Psychology, B.A.

Program Learning Outcomes

Objective 1: Knowledge Base in Psychology  

1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and themes in psychology
1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains
1.3 Describe applications of psychology

Objective 2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking  

2.1 Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena
2.2 Demonstrate psychology information literacy
2.3 Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving
2.4 Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research
2.5 Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry

Objective 3: Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World  

3.1 Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice
3.2 Build and enhance interpersonal relationships
3.3 Adopt values that build community at local, national, and global levels

Objective 4: Communication  

4.1 Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes
4.2 Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes
4.3 Interact effectively with others

Objective 5: Professional Development  

5.1 Apply psychological content and skills to career goals
5.2 Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation
5.3 Refine project-management skills
5.4 Enhance teamwork capacity
5.5 Develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation

General Education Requirements (30-40 Credits)

Prerequisite coursework may be required to satisfy certain General Education courses and will count as elective credit.

Total Credits Required to Complete Major: 52 Credits

Please see #1 under Notes on the Psychology Major for additional information.

Minimum Competence Requirement

ALL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES COUNTED FOR THE PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR REQUIREMENTS MUST RECEIVE A GRADE OF C- or better. Psychology majors must achieve a C average (2.0) across the courses counted for the major requirements.

Proficiency in Basic Requirements: Students must complete all Basic Requirements (PSYC 100 , PSYC 250 , PSYC 251 , PSYC 225 , and PSYC 233 ) with a minimum grade of C- in each class, and a GPA of C (2.0) across these five courses prior to taking most 300- or 400-level PSYC classes (as noted in course descriptions). Students should consult the department webpage for details about how to demonstrate the minimum competence requirements. Students with AP or transfer credits for any Basic Requirements must consult with the department about their eligibility for upper-level classes. If a D or E is earned in any Psychology course, majors may repeat each course one time to achieve the required minimum grade. Students may not go on to upper-division Psychology courses until a C- or better is earned in all prerequisites for that course. (See “Repeated Courses: D and E Grade Policy” in this bulletin.)

Department Writing Requirement

All majors must successfully complete PSYC 452  with a grade of C- or higher. One prerequisite of this course is PSYC 251 - Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods , which introduces students to writing research reports in psychology. PSYC 452 - Advanced Research in Psychology: (subtitle)  extends the training students receive in PSYC 251  by having them apply what they have learned to the task of producing written reports of laboratory research. PSYC 452  is a writing-intensive course.

Sample Course Map

For students who matriculated prior to Fall 2022: please select the bulletin year in which you entered the college (matriculated) at the top right of this page.

Curriculum Map  

• First Year
  • Fall - 16 Credits
    • PSYC 100 - Introductory Psychology  
    • SOCL 100 - Introduction to Sociology  
      • Counts for Global Society: DPP, WCV
    • WRTG 105 - Writing Seminar: (subtitle)  
    • Global Society: CAI - Credit(s): 3
    • World Language 101 - Credit(s): 4
  • Spring - 14 Credits
    • PSYC 250 - Introduction to Behavioral Statistics  
      • Counts for Math/Quantitative Reasoning
    • PSYC 251 - Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods  
    • BIOL 103 - Human Biology  
    • BIOL 104 - Human Biology Laboratory  
    • World Language 102 - Credit(s): 4
• Second Year
  • Fall - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 225 - Introduction to Cognitive Psychology  
    • PSYC 233 - Introduction to Biological Psychology  
    • Global Society: CGC - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 6
  • Spring - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 2xx Social/Personality Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • PSYC 2xx Developmental Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • Global Society: SST - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 6
• Third Year
  • Fall - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 2xx Applications Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 9
  • Spring - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • Integrative and Applied Learning - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 6
• Fourth Year
  • Fall - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 452 - Advanced Research in Psychology: (subtitle)  
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 9
  • Spring - 15 Credits
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • PSYC 3xx Elective - Credit(s): 3
    • Electives - Credit(s): 9

KEY - Participation in a Global Society (PGS)

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