123 credits required for graduation

The School of Liberal Arts offers the Bachelors of Science degree with a major in Psychology with specializations in Cognitive Neuroscience, Social/Applied, Clinical/Personality, & Developmental/Education. Students majoring in Psychology must complete a rigorous plan of study specifically focusing on identified program goals. The goals of the program have been identified as being key components that would enable students to transition seamlessly into a graduate program or workplace environment. All students are required to complete core courses related to the major. In addition, students will complete lower and upper level psychology courses representing more specialized areas in the field. The structure of the program provides students with a realistic view of career and educational options available in the field of psychology. Students demonstrate competence in the field of psychology through major coursework.

Curriculum

General Education Requirements (60 hours)

The primary objective of the general education requirements is to guarantee that all students seeking a Bachelors of Science in Psychology (BS) degree will share a common body of knowledge drawn from a broad spectrum of subject areas.

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

The physical education requirement is comprised of one credit hour of Wellness and two credit hours of additional Physical Education courses.

Legislative Requirements

Georgia law requires that each candidate for a degree demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitution on the United States and Georgia. These requirements may be met by receiving a passing grade in certain courses, or by passing the appropriate examination. The courses and the requirement(s) each course satisfies are as follows:

1. HIST 2111  or HIST 2112  satisfies the Georgia and U.S. history requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
2. POLS 1101 satisfies the Georgia and US Constitution requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
3. Students with transfer credit (HIST 2111 , HIST 2112  or POLS 1101 ) from outside the University System of Georgia will need to contact the Testing Center regarding the legislative exams requirement.

Major Requirements (60 hours)

The major requirements consist of two areas of study: Psychology Core and a specialization. The Psychology Core is designed to ensure that students receiving the BS degree in Psychology will share a common body of knowledge needed to apply psychological principles both in the work place and academic settings. Specialization courses allow students to delve further into an area of specialization.

Program Outcome Goals

Bachelor of Science - Psychology

Students graduating from the Psychology Program will:

1. Understand a full spectrum of general theoretical approaches to Psychology.
2. Understand that psychology sub-disciplines are related.
3. Be able to relate theory to real world situations.
4. Understand basic topics of research methodology.
5. Understand the statistical tools appropriate to single variable and two variable analyses.
6. Demonstrate competence in communication (written, verbal, numeric & graphic).
7. Demonstrate competence in critical/analytic thinking.
8. Demonstrate the ability to apply Psychological theory and/or research methodology.
9. Demonstrate capacity to work collaboratively to solve problems.
10. Demonstrate appreciation of historical/philosophical context.
11. Understand that normative human behavior and experience is varied and multidimensional.
12. Demonstrate a commitment to the ethical foundations/ethical principles of psychology.