B.A. In Psychology

Our curriculum includes a wide range of courses intended to contribute to the program of liberal study for students, whatever their fields of concentration, and offers a broad base of prerequisite knowledge at the introductory and intermediate levels for those who declare psychology as a major. Beyond this, students may further define their educational and career objectives by completing courses at the advanced level.

Many courses offer a laboratory or experiential component, including field and observational studies, surveys, simulation and role-playing, and laboratory studies. A computer laboratory is available for research and data analysis. Also, there are opportunities to participate in field study programs, independent study projects, and the Honors program.

You're encouraged to present their research at one or both of two major annual conferences: the Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Psychology Conference or the Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Symposium, held in conjunction with meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association.

Degree Outcome

• Goal 1: Knowledge Base in Psychology
• Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
• Goal 3: Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
• Goal 4: Communication
• Goal 5: Professional Development

Curriculum

The Psychology program encompasses a wide body of knowledge. Complexities of human and animal behavior are discovered through experimental methods and inquiry. The psychology field is broad-reaching, where professional endeavors are applied to human welfare and behavior.

Students who declare psychology as their major will take 9 courses as part of a single curriculum for all students: an introductory course, a two-course statistics and methods sequence, four core requirements, one seminar course, and one elective.

Internships

Internships are your opportunity to see classroom material come to life. To get first-hand exposure to a possible career. To develop important relationships with professionals in your field. You'll work closely with your faculty coordinator to reflect upon the ongoing experience.

Psychology internship studies are open to juniors and seniors with a 2.7 GPA who have completed any necessary prerequisites as determined by their faculty coordinator. The internship experience is only one component in justifying the granting of academic credit for internship study, and the whole process can consist of the following:

• A preliminary contract was reviewed by the faculty coordinator, the department chairperson, the academic dean, and when possible, the field supervisor and modified, if considered appropriate.
• An early pre-internship site visit, for first-time internship field sites.
• Weekly meetings between the student and the faculty coordinator in order to ensure continuous evaluation of the student’s progress.
• At mid-semester, the faculty member will meet with the internship supervisor and the student to evaluate the learning experience, informally review the student’s evaluation form and make appropriate improvements in the internship study.
• A formal end-of-semester evaluation and grade. What Do Psychologists Do and Where Do They Work?

Student Opportunities

1. The Psychology Club
2. Psi Chi
3. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
4. AAUW
5. Active Minds

• Knowledge Base in Psychology - Students should demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to behavioral problems. Students completing foundation courses should demonstrate the breadth of their knowledge and application of psychological ideas to simple problems; students completing a baccalaureate degree should show depth in their knowledge and application of psychological concepts and frameworks to problems of greater complexity.
• Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking - Students completing foundation-level courses should learn basic skills and concepts in interpreting behavior, studying research, and applying research design principles to drawing conclusions about psychological phenomena; students completing a baccalaureate degree should focus on theory use, as well as designing and executing research plans.
• Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World - Students completing foundation-level courses should become familiar with the formal regulations that govern professional ethics in psychology and begin to embrace the values that will contribute to positive outcomes in work settings and in building a society responsive to multicultural and global concerns. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should have more direct opportunities to demonstrate adherence to professional values that will help them optimize their contributions and work effectively, even with those who do not share their heritage and traditions.
• Communication - Students should demonstrate competence in writing and in oral and interpersonal communication skills. Students completing foundation-level courses should write a cogent scientific argument, present information using a scientific approach, engage in discussion of psychological concepts, explain the ideas of others, and express their own ideas with clarity. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should produce a research study or other psychological project, explain scientific results, and present information to a professional audience.
• Professional Development - The emphasis in this goal is on the application of psychology-specific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork skills, and career preparation. Foundation-level outcomes concentrate on the development of work habits and ethics to succeed in academic settings. The skills in this goal at the baccalaureate level refer to abilities that sharpen student readiness for post-baccalaureate employment, graduate school, or professional school.