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2024-2025 University Catalog
Brain and Behavioral Sciences, BS
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About the Program
The Brain and Behavioral Sciences major (BBS) is appropriate for students interested in the more science or math-oriented areas of psychology. This program is also popular with students who want careers in medicine. Like the Psychological Sciences major, this major includes a foundation in both basic and applied areas of psychology and offers substantial opportunity to explore other areas of interest. The advanced coursework emphasizes behavioral neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and quantitative areas of psychology. Department of Psychological Sciences Brain and Behavioral Sciences Major Change (CODO) Requirements Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredDepartmental/Program Major Course Requirements (36 credits)
A cumulative GPA of 2.3 is required for all courses used to meet major (Areas A-C) requirements. A) Brain and Behavioral Sciences Required Courses (9 credits)
B) Brain and Behavioral Sciences Selectives (12 credits)
Select two courses from each of the following groups. C) Advanced Content Courses (15 credits)
Select five 3-credit courses from the following options. Only one PSY 39000, PSY 39800, or PSY 49800 may count towards this requirement.
Courses numbered 30000 or higher from locations other than Purdue-WL cannot be used to fulfill requirement C unless the outside course has been officially designated as equivalent to an approved Purdue-WL PSY course numbered 30000 or higher; other courses will be reviewed for approval on an ad hoc basis. Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (40-76 credits)
- COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
- ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core) or
- ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core) or
- HONR 19903 - Interdisciplinary Approaches In Writing Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)
- MA 15300 - College Algebra Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) or
- MA 15800 - Precalculus - Functions And Trigonometry Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) or
- MA 16010 - Applied Calculus I Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) or
- MA 16100 - Plane Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 5.00 ♦ (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) or
- MA 16500 - Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)
- Cultural/International Diversity Selective - Credit Hours: 0.00-16.00
- Economics/Finance Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Human Cultures: Humanities Core - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (If a foreign language is chosen for Cultural/International Diversity Selective, this requirement is satisfied.)
- Management & Leadership Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00; (If PSY 27200 is selected for BBS Major Area B, this requirement is satisfied.)
- Science Core - Credit Hours: 2.00-5.00 (Recommend course from Area D or E that is also on University Science Core list. If course chosen for BBS Major Area D is also on University Science Core list, this requirement is satisfied.)
- Science Core - Credit Hours: 2.00-5.00 (Recommend course from Area D or E that is also on University Science Core list. If course chosen for BBS Major Area E is also on University Science Core list, this requirement is satisfied.)
- Science, Technology & Society Core - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00 (Recommend course from Area D or E that is also on University Science Technology & Society Core list. IF course chosen for BBS Major Area D or E, or for Social Ethics Selective, is also on University Science Technology Society Core list, this requirement is satisfied.)
- Social Ethics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (If PSY 46400 or PSY 58100 is selected for BBS Major Area C, this requirement is satisfied.)
D) Foundations in Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Information Technology Selective (5-9 credits)
- Select two courses for a total of 5-9 credits from FOUNDATIONS List.
- Courses selected must be from two different groups.
- At least one course from Areas D or E must be a lab natural science course.
E) Additional Study in Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Information Technology (9-13 credits)
- Select at least 9 credits from ADDITIONAL STUDY List.
- At least one course from Areas D or E must be a lab natural science course.
GPA Requirements
- A cumulative GPA of 2.3 is required for all courses used to meet major (Areas A-C) requirements.
- 2.0 GPA required for Graduation
Course Requirements and Notes
- Courses that fulfill Core requirements may also be used to fulfill Selective requirements, if applicable.
- Courses that fulfill major requirements (Areas A-C) may also be used to fulfill Selective requirements, if applicable.
- Courses that fulfill major requirements (Areas A-C) and Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Information Technology requirements (Areas D-E) may also be used to fulfill Core requirements.
Pass/No Pass Policy
- A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass. Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes. In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option. A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.
Transfer Credit Policy
- Courses numbered 30000 or higher from locations other than Purdue-WL cannot be used to fulfill major requirement Area C unless the outside course has been officially designated as equivalent to an approved Purdue-WL PSY course numbered 30000 or higher; other courses will be reviewed for approval on an ad hoc basis
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website. - Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website. To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways: - Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
- Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
- Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.
More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue. Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Additional Information
- Students may NOT major in both Brain & Behavioral Sciences and Psychological Sciences.
Fall 3rd Year
- BBS Major Area B2 ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00
- BBS Major Area C - Credit Hours: 3.00
- BBS Major Area E + Science, Tech, & Society - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
- Human Cultures: Humanities core - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 3rd Year
- BBS Major Area C - Credit Hours: 3.00
- BBS Major Area C - Credit Hours: 3.00
- BBS Major Area E + Science #2 - Credit Hours: 3.00-5.00
- Social Ethics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00
Fall 4th Year
- BBS Major Area C - Credit Hours: 3.00
- BBS Major Area C - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00
Spring 4th Year
- Economics/Finance Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Management & Leadership Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 3.00
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here. World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS-Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish) Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical. In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.” Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion. Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. |
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