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PSYCH

Psychology

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Spring 2027

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

Find your next class

52 courses

Explores human flourishing through science and humanities, focusing on resilience, compassion, and community to build self-awareness and meaningful engagement in life and career.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Tony Chambers

The workload included weekly journals and quizzes, which students found super easy and interesting.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines theories and research on the psychology of women and gender, covering sex bias, female sexuality, gender-based violence, and transgender individuals.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Morgan Jerald

One student found the textbook essential and noted that Jerald provided lots of extra credit opportunities.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2023 · limited sample

Introduction to Human Factors covers human capabilities and limits in system design, exploring cognitive, physical, and psychosocial perspectives to support user needs and evaluate system performance.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Hannah Silber

The workload included approximately three tests and four reading assignments, alongside group work that students described as very easy to complete.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Ranjana Mehta

Assignments lacked instructions or rubrics, creating ambiguity for students.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Systems Neuroscience covers the anatomy and physiology of the mammalian nervous system, focusing on human brain neuroanatomy, sensory/motor systems, higher-order functions, primary literature, and hands-on dissections.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introduction to Psychology covers behavior topics: development, motivation, emotion, intelligence, learning, forgetting, personality, language, thinking, and social behavior.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Chelsea Andrews

Andrews assigned two small writing assignments per week and one 8-10 page final paper. Other sections required two discussion posts, a reflection, and a quiz weekly, with a final project but no traditional tests.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

An introductory statistics course covering descriptive measures, probability, hypothesis testing, t-tests, Chi-square, regression, correlation, and one-way ANOVA.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jonathan Gallimore

Students reported having to do a lot of self-teaching to succeed, and the course required a significant amount of work to keep up with the material.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Covers scientific method and experimental, observational, and correlational research designs in psychological science, including demonstrations and experiments.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Julia Greenberg

The workload includes a heavy semester-long research paper and lengthy labs that some students found to be busy work, alongside a large volume of information on lecture slides.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Survey of topical issues in psychology; topics vary with the instructor.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Patricia Coffey

Tests were not too hard and included extra credit opportunities.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Psychology of Personality covers the organization and development of personality, examining various theories, ideologies, and origins. It compares approaches to personality development, assessment, and research methods.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Madeline Pflum, Stephanie Carpenter

Pflum’s class included midterms, a final, and reports, while Carpenter’s class included midterms and a paper.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2025

Adult Psychopathology introduces diagnosis and treatment of major mental disorders, examining biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors in their etiology and maintenance.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Madeline Pflum

Exams were worded difficultly, appeared to trick students, and made up most of the grade, requiring students to read the textbook to succeed.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Psychology of Perception surveys how the brain creates conscious experience using neurophysiology, psychophysics, simulations, illusions, and patient studies.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Karen Schloss

Exams accounted for 95% of the grade, and the course was described as very tough with no previous exams provided for preparation.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026

Cognitive Psychology examines how people perceive, learn, remember, plan, solve problems, make decisions, and communicate, using psychological approaches alongside computer science, linguistics, and neurobiology.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Brad Postle

The only assignments were quizzes, which were easy, and exams, which were tough; one student did fine without reading the textbook.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

Behavioral Neuroscience covers the biological basis of human and animal behaviors, including perception, action, cognition, social interaction, and disease, using weekly themes to explore neural mechanisms.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Yuri Saalmann

Grading relies entirely on three multiple-choice exams, requiring precise memorization of slide content. One student noted that missing more than five of seventy-five questions on an exam prevented an A, while another found last-minute cramming ineffective.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Social Psychology introduces classic and contemporary theories and research with an emphasis on experimental methodology, examining individual behavior in social contexts.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Emily Dix, Judith Harackiewicz

Success required reading the entire textbook, as exams covered detailed content that lectures did not fully supplement. Students noted that not reading every word made the tests not doable.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Covers biological and behavioral foundations of human development, emphasizing experiments and data-driven approaches across prenatal, cognitive, social, and atypical domains.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jenny Saffran

Assessment included three multiple-choice exams and a quiz. While textbook readings were assigned, students reported they were primarily needed for specific papers and projects rather than all exams.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines biological, cognitive, social, and emotional development in the second decade of life, covering puberty, identity, peer roles, and high-risk behaviors.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Joao Moreira

The course is exam-heavy, with weekly comprehension quizzes and written assignments that some students felt were graded strictly. Study guides are provided to help prepare for tests.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2026

Covers physical, cognitive, social, and personality development during the adult years, focusing on aging myths, theories, and interdisciplinary contexts.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Chelsea Andrews

Weekly tasks included short quizzes, discussion posts, and small assignments taking 10–20 minutes each. There were no major exams, only one final paper and consistent weekly readings.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2024

In-depth treatment of a specific psychology topic with an emphasis in the social sciences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Madeline Pflum

Homework assignments were numerous but described as straightforward and simple once lectures were viewed. One student noted the midterm held little weight and was fairly easy.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2023

Social Development explores how infants and children perceive, think about, and interact with the social world.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Ashley Jordan

Lectures used wordy scripts and sparse slides, making note-taking hard and often requiring re-watching; exams were described as very specific.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025

In-depth treatment of a specific topic in psychology and biology with emphasis on biological sciences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Brad Postle

The course was described as very lecture and textbook-heavy, requiring students to be ready to read a lot.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Spring 2026

Examines how hormones and neurotransmitters shape brain and behavior in animals and humans, covering sex differences, sexual behavior, stress, and epigenetics.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Anthony Auger, Catherine Marler

Students reported that the course involved heavy memorization and substantial course materials. While one student noted three major exams, others described Auger’s tests as fair and easy, whereas Marler’s exams were criticized for covering very specific details.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Overview of criminal psychology covering forensic and psychobiological processes, including psychopathy, mental illness, and causes of crime.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Patti Coffey

The course included weekly readings, two required books, and a large paper. Assessment consisted of three non-cumulative multiple-choice exams with no final, which students described as fair and straightforward.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines empirical evidence on how the Internet affects learning, communication, socialization, attention, development, and aging through original research synthesis.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Morton Gernsbacher

The workload was described as tedious with many small details and a high volume of work. While the material itself was not considered difficult, students noted the need for strict adherence to formatting requirements.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Advanced undergraduate special topics in psychology that allow students to evaluate research findings and explore key concepts in rotating areas of study.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Rebecca Addington

The workload consisted of small weekly assignments, reasonable reading, and one big paper due at the end, with no exams.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to Psychotherapy covers theoretical and applied foundations, exploring ethics, diversity, transference, trauma work, and various therapy modalities.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Rhonda Reinholtz

Exams were take-home and open-note, but students reported having just enough time to finish them.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Mentored Research and Seminar involves developing an understanding of primary research and participating in designing and conducting research to extend current understanding.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Andrea Konz

The class featured no exams but required quite a few projects and weekly assignments, with a difficulty level rated as moderate.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Issues in Prisoner Reentry provides a multi-systemic understanding of evidence-based prisoner reentry issues and solutions, including community-based learning experiences focused on decreasing recidivism.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample