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Course Information

The Department of Psychology provides relevant courses for many undergraduate students. Students in a variety of majors elect to complement their education, and improve the understanding of self and others, by completing course work in Psychology. Students who major in Psychology should expect to receive a general/liberal education. Psychology students take the introductory course, sample basic sub-disciplinary courses, and receive training in methods and data analysis. The specific Psychology degree requirements can be found in the Psychology Handbook.

 

  • Class Search

    To locate when and where courses are offered, the Student Information System is very helpful. This is the system students use to sign up for their courses. Remember to click on the class search tile. 

  • Psychology Online Course Information

     Register for Undergraduate Online Courses

    In order to take an Online course, you must either be an Undergraduate at Michigan State University or you must take the course through Lifelong Education.  Below are links to the relevant sites to register.  If you are not currently an MSU student, registration will get you an MSU ID that you will need to access the D2L websites described below which are associated with the Online courses.

    Registration for current MSU students

    Registration if you are not an MSU student     Once at this site click on "https://admissions.msu.edu/application/app.asp?AL=L". to confirm you have completed your application as a Lifelong Student. If completed you will be able to enroll using the enrollment system during the designated enrollment periods. In order to enroll you must have initiated your MSUNet ID and password.

    Class Search      This includes information about the courses offered and the sessions in which they are offered.  Make sure you are selecting the correct term you are looking for when searching for classes. 

    Get Ready for Your Online Courses- Steps to Follow

    In a traditional course, the class usually begins when students go to a local bookstore to buy their textbooks and then to a classroom on the first scheduled day of class and receive a syllabus, an introduction to the course by the instructor, etc.  The "electronic classroom" for an Online course at Michigan State University is a website in a course management system called Desire2Learn.  Psychology courses will be taught through D2L. To enter the D2L website you will have to have an MSU ID.  Once you have your MSU ID and can enter the D2L website you will have access to your on-line courses.   Book information can be found on the class search section of the new system . Click the section number of the course you have enrolled in and click on textbooks, It will help you identify needed books beyond what is in your syllabi

    1)    Get an MSU NetID. Current MSU students have them already.  The NetID is used by MSU to provide access to the central email system and many other services on campus.  An MSU NetID is a unique, alphanumeric identifier of two to eight characters and is generated automatically from the user's name (and is the portion of your e-mail address before the @).  To learn more about how to get your MSU NetID or how to use it go to:https://netid.msu.edu/. 2) Log into D2L - Have your MSU Net ID and password.   If you have forgotten your MSU NetID password, please go to:https://netid.msu.edu/.  If you are a registered student and have a problem accessing D2L, please contact the help desk at 1 -844-678-6200 (North America and Hawaii) Local: 1-517-432-6200. To log into D2L go to: http://d2l.msu.edu

    2)In order to enter your Desire2Learn course, log in to D2L. Once you log in you will be at "My Home" page. This shows all your D2L Courses. Navigate to your summer online course by clicking the name of the course offering. Courses are shown by semester in reverse chronological order. There is a "pin" function to keep any courses that you want on the top of the list. These courses will have an orientation that will be completed in order to view the course content. 

     

  • Psychology Course Syllabi

    The Psychology Department posts all of the course syllabi online at the beginning of each semester.  Syllabi from previous semesters can also be found here. If you are unable to locate prior years syllabi please reach out to undergraduate advising staff with your question.

     

  • Course Overrides

    On occasion, overrides are given to students needing a course that is full. Every department on campus takes care of their own overrides, so the Psychology Department cannot give overrides for courses outside of Psychology. Students requesting an override will need to fill out the Psychology Override Form please reach out to Kim Brown or Audra Jeffrey with any questions in regards to the form.

  • Psychology Transfer Credit Request

    This form is for students who plan to take a Psychology course at another institution AND the course is not listed on the MSU Transfer credit system (https://transfer.msu.edu/). This is not for courses taken prior to MSU. The transfer evaluation office can assist you with this type of request (traneval@msu.edu).

  • PSY 493 Expanded Descriptions

    Each section of PSY 493 covers a different topic.  Students should read descriptions of all 400 level writing courses.  Most of these courses do have prerequisites and are offered in varying semesters.

    Fall 2025: 493 Descriptions

    Sec 001: Psychology of Intersectionality

    This course will cover the psychology behind different systems of oppression in the U.S., using an intersectional lens to explore how individuals experience these systems at different levels and how these experiences relate to their mental health, highlighting different disparities.

    Sec 002: Health Disparities

    This course focuses on theories, methods, and applications of health disparities research and practice. Using a multicultural perspective, we will examine the historical, ethical, and legal issues that influence health disparities and health equity. Analyses of primary literature will be integrated throughout the course to facilitate discussion and provide examples of methodologies in the field.

    Sec 003: Neuroscience of Child Development

    This course will examine brain and mind development during the first five years of a child’s life, including in-utero. It will focus primarily on prenatal influences on brain development, and postnatal brain development as it corresponds to sensory and mental function. For ease of organization and class discussion of topics, it is organized into four modules – Nature and Nurture (Life in the womb); The senses (Pre- and post-natal development); Cognitive functions (The magic of age 4); When development gets disordered. Topics we will cover include: development of each of the senses and perception, learning and memory; temporal, numerical and spatial processing; emotion; theory of mind; language; attention; motor programs; and developmental disabilities. 

    Sec 004: Survey Research Methods

    The survey is a widely used method for answering social science research questions about people’s opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. In this course students learn foundational concepts and methods of survey research, including questionnaire design, modes of data collection, sampling and recruitment, data management and cleaning, data analysis techniques, and interpreting results and reporting findings. Students will have the opportunity to apply these concepts by designing and conducting a team-based survey research project.   

    Sec 005: Neuroscience of Human and Animal Emotions. 

    This is an advanced seminar-style course in Behavioral Neuroscience, with an emphasis on how the nervous system controls the recognition and expression of emotions such as fear, anxiety, happiness, love, and disgust. This course deals with a lot of the biology underlying the regulation of emotions, so if you don’t like biology or neuroscience very much, this may not be the course for you. Students should already have a background in physiological psychology and/or neurobiology (either PSY 209, IBIO 402 or 405, or NEU 301 or 302) and a good understanding of statistics and experimental design (PSY 295 or STT 201 or higher). This course also fulfills the University’s Tier II writing requirement so most assignments involve writing. In addition to obtaining a solid understanding of how the brain controls emotions, it is expected that students will leave the course with stronger writing abilities, confidence in their ability to express their thoughts about the course topics, and enhanced critical and scientific thinking skills

    Sec 006: Psychosis and Psychotic Disorders

    This course covers the nature of psychosis and psychotic disorders, including subjective and clinical descriptions of psychosis, biological and social contributions  to risk and resilience for psychosis, treatment of psychotic disorders, and current socio-political topics that pertain to psychosis

    Sec 007: Multicultural Psychology

    This course examines and introduces you to the broad field now called multicultural psychology. We will examine multicultural psychology from a psychological framework of how history, culture, experiences, workplace, and other perspectives shape our lives. We will explore it both in a historical and contemporary context. Primary emphasis will be placed on the areas of Asian American Psychology, Black Psychology, Disability Psychology, Latino Psychology, LBGTQI+ Psychology, Native American Psychology, and Women Psychology.

    Spring 2025: 493 Descriptions

    Sec 002: Neuroscience of Human and Animal Emotions

    This is an advanced seminar-style course in Behavioral Neuroscience, with an emphasis on how the nervous system controls the recognition and expression of emotions such as fear, anxiety, happiness, love, and disgust. This course deals with a lot of the biology underlying the regulation of emotions, so if you don’t like biology or neuroscience very much, this may not be the course for you. Students should already have a background in physiological psychology and/or neurobiology (either PSY 209, IBIO 402 or 405, or NEU 301 or 302) and a good understanding of statistics and experimental design (PSY 295 or STT 201 or higher). This course also fulfills the University’s Tier II writing requirement so most assignments involve writing. In addition to obtaining a solid understanding of how the brain controls emotions, it is expected that students will leave the course with stronger writing abilities, confidence in their ability to express their thoughts about the course topics, and enhanced critical and scientific thinking skills.

    Sec 004: Final Conversation: Psycho, socio, cultural perspectives on death, dying and bereavement

    Examines psychological theories, concepts, and research that pertain to the study of death and personal death awareness. Topics include cross-cultural and historical perspectives, medical ethics, grief/loss issues, funerals and body disposition, legal(wills, obituaries, estates, dpoa, mpoa) and social issues, death in modern society, suicide and beliefs about life after death.  

    Sec 005: Neuroscience of Child Development

    This course will examine brain and mind development during the first five years of a child’s life, including in-utero. It will focus primarily on prenatal influences on brain development, and postnatal brain development as it corresponds to sensory and mental function. For ease of organization and class discussion of topics, it is organized into four modules – Nature and Nurture (Life in the womb); The senses (Pre- and post-natal development); Cognitive functions (The magic of age 4); When development gets disordered. Topics we will cover include: development of each of the senses and perception, learning and memory; temporal, numerical and spatial processing; emotion; theory of mind; language; attention; motor programs; and developmental disabilities. 

    Sec 006: Intro to Feminist Research in Psychology: Theory, Methods and Practice

    Psychological knowledge is largely derived from white, androcentric narratives about human behavior and its causes. Within mainstream Euro-American psychology, many theories and assumptions are still modelled on classic research, which recruited samples of mainly white, cisgender, heterosexual, middle-class men. Feminist psychology developed out of a politics of inclusion, which sought to transform this androcentric, universalized knowledge. This course explores the historic emergence of the discipline of feminist psychology through to the present day, and provides opportunities to develop practical, applied research skills through completion of an independent qualitative research project. Specifically, the course will focus on contemporary debates within the field, moving beyond the borders of American psychology toward global feminist perspectives.

    Sec 007: Latinx Psychology

    This course provides a general overview of Latinx mental health concerns in the United States using a strength-based empowerment approach (as a contrast to a deficit approach). Specifically, this course will examine the strengths and resilience of Latinx people and critically examine structural and societal barriers in the United States that result in psychological distress for members of this group. Students in this course will become familiar with different aspects relevant to Latinx people in the United States, including the personal, cultural, institutional, and political, and how these different aspects affect the well-being of Latinx people. Latinx people will be presented in context with attention to circumstances of immigration, United States relations with Latin America, discrimination (both within and from outside the Latinx group), cultural values, intersectionality, and ethnic and racial identity development. The concepts introduced in this course will be examined from a critical, decolonial perspective that focuses on how societal structures (e.g., education, politics, justice system) serve to either facilitate or hinder social justice.

    Sec 008: Evaluating Social Programs

    In this course students learn how to use social science research methods to answer questions about how well social programs operate and how they can be improved. The course is designed to introduce students to the field of program evaluation and prepare them with foundational knowledge and skills needed to engage in evaluation activities at a bachelor’s degree level.

    Sec 009: Multicultural Psychology

    This course examines and introduces you to the broad field now called multicultural psychology. We will examine multicultural psychology from a psychological framework of how history, culture, experiences, workplace, and other perspectives shape our lives. We will explore it both in a historical and contemporary context. Primary emphasis will be placed on the areas of Asian American Psychology, Black Psychology, Disability Psychology, Latino Psychology, LBGTQI+ Psychology, Native American Psychology, and Women Psychology.

    Fall 2024: 493 Descriptions

    Sec 001: Health Disparities

    This course focuses on theories, methods, and applications of health disparities research and practice. Using a multicultural perspective, we will examine the historical, ethical, and legal issues that influence health disparities and health equity. Analyses of primary literature will be integrated throughout the course to facilitate discussion and provide examples of methodologies in the field.

    Sec 002: Multicultural Psychology

    This course will introduce students to the psychological study of sexual orientation and gender diversity through theories of identity development and research on issues that impact lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals and communities. This course will include a historical perspective, examining how views of sexual orientation and gender diversity have evolved and changed over time. Students will develop a critical understanding of how psychology has approached the study of issues that impact LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as exposure to topics such as minority stress, mental health, coping, and resilience. A feminist analysis of sociopolitical contexts will be integrated into the course in order to understand the unique drivers of health disparities that exist for LGBTQ+ people.

    Sec 003: Social Networks

    This course will explore how our social networks shape every aspect of our lives, including how we make friends, form beliefs, and move around. We will also consider how we can collect and analyze data on social networks. This course will focus on social networks (who we interact with); we will talk about the role of social media platforms like tictoc or twitter/X, but social media will not be the primary focus. 

    Sec 004: Evolutionary Psychology

    Evolutionary psychology describes the cross-disciplinary study of the nature and causes of human social behavior and cognition. Perhaps more than most, this seminar in evolutionary psychology is concerned with the "big questions” regarding the human condition. As such we will discuss the evolution, function, strategic logic, and psychology of topics such as family and friendship, sexuality and romance, aggression and warfare, cooperation and conflict, politics, religion, and moral judgment.

    Sec 005:  Neuroscience of Child Development

    This course will examine brain and mind development during the first five years of a child’s life. It will focus primarily on prenatal influences on brain development, and postnatal brain development as it corresponds to sensory and mental function. Topics include: senses and perception; temporal, numerical and spatial processing; emotion; theory of mind; language; attention; motor programs; and developmental disabilities.

    Sec 006: Neurobiology of Addiction

    This course focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying drug addiction. We will discuss and evaluate 1) current theories of drug addiction, 2) animal models used to study specific aspects of addiction, 3) molecular and cellular neuroadaptations that occur with acute and chronic drug use. Emphasis will be placed on critical analysis and discussion of primary literature and current methodologies used in the addiction field.

    Sec 007: Critical Psychology

    This course explores a growing field in which critical theories and discourses are used to understand social inequities and further social justice. Students will identify the ways in which injustice has been historically upheld by social scientists broadly and psychologists specifically and critique the ways in which our intentions may differ from our impacts. The course is guided by several overarching critiques of mainstream psychology – the traditionally limited level of analysis, how our ideology upholds the status quo, and the tendency to claim scientific objectivity and political neutrality.

    Sec 008: Close Relationships across the Lifespan

    This writing seminar will provide an advanced introduction to close relationships, particularly in the context of lifespan development. By the end of this course, you will be knowledgeable about relationship dynamics at each point of the lifespan. Topics covering both biological and sociocultural influences are designed to give you a more holistic view of close relationships. By studying the antecedents (and consequences) of close relationships, the hope is that the material will give you a deeper appreciation of those around you and lead you to develop more fulfilling relationships.

  • Description of Courses

    Psychology and MSU campus-wide course descriptions are available in the Description of Courses Catalog. PSY 493 expanded descriptions and prerequisites are available on the psychology undergraduate website and from the course listing on student.msu.edu 

Undergraduates