Advisement should be seen as a partnership between you and your academic adviser. It is a time to work with a faculty member in shaping your current education to achieve your future plans and career aspirations.
Contact your adviser at any time to discuss your goals, plans, needs, and questions.
All students must see an adviser or attend an advising workshop at least once each semester.
Who Is My Adviser?
New Majors & Transfers
New students will be assigned an adviser when they declare psychology as their major. If you are unsure who that person is, see the department secretary, Lori Barry, in Buckham Hall A238.
Students with Fewer than 24 Credits
All Buffalo State students are assigned a professional adviser in Academic Commons. The department also assigns a faculty adviser to every declared major. You are welcome to work with either or both advisers. However, we strongly encourage all students to meet with you Psychology Department adviser about any psychology-related questions.
Find your adviser's name on your Banner or Degree Works pages.
If you need help identifying your adviser, please contact department secretary Lori Barry, (716) 878-6215.
Students with More than 24 Credits
Once you are further along in your psychology studies, you will meet instead with a psychology adviser, who is a full-time professor.
Typically, your adviser is assigned based on your interests, to develop a good fit and partnership between you and your adviser.
If you don’t know who your adviser is, consult the list outside the Psychology Department main office, Buckham Hall A238.
You may change advisers (or have one assigned if you don't) by seeing the department secretary, Lori Barry, in the main office.
Roadmap to Graduation
First Year
First Semester
- PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology (Must pass with a C or better)
- CWP 101
- Math requirement (Must be MAT114 or higher to satisfy prerequisite for PSY350)
- Two General Education or elective courses
Second Semester
- Start PSY 300 content courses
- CWP 102
- Additional General Education courses
Sophomore Year
Third Semester
- PSY 350 Psychological Statistics (Must pass with a C or better to enroll in PSY 450)
- PSY 300-level elective
Fourth Semester
- PSY 450 Research Methods in Psychology
- PSY 300-level elective
Junior Year
Fifth Semester
- 300-level PSY elective
- 400-level PSY elective
Sixth Semester
- PSY 471 History and Systems of Psychology
- PSY 400-level elective
Senior Year
Seventh Semester
- PSY 400-level elective or
- PSY 488 Internship or
- PSY 499 Independent Study or
- PSY 486 Honors Thesis I
Eighth Semester
- PSY 472 Senior Seminar on Psychology
Advisement Tips
First-Year Students
First-year students have a dedicated professional adviser in Academic Commons and are also assigned a faculty advisor from the Psychology Department.
Registration PINs
As you approach registration, watch for emails and announcements about obtaining your registration PIN.
First-year students can obtain their PINs by attending a group advising workshop (workshop schedules are publicized each semester).
PSY 101
First-year students are advised to take PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology) in their first semester.
This course is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses offered by the department.
Once the student has taken this course and passed these with a grade of C or better, they can then choose from a variety of other 300- and 400-level courses in psychology.
Sophomores
In your second year, you may attend one of the group advising workshops or meet with your faculty advisor.
Juniors
By your junior year, you will be developing more specific questions about which opportunities are best for you and how to plan for life after college.
While you may attend one of the group advisement sessions, it is recommended that you meet with your departmental faculty adviser directly.
Seniors
By your senior year, advising questions are very individualized. You should meet with your faculty adviser to plan for your future and to make sure that you are on track to graduate.
Transfer Students
PSY 350
If you have taken the equivalent of PSY 101, you should probably register for PSY 350 (Statistics in Psychological Research) during your first semester on campus, unless you have taken a similar course elsewhere, or unless you are transferring fewer than 60 credits. PSY 350 is the prerequisite to the PSY 450 (Research Methods) course that you are also required to take. Please refer to the college catalog for the prerequisites for all other psychology courses.
Major Requirements Timeframe
A minimum of four semesters is usually necessary for the transfer student to complete the psychology major requirements. Transfer students wishing to graduate in fewer than four semesters should consult an advisor in the Psychology Department or speak with the Psychology Department Chair.
Transferring Psychology Courses from Other Colleges
Admissions and Records evaluate all transfer courses and place them on the audit sheet. The exception is courses in the major.
The Psychology Department, at the student's request, evaluates each course individually to decide whether it will count toward the requirements of the psychology major.
Courses for which there are no exact equivalents in our department or courses that do not fit into the psychology elective portion of our program will be used by the student as "All College Electives."
Typically, the student who wishes to use a course from another college for the psychology major should bring a copy of the course syllabus and the college catalog description for each course in question. Faculty members evaluate the courses and make the decision of whether it is counted toward the requirements of the major.
Courses specified on the SUNY Transfer Path for Psychology should transfer automatically.
Additional questions regarding the evaluation of transferred psychology courses should be directed to the Psychology Department chair.
Advisement FAQ
Perhaps more important than your grades and the piece of paper that says you’ve met all degree requirements are the skills that you build (writing skills, interpersonal skills, personal growth, overcoming challenges, being prepared, learning how to use resources, etc.) while earning your bachelor’s degree in psychology. The skills that you earn play a large role in determining what you can do with your degree.
Careers in the field of psychology website
Psychology Degree Guide website
Also, set up an appointment with your advisor at least once per year for one-on-one advisement to plan what you will do with your degree after graduation.
Use Degree Works to see what courses are required for graduation, when/what courses are offered, and how many seats are open in each course. Access Degree Works by logging in with your Buffalo State email address and password.
For psychology courses, please note prerequisite (course order) requirements when choosing your courses. Use the Roadmaps to help with planning course sequence for psychology courses.
Use Banner to sign up for courses. Login with your Banner ID and click “Student,” “Registration,” and “Search for Classes.”
Select the term for which you want to register and click “submit.” Then search by subject in order to see all available classes in each academic department. Select “view sections” next to the course for which you want to register. This will show you the sections offered of the course you’ve selected and information about each course (CRN, subject, credits, title, days, time, instructor, date, location, etc.). To register, check the box to the left of the course, and then click “submit” (“register”) on the bottom of the page. More information about registration.
Sometimes when attempting to register for a course, problems occur. Common problems and what to do to resolve them.
Students should register for 15 credit hours per semester in order to graduate in 4 years. Taking more than 15 credits can be overly burdensome and should be attempted with caution.
If a course is closed but has waitlist availability, and the student is eligible to take the course, he/she is given the option of joining the waitlist. Waitlist courses are displayed on the student's schedule along with the waitlist placement number. The number on the waitlist may change due to many reasons. If the student is moved to the top of the waitlist and a seat opens, he/she will receive a generated email alerting them to this fact. They then have a 24-hour period to login to Banner and enroll in this course. If they do not enroll in this window, they lose their spot in the waitlist and will have to start over.
Credit hours previously earned will be evaluated for all transfer students upon admission to the college. The evaluation for transfer credit hours is recorded in Degree Works. Questions about this process should be directed to audit@buffalostate.edu.
Student makes entry directly in Banner. Go to Add or Drop Classes link, click on LOV (list of values) menu under Action heading for the CRN you want to withdrawal from and select Student Course Withdrawal. Be sure to click on “submit changes” to save your entry. Also, BE CAREFUL – once the entry is submitted and saved, it cannot be changed. If this is an error that needs to be corrected, you must submit a petition to the Academic Standards Office.