Psychology, BA

Program Description:

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) curriculum offers students an array of courses in psychological theory supported by coursework in research methodology, statistics, and writing.  Students will also choose from a variety of elective courses including those related to counseling and psychotherapy, forensic psychology, neuroscience, as well as applied areas in human performance and effectiveness.  The BA degree offers flexibility encouraging students to supplement their education in psychology with additional courses outside of psychology.  This enables students to customize their degree to meet individual goals.  BA graduates prepared with knowledge of human behavior who are adaptable and willing to learn, socially skilled, and focused on problem solving will have the greatest flexibility in pursuing the jobs and careers of their choice given the demands of employers in the 21st century.

Admission Requirements:

All students are eligible to be directly admitted into the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program.

Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to learn more about curriculum choices, degree completion requirements, graduate school, and career opportunities.  Because of the breadth of psychology, a variety of educational options are available, therefore, students should continue to work with the psychology undergraduate program advisors to facilitate progress towards their degree.

Program Learning Objectives:

The B.A. curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to achieve five learning objectives.

1. Students will gain a knowledge of human behavior, including an understanding of thoughts, motivations, and feelings of individuals and groups and knowledge in how to assess human behavior and respond appropriately in work situations.
2. Students will gain strong ethical principles, including familiarity with ethical principles relating to work practices and to the protection of information, including how to safeguard privacy and confidentiality.
3. Students will learn to communicate information effectively both verbally and in written form in a concise and clear way; they will be able to communicate technical including statistical) information clearly to non-specialists and will be able to translate data into easily interpreted graphs and figures.
4. Students will learn to work effectively in teams, both as a member and as a leader, and with people from diverse backgrounds; they will gain experience in taking initiative on group projects, in following directions or an established protocol, and will be responsive to positive or negative feedback.
5. Students will learn strong self-management skills, gain the ability to define and achieve goals in unclear situations, develop and complete projects from idea conception through final presentation of results or work products, as well as manage multiple, simultaneous demands relating to school, work, and family.

Program Learning Outcomes:

 The BA Program of Study Learning outcomes are as follows:

1. Graduates have knowledge of human behavior, including an understanding of thoughts, motivations, and feelings of individuals and groups and knowledge in how to assess human behavior and respond appropriately in work situations.
2. Graduates display strong ethical principles, including familiarity with ethical principles relating to work practices and to the protection of information, including how to safeguard privacy and confidentiality.
3. Graduates communicate information effectively both verbally and in written form in a concise and clear way; they will be able to communicate technical including statistical) information clearly to non-specialists and translate data into easily interpreted graphs and figures.
4. Graduates work effectively in teams, both as a member and as a leader, and with people from diverse backgrounds; they take initiative on group projects, following directions or an established protocol, and are responsive to positive or negative feedback.
5. Graduates regain strong self-management skills, the ability to define and achieve goals in unclear situations, develop and complete projects from idea conception through final presentation of results or work products, as well as manage multiple, simultaneous demands relating to school, work, and family.

Psychology Honors Program:

Students interested in being admitted to the psychology honors program should apply in their junior year. After acceptance, students enroll in one departmental honors seminar each academic year. Part-time students must complete one honors seminar prior to graduation. All students must complete an honors thesis, for which academic credit is granted.

For additional information:

• Psychology, BA
• Department of Psychology
• College of Science and Mathematics