| Department: | Behavioral and Social Sciences / College of Liberal and Performing Arts |
| Hours Required: | 120 |
| Categories: | Major, Minor, Undergraduate |
| Delivery: | On-Campus |
Students majoring in Psychology at Southern Arkansas experience courses that establish a knowledge base in areas including statistics and research, children’s and adult’s clinical mental health, lifespan human development, learning principles, and biological psychology.
Psychology majors develop strong oral and written communication skills, demonstrate information literacy, engage in the practice of critical thinking and problem solving, along with building and applying ethical standards.
The major prepares students for a variety of careers including case management, human services, teaching, and lays a foundation for further studies at the graduate level.
To learn about careers, training events, and professional development, visit The American Psychological Association (APA) Careers page.
Learning Goals
- Our graduates communicate effectively with a variety of audiences.
- Our graduates understand diversity of gender, race, social class, ethnicity, and sexuality in their own and other cultures and societies.
- Our graduates use critical thinking to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and ideas from multiple perspectives.
- Our students will demonstrate the use of electronic databases to conduct literature searches, and use the peer-reviewed articles to access and synthesize information.
- Our students will demonstrate knowledge of statistical analysis and date organization.
The bachelor of science in psychology requires a total of 120 hours. Some of the courses students can expect to take in this degree program include the following:
- Abnormal Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Adolescent Psychology
- Child Psychopathology
- Theories of Personality
University Requirement – 2 hours
GSTD 1002 Freshman Seminar
General Education – 32 hours (3 hours of social science are included in the major)
Psychology – 42 hours
PSYC 2003 General Psychology
PSYC 3093 Physiological and Comparative Psychology
PSYC 3153 Research Methods
PSYC 3183 Statistics
PSYC 3223 Developmental Psychology
PSYC 4013 Psychological Measurement
PSYC 4033 Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 4043 History and Systems of Psychology
PSYC 4053 Theories of Personality
PSYC 4073 Learning
PSYC 4093 Career Planning in Psychology
9 hours of upper level psychology electives
Other Requirements – 13 hours
BIOL 3903/3901 Human Genetics/Lab
SOC 2003 Introduction to Sociology
SPCH 1113 Introduction to Public Speaking
3 hours of natural science or mathematics
Completion of a minor area approved by the advisor.
Completion of remaining hours to total 120 hours. Depending upon the chosen minor, student may need additional upper level hours to complete the required 40 junior/senior hours.
Minor Requirements:
Minor in Psychology – 18 hours
PSYC 2003 General Psychology
15 hours of psychology electives at the junior-senior level
University Goal #1: Our graduates can communicate effectively.
Psychology Program Goal #1: Our graduates communicate effectively with a variety of audiences as demonstrated by
- Production of a clearly written reflection paper linking personal experience to appropriate course content
- Produce a clearly written research paper based on original scholarship on a psychological topic
- Effective delivery of an oral presentation that is organized with an introduction and conclusion; is comprised of memorable and compelling language presented with materials and information that supports the presentation and helps establish the presenter as credible/authoritative on the topic.
University Goal #2: Our graduates are prepared to be personally and socially responsible citizens.
Psychology Program Goal #2: Our graduates understand diversity of gender, race, social class, ethnicity, and sexuality in their own and other cultures and societies. This understanding is demonstrated by
- The use of course materials that examine ways in which varied cultural and social factors influence behavior and psychological health
- Critical analysis of related issues in a larger global perspective by comparing and contrasting Western interpretations of psychological concepts of those of other cultures
- Contributing to the growth and success of their communities by first studying diverse social systems and cultures within and beyond one’s own community
- Participating in student organizations, community service, community outreach projects, service learning or similar activities beyond the classroom
University Goal #3: Our graduates can think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
Psychology Program Goal #3: Our graduates use critical thinking to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and ideas from multiple perspectives including
- Planning and conducting a research project that includes collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and presentation
- Application of terminology, information literacy, and the application of scholarly and scientific principles
- Demonstration of appropriate quantitative skills including data organization, analysis, and interpretation for the purpose of analyzing and solving problems
University Goal #4: Our graduates can use technology effectively in their fields.
Psychology Program Goal #4: Our graduates possess the skills to
- Determine which information is needed and search databases to obtain the needed information
- Evaluate the information and determine if it is peer-reviewed, derived from research or is opinion, and if the information was derived in an ethical manner
- Effectively use technology to analyze data (SPSS, Excel)
- Conduct literature searches using a variety of databases and compose a literature review in APA format
- The literature review reflects APA formatting that requires word processing skills including bolding, centering, and hanging indents
University Goal #5: Our graduates have content knowledge in their chosen fields and the necessary skills to be successful. Content knowledge is discipline and degree specific.
Psychology Program Goal #5: Our graduates possess the knowledge and skills to be successful in their field, including synthesizing information from a variety of sources and using quantitative skills to analyze and interpret data as evidenced by
- Completion of a research project that requires and demonstrates planning, organization, data collection, interpretation, and presentation.
- Demonstrated familiarity with statistical analysis and data organization/ data analysis programs (SPSS, Excel)
