Psychological Sciences

Program Description

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Program Description

The undergraduate program in Psychological Sciences is made up of a structured curriculum in which students develop a thorough understanding of concepts and principles that attempt to explain human behavior and mental processes. This program leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), which prepares students to (1) ) begin work as a non-professional in a variety of settings where a liberal arts background plus interpersonal skills are needed and 2) obtain entrance into graduate programs in any field of Psychology. All students must fulfill the General Education requirements and regularly meet with their advisors. After completing General Education courses, student will begin to more rigorously pursue the major requirements for Psychology.

Vision and/or Mission

Our mission is to engage students in critical thinking about the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of themselves and those of the diversity of populations around the globe. In addition to critical thinking, we aim to graduate students who have gained scientific and information literacy as a result of studying in the program. Our mission also includes graduating diverse students who are prepared for success in the 21st Century, via engaging the students in ongoing collaborative and experiential learning using various modes of delivery of information.

Departmental Goals

Goal 1: To instruct students in a general knowledge base in psychology

Goal 2: To engage students in scientific inquiry and critical thinking across the departmental curriculum

Goal 3: To inform students about their ethical and social responsibility in a diverse world

Goal 4: To advance students’ skills in communication

Goal 5: To contribute to students’ overall professional development

Major Program: B.A. in Psychology

Minor Program: No minor is required by this department for psychology majors. Non-majors may major in psychology.

Certificate Programs: No certificate program is offered through this department.

Policies : Majors must complete all core courses in psychology with a grade of C or better.

Services: Students are involved in service for course credit or on a volunteer basis. Faculty in the department are involved in university, community, and professional service.

Centers: There are no centers affiliated with this department.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, the student will exhibit skills in quantitative and scientific literacy, in the ability to find and analyze information from diverse sources (information literacy), in critically reading and thinking about concepts and ideas from our discipline and in general knowledge, and will be able to communicate effectively about all of the above knowledge in a variety of written venues and in oral and visual performance. The core curriculum outlined below includes four courses in which these seven student learning outcomes are integrated within the goals and content of the courses. Elements of several skills are included in these courses, but the University-wide student learning outcomes are specifically examined as follows:

Information Literacy: Identity, locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and responsibility to increase understanding (PSY 2430).

Written Communication: Use appropriate language, conventions, organization, supporting evidence, and content to effectively communicate in writing for the purpose and audience (PSY 2430).

Critical Reading: Interacting with written language to construct and reflect on meaning while evaluating and questioning in relation to contextual information (PSY 3401).

Scientific Literacy: Exhibit knowledge of scientific concepts and processes and ability to engage the scientific method towards informing decision making and participation in civic, social, cultural, and economic affairs (PSY 3401).

Quantitative Literacy: Understand and create arguments that are supported by empirical evidence and clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats such as using words, tables, graphs, and mathematical equations, as appropriate (PSY 4401).

Critical Thinking: Analyze, synthesize or deconstruct, interpret and evaluate information and concepts to solve problems (PSY 4401).

Oral Communication: Use appropriate language, conventions, elocution, poise, organization, supporting evidence, and content to effectively communicate through the spoken word for the purpose and audience (PSY 4440).

Major Course Sequence

1. General Education Prerequisites: 3 hr total (must take before any Major Psychology courses):

PSY 2301 Introduction to the Psychological Sciences (3 hr)

2. Major Psychology Courses (41 credit hours minimum)

A. Core Psychology Courses: 16 hr total (must take each of the following courses):

PSY 2430 Writing for the Psychological Sciences (4 hr)

PSY 3401 Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology I (4 hr)

PSY 4401 Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology II (4 hr)*

PSY 4440 Senior Seminar in Psychology (4 hr)*

Note: PSY 2430 and PSY 3401 may be taken at the same time.

B. Foundations Courses: 15 hr total (must take 2 courses from 2 foundation areas and 1 course from 1 foundation area below):

Biological and Cognitive Foundations

PSY 3301 Biological Psychology

PSY 3305 Motivation and Emotion

PSY 3308 Cognitive Psychology

PSY 3346 Principles of Learning

PSY 3348 Sensation and Perception

Social and Developmental Foundations

PSY 3302 Adolescence

PSY 3303 Aging

PSY 3307 Social Psychology

PSY 3309 Cross-Cultural Psychology

PSY 3336 Lifespan Development

Community, Health, and Counseling Foundations

PSY 3321 Introduction to Community Psychology

PSY 3306 Abnormal Psychology

PSY 4310 Health Psychology

PSY 3316 Principles of Psychological Testing

PSY 4331 Counseling Psychology

C. Seminar Courses with Labs: 4 hr total (must take 1 seminar course with lab from the list below:

PSY 4409 Seminar in Biological Psychology (4 hr)

PSY 4405 Seminar in Cognitive Psychology (4 hr)

PSY 4407 Seminar in Community Psychology (4 hr)

PSY 4411 Seminar in Counseling Psychology (4 hr)

PSY 4439 Seminar in Social Psychology (4 hr)

D. Electives in PSY: 6 hr total (take any 2 psychology courses not taken above).

*These courses must be taken after the student receives a C grade or better in PSY 2430, Writing for the Psychological Sciences, and PSY 3401, Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology I. All other courses may be taken concurrently in any given semester after Introduction to Psychological Sciences is completed.

No minor is required from another discipline if a student majors in Psychology.