Psychology, B.A.
Program Description
The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Psychology is designed to provide students with a broad-based understanding of psychology, and, through an appropriate choice of electives, the opportunity to tailor courses of study to fit specific interests and career objectives.
The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts degree program is to provide intensive training to those students who desire a foundation for graduate work in psychology, or who choose to further education in a graduate program in business, human services, law, mental health, etc. It also provides a strong preparation for careers in fields, which require knowledge of human behavior, leadership and motivation, and advanced social skills.
The Bachelor of Arts degree program consists of a 45-credit core of courses that includes 18 required credits in basic psychology, statistics, and research methods, followed by 27 credits of psychology electives.
Program Goals
Excellence in Teaching
- Experienced faculty
- Faculty represent multiple disciplines in the field
- Faculty are rated highly in terms of student satisfaction
- Personal Attention
- Faculty meet regularly with students to advise and mentor
- Faculty write letters of recommendation; review graduate school application materials
- help students identify area of graduate study they wish to pursue and schools to take them to next step
Scientific Foundation
- Courses in Research Methods, Writing in Psychology (APA style), Statistics
- Discussion of empirical research as the foundation of Psychological science is infused in every class
- Experiential learning includes
- brain dissection;
- empirical research design;
- literature reviews;
- data analysis & interpretation
- Course content includes comprehensive learning of major theory in all disciplines in Psychology, as well as review and discussion of seminal historical research that shapes current understanding and research directions in the field
Career-Oriented
- Internships are required and provide invaluable real-world experiential learning to apply classroom learning and concepts
- Faculty contacts with community leaders and workers in Psychology and mental health related fields give students access to professionals who act as examples and provide learning opportunities
- Preparation for graduate studies is part of the Psychology program curriculum; students are informed of the requirement of graduate education for a successful career path in psychology related fields
- Community partnerships and service-learning opportunities are combined with classroom learning in many courses to help students bring their learning into real world environments and situations
- The Psychology program has key elements embedded in every course to identify and grow critical thinking skills in all students
Student Success
- The Psychology program faculty coordinates resources within and without the Medaille College community to provide comprehensive services for students to ensure their academic success
Program Development
- Faculty continue to develop and introduce courses into the curriculum related to current topics in Psychology (e.g. trauma; popular psychology; counseling; etc.)
Resource Allocation
- The Psychology program faculty coordinates and develops resources within and without the Medaille College community to provide comprehensive services for students to insure innovation in teaching and learning
Community
- Faculty in the Psychology program partner with agencies and professionals in the WNY community to enrich learning opportunities for students
- Internship and Service-Learning opportunities connect students to real world situations and environments where they see and experience psychological theories, concepts, research, and human behavior in action
Degree earned: B.A.
Delivery formats: On-campus, online
Total number of credits: 120-121
Credit Distribution
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Core | ||
| Writing Courses | ||
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 112 | College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| ENG/HON 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 202 | Advanced College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| Critical Dialogues Course | ||
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking 1 | 3 |
| American Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Photographers, Writers, and the American Scene | ||
| Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community | ||
| Justice and Democracy in America | ||
| African-American History | ||
| Cultural Interaction in Colonial North America | ||
| Enduring American Dialogues | ||
| Creative and Reflective Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Photography as Cultural Landscape | ||
| Beginning Drawing | ||
| Basic Photography: Criticizing Photography | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Introduction to Theatre and Performance | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Botany | ||
| Enviromental Studies | ||
| Introductory Chemistry | ||
| Scientific Discovery | ||
| Physical Science | ||
| Principles of Physics I | ||
| Global Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| British Literature I: Middle Ages to the 18th Century | ||
| British Literature II: Late 18th Century to The Present | ||
| Themes and Topics in World Literature & Culture | ||
| Major Global Literary Figures | ||
| Baccalaureate Capstone I | ||
| Medieval World | ||
| The History of Ireland | ||
| History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| The Arts in Society | ||
| Psychoanalysis & Politics | ||
| Seminar in Religion and Belief | ||
| Classical Music Studies | ||
| Truth & Justice | ||
| Citizenship Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Baccalaureate Capstone II | ||
| Capstone in Citizenship | ||
| Psychology Capstone | ||
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra 2 | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Major Requirements | ||
| PSY 100 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 207 | Psychological Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 250 | Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 350 | Psychology Research and Writing | 3 |
| PSY 370 | Abnormal Human Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 377 | Psychology Undergraduate Internship | 3 |
| Psychology Electives | ||
| Select 9 courses of the following of which at least 8 courses or 24 credit hours must be PSY courses: 3 | 27 | |
| Child Development | ||
| Biopsychology | ||
| Adolescence | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Special Topic in Psychology | ||
| Organizational Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Behavioral Neuroscience | ||
| Psychology of Adulthood | ||
| Drugs and Behavior | ||
| History and Systems of Psychology | ||
| Parapsychology & Pseudoscience | ||
| Sports Psychology | ||
| Special Topic in Psychology | ||
| Personality | ||
| Psychological Assessment | ||
| Undergraduate Internship In Psychology II | ||
| Independent Study In Psychology | ||
| Educational Psychology | ||
| Human Relations | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Courses | ||
| Select 21 credits of Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives, 9 credits of which must be 300/400-level courses. | 21 | |
Liberal Arts and Science course include: APY, ART, BIO, CHE, CRJ, ECO, ENG, FRE, GEN, GEO, HIS, HUM, LNG, MAT, PHI, PHY, POL, PSY, RDG, SSC, SOC, SPA, SPE, and THE courses. | ||
| Free Elective Component | ||
| Select 21 credits of Free Electives 4 | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 120-121 | |
- 1
Required of first-year students; all other students may substitute a 300/400 level Liberal Arts and Sciences elective
- 2
Students who meet the math competency may substitute a Liberal Arts and Science elective
- 3
Additionally, 5 courses (15 credits) must be a 300/400-level course.
- 4
May include any College course.
Suggested Sequence
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| PSY 100 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| American Dialogues | 3 | |
| ENG 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| PSY Elective | 3 | |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Creative Dialogues | 3 | |
| PSY 207 | Psychological Statistics | 3 |
| PSY Elective | 3 | |
| PSY Elective | 3 | |
| PSY Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues | 3 | |
| PSY 250 | Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY Elective | 3 | |
| PSY Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PSY 350 | Psychology Research and Writing | 3 |
| PSY 370 | Abnormal Human Behavior | 3 |
| PSY Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PSY 377 | Psychology Undergraduate Internship | 3 |
| PSY Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| PSY Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Global Dialogues | 3 | |
| PSY Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| INT 450/PSY 411 | Capstone in Citizenship | 3 |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Please Note: The above shows the ideal suggested sequencing and scheduling of courses and credits by semester. It is based on eight semesters for a traditionally-structured baccalaureate degree. Degree program requirements and the scheduling of courses are subject to change, based on writing/math placements and course availability. This chart should be utilized a guide and is not a written contract. Students will be notified of changes that may affect their academic progress.