School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Psychology

BA/BS in Biopsychology

Biopsychology is an interdepartmental major for students particularly interested in neurobiology and animal behavior, and is offered jointly by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Biology. 

Learning Objectives

Program Requirements and Policies

  • Ten courses of 3 credits or more are required to complete the major. Five of these courses must be in Psychology and five must be in Biology.
  • Biopsychology majors may not double major in Psychology or Biology.
  • Majors are encouraged to elect an advanced laboratory course in either Biology or Psychology.

Course Requirements

Psychology Courses

The following three required courses:

  • Psychology 31: Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (or one of: BIO 132, CEE 6/CH 36, CEE 156, CSHD 140)
  • Psychology 32: Experimental Psychology
  • Psychology 103: Brain and Behavior*

Two electives chosen from the following:

  • Psychology 22: Emotion
  • Psychology 26: Animal and Learning and Cognition
  • Psychology 27: Perception
  • Psychology 29: Human Neuropsychology
  • Psychology 40: Laboratory in Physiological Psychology
  • Psychology 41: Perception/Cognition Laboratory
  • Psychology 42: Emotion Laboratory
  • Psychology 45: Laboratory in Functional Neuroimaging
  • Psychology 46: Animal Learning & Cognition Laboratory
  • Psychology 48: Research Methods in Psychopharmacology
  • Psychology 49: Laboratory in Psychophysiology
  • Psychology 104: Advanced Seminar in Physiological Psychology
  • Psychology 111: Psychiatric Medication in Children
  • Psychology 112: Biological Bases of Psychopathology
  • Psychology 116: Psychology of Fear
  • Psychology 117: Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Psychology 122: Cognitive Aging
  • Psychology 123: Psychopharmacology
  • Psychology 126: Origins of Cognition
  • Psychology 127: Behavioral Endocrinology
  • Psychology 128: Advanced Seminar on Nutrition and Behavior
  • Psychology 129: Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology 131: Neuropsychology of Cognition
  • Psychology 142: Seminar in Affective Neuroscience
  • Psychology 144: Memory and Retention
  • Psychology 146: Comparative Cognition and Behavior
  • Psychology 153: Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Processing
  • Psychology 154: Psychosis
  • Psychology 156: Long Term Memory Processes
  • Psychology 157: Multisensory Perception
  • Psychology 159: Emotion, Stress, and Health
  • Psychology 196; Various, but not all, special topics PSY 196 offerings (consult course offerings for details regarding which PSY 196 seminars in a given semester have been approved for biopsych credit)

*NOTE: Tufts will award 1 credit for PSY 25 or for PSY 103, but not separate credits for both courses due to their substantial overlap. A Biopsych major who has already taken PSY 25 should not take PSY 103, but instead should select an additional, third elective from the list above in order to complete the Psychology component of the major requirements.

Biology Courses

The following four required courses:

  • Biology 13: Cells and Organisms**
  • Biology 15: Cells and Organisms Lab**
  • Biology 41: General Genetics
  • Biology 130: Animal Behavior

One of the following courses in animal physiology:

  • Biology 75: Comparative Vertebrate Physiology
  • Biology 110: Endocrinology
  • Biology 115: General Physiology I
  • Biology 116: General Physiology II
  • Biology 117: Physiology of Movement
  • Biology 134: Neurobiology

One additional elective in Biology (BIO 13 or higher course number).

Any full-time faculty member in the Departments of Psychology or Biology can advise Biopsychology majors.

**As of Fall 2023, A&S students taking Biology 13 must take both BIO 13 (lecture) and BIO 15 (lab) in the same semester, as they are linked courses. A&S students must add both courses to their SIS cart when enrolling in BIO 13 + 15. Students who took BIO 13 before 2023 already have lab automatically included in Bio 13.  School of engineering students should note that the requirement to take the lab differs by major.