Explore how the mind works and why we behave the way we do with a Psychology (BA, BSc) degree. York’s Psychology program is ranked among the Top 75 psychology programs worldwide and 5th in Canada by ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, examined through social, developmental, clinical, and biological perspectives. At York’s Keele campus, you will benefit from Canada’s largest and most diverse selection of psychology courses, exploring topics such as child development, social behaviour, memory, intelligence, motivation, personality, perception, culture, bullying, empathy, abnormal psychology, and neuroscience.
You will also gain knowledge and skills in statistics, research methods, and theory. Through hands-on learning opportunities such as research, course-based labs, community projects, or optional co-op, you can apply your learning in real-world contexts.
What You’ll Learn
You can pursue a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology. Both Honours options cover a broad range of psychology disciplines and share core requirements, with the BSc including additional math and science courses. Both degrees offer flexibility to combine Psychology with a minor or double major in another subject.
In your first and second year, you will gain foundational knowledge across broad topics within psychology (e.g., how we think, learn, develop, and perceive the world around us), while building essential skills in writing, statistics, and research methods. In upper years, you will deepen your expertise by choosing from a wide range of advanced courses such as Health Psychology, Neural Basis of Behaviour, Forensic Psychology, Psychology of Intimate Relationships, Counselling Psychology, and many more, with opportunities to participate in smaller seminar-style classes.
If you are interested in research, you may apply to switch into the Specialized Honours BA or BSc after first or second year, which includes advanced training in research methods, statistical analysis, and a supervised thesis, which is ideal for those planning to pursue research-based graduate studies.
You can customize your degree through:
- Concentrations: Focus your learning in up to two of nine areas such as Counselling and Mental Health; Psychology and Law; Child and Youth Development; and more. Concentrations help you satisfy your degree requirements while earning a digital badge for each completed area.
- Co-operative Education (Co-op): After second year, gain hands-on experience and build professional connections.
- Certificates: Add a career-focused certificate in counselling, aging, data analysis, or rehabilitation services. Completed alongside your degree, certificates allow you to further specialize in a coherent yet distinctive area that complements your main program. Certificates appear on your university transcript and require additional courses within the 120-credit Honours degree.
Sample Courses You Will Take
- Introduction to Psychology
- Writing in Psychology
- Introduction to Research Methods
- Statistical Methods I and II
- Developmental Psychology or Social Psychology or Personality
- Sensation and Perception or Motivation or Biological Basis of Behaviour or Cognition
- Critical Thinking in Psychology
You may also be interested in
