waitlist status. Any ‘waitlist available seats’ listed there indicate that these open seats are being given to students already on the waitlist. It does not mean the course is fully open for anyone to enroll. If you see the orange triangle icon, you can add yourself to the waitlist.

1. You may need to re-validate your course.
2. Additional information for common issues and error messages.

After times are assigned, you can find yours on the “Course Search & Enroll” tile in MyUW.

Here is information for how to view your hold. Once you see your hold, you’ll be able to find information about how to remove it and/or what office you can contact for more information to remove the hold.

Students who are interested in earning academic credit by working in a research lab can do so with lab/instructor permission. Students can read more information about Psychology Undergraduate Research Opportunities and how to contact labs. Students need to apply to work in a lab. If they are accepted, their lab will coordinate with our undergraduate program coordinator to grant permission for students to enroll in their specific lab course section. Students should complete the Research Lab Course Agreement Form when initially joining a lab. Students interested in a Senior Thesis should read the Thesis Guidelines document.

Many class sections have Instructor Provided Content (IPC) that provides more information about the course. You can find that information by searching for a course, selecting it, then selecting a specific section of the course. When that panel opens, you’ll see IPC under the “other information” heading. See example:

No. Department policy requires that students complete the pre-requisite course and the credits be posted to their UW-Madison record before they are eligible to enroll.

Example: you decide to enroll in an equivalent of Psych 210 at another college/university during the Summer and you want to enroll in Psych 225 for the Fall semester. You will need to complete the course and send an official transcript to UW-Madison’s Office of Admissions. Once the Psych 210 credit is posted to your record, then you will be able to enroll in Psych 225 (presuming you meet the other course requisites).

NOTE to incoming students at SOAR: Students who have AP or IB credit for Introductory Psychology are eligible to enroll in subsequent Psychology major courses, even if the credit has not been posted to your record. You will need to provide your official AP/IB scores to a Registrar’s Office representative at SOAR or send it to enrollment@psych.wisc.edu. To ensure you receive appropriate credit for AP/IB, make sure to send your official scores to UW-Madison Office of Admissions.

Yes! Psych 225 is NOT a pre-requisite for Psych Depth Courses. Psych 225 IS a pre-requisite for Psych Capstone courses. You can take a Depth course so long as you meet any other associated pre-reqs.

In order to enroll in Psychology 225- Research Methods, students must earn a C or better in Introductory Psychology AND Statistics AND have completed a Communications-A course.

Yes. However, if you were approved for a curricular exception to accept an elective course (Ex. PSYCH x15) for either Intro or Statistics, you must contact enrollment@psych.wisc.edu to receive authorization to enroll.

Honors-only (H) course sections are reserved for students within an Honors program (Honors in Liberal Arts and/or Honors in the Major). Students in these programs are able to automatically enroll in any Honors course on campus as long as they meet the course prerequisites.  Students not currently in an Honors program, but wanting to enroll in an Honors section of a course within the Department of Psychology, may request permission to enroll by completing the Honors Course Authorization Form.

Students may only request permission into an honors section on or after Dec 1st for Spring courses, and April 25th for Fall courses.  Permission will not be granted if the honors section is full/closed.

It is the instructor’s prerogative whether you will be permitted to enroll in the Honors section. If approved, students will receive email notification letting them know the permission has been entered and will expire in 48 hours. Students must add the course through their Student Center prior to the permission expiration date.

Click here for more information.

If you’re facing enrollment issues, contact the Psychology Department’s Undergraduate Enrollment Coordinator (enrollment@psych.wisc.edu).

If you’re having issues with anything else, please meet with your Psych advisor or email advisor@psych.wisc.edu.

The major requirements for Psychology satisfy many of the breadth requirements for the BA and BS degree requirements in the College of Letters & Science. Required courses that will assist you in completing breadth and general education requirements include: Psych 202 (Social Science), Statistics (QR-B), Psych 225 (Comm B and Biological Science), Zoology 101 or Zoology 151 (Biological Science). Psychology breadth courses also carry breadth designations; some social science and some biological science. You will not receive Literature breadth through the Psychology department. Only one elective course (Psych 349) fulfills Physical Science breadth and only one elective course (Psych 120) fulfills Humanities breadth. 

Yes. A student needs to complete animal biology for the psychology major. Most students take the Zoology 101. If you received a 4 or 5 on the AP Biology test this is will fulfill the biology requirement for the psychology major. We also accept Zoology 151 or Biocore (381 & 383).

No. AP credit for statistics counts as Statistics 301, which does NOT satisfy the statistics requirement for the Psychology major. Stats 301 will not adequately prepare students for the statistical analyses needed for Psychology 225, Research Methods.

Maybe. If you took a psychology course at another university and it transferred in as an elective (example: Psych X12) but you think it should count towards the major requirements, you must submit a Request for Curricular Exception form as well as a copy of the syllabus to the Undergrad Program Manager. Electronic submissions are acceptable. Your syllabi will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Program Manager and a determination will be made if the course qualifies as an acceptable substitution for a major requirement. 

You may submit a Request for Curricular Exception form which requires an explanation or rationale as to why you feel the course should count, a course syllabus or description, your unofficial transcript and information about where the course was taken. Please note: When appropriate, the department will make substitutions for curricular requirements but major requirements are not waived.

If you didn’t earn a C, meet with a psychology advisor as soon as possible. We will discuss options that you have and work together to come up with an optimal solution.

No. If you receive a D in either a breadth or depth course, it will still count towards the psychology major requirements. However, you need to earn an average of 2.0 or above in all psychology courses, and all upper-level courses within the psychology department. Only Psychology courses numbered 300 or above are included in calculating the upper-level GPA requirement.

See L&S Policy regarding pass/fail.

A student wishing to appeal their final course grade must follow the process in the order listed below.

a. The student will first discuss the final course grade with the instructor of the course.

b. If the student and instructor do not come to an agreement, the student will provide a formal written final grade appeal to the Associate Chair of the department within 4 weeks from the posting of the final course grade. The written appeal must include: the class, instructor, copy of the course syllabus showing grading guidelines, final course grade received, date and conclusion of meeting with instructor, the specific reason(s) for appealing the final course grade, and email address where they can be reached for follow-up.

c. The Associate Chair of the department will follow the department’s final course grade appeals process. When a decision is made the Associate Chair will notify the student in writing of the decision.

d. If the department’s appeal process supports the original decision, the student may make a formal written appeal to L&S Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning Administration. The decision of the Associate Dean for TLA is final.

e. https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/ls-grade-appeal