Psychology Major

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Description

Psychology is the science of behavior. It covers the behavior of humans and animals, normal and abnormal behavior, and behavior across the life span. The field is concerned both with the development of principles of behavior and with their application to individuals, society and the institutions of government, business, and mental health.

Admission to the Program

Any undergraduate student can declare this major.

Program Requirements

Students in the psychology major pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and must complete the corresponding degree's requirements.

All majors are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits of psychology (39 credits if transferring in a 3-credit Research Methods course), 18 credits of which must be taken at Brockport. Students may elect to take more than the minimum, but not more than 54 credits in psychology will count toward the degree. A Brockport psychology GPA of 2.00 is required in order to graduate with a major in psychology.

General Education Requirements (35–41 credits)

Major Program Requirements (40–43 credits)

Core Courses (10 credits)

Introduces the science of psychology and tools to understand and conduct psychological research.

To make normal progress in the major, students should complete the core before entering their junior year. Transfer students should consult with a psychology faculty advisor as soon as possible.

For students matriculating in Fall, 2019 or later, a grade of "C" or above is required in each of the core courses. Grades of "C-" or lower in these courses are NOT acceptable and require repeats unless otherwise specified. Students who entered the program prior to Fall 2019 may opt in to this requirement.

  • PSH 110 Principles of Psychology*
  • PSH 202 Introductory Statistics for Psychology or an approved course from another discipline (ECN 204, PBH 488, MTH 243, SOC 200)*
  • PSH 301 Research Methods in Psychology

Content Areas (15 credits)

Provides an overview of Psychology's major domains.

For students matriculating into the program in Fall, 2019 or later, a grade of "C" or above is required in each of the content courses. Grades of "C-" or lower in these courses are NOT acceptable and require repeats unless otherwise specified. Students who entered the program prior to Fall 2019 may opt in to this requirement.

Select ONE from each content group

Application (3 credits)

Investigates strategies for using psychological knowledge to solve human problems.

Select ONE of the following courses:

  • PSH 336 Clinical Psychology
  • PSH 397 Health Psychology
  • PSH 402 Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • PSH 410 Psychology and the Law
  • PSH 480 Principles of Assessment
  • PSH 482 Community Psychology
  • PSH 483 Applied Behavior Analysis

Capstone (3 credits)

These courses involve a writing intensive capstone experience and are restricted to senior-status Psychology majors. A student must have completed the core and content areas before enrolling; individual course prerequisites may also apply. These courses are low enrollment classes to promote critical thinking and understanding of complex psychological phenomena.

Select ONE of the following courses:

  • PSH 424 Positive Psychology
  • PSH 425 Motivation
  • PSH 431 Close Relationships
  • PSH 436 Psychology of Aging
  • PSH 441 Clinical Neuropsychology
  • PSH 442 Psychology of Eating
  • PSH 446 Cognitive Development
  • PSH 451 Cognitive Neuroscience
  • PSH 494 Prejudice and Discrimination
  • PSH 496 Meditation/Mindfulness

Psychology Electives (9 credits)

Select at least THREE additional psychology courses with the approval of a faculty advisor. If a student elects to fulfill the statistics requirement with a statistics course from a different discipline, a FOURTH psychology elective will be required.

Total Number of Credits: 40-43

*Denotes courses that meet both major and general education requirements

Electives (36–45 credits)

Total Credits (120 credits)

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

  1. Identify biological, cognitive, developmental, and sociocultural causes of normal and abnormal behavior.
  2. Describe and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation of results.
  3. Employ critical thinking to answer questions in psychology.
  4. Apply psychological principles to practical problems in the field of psychology.
  5. Evaluate ethical issues relevant to empirical research and/or practice in the field of psychology.
  6. Communicate effectively in writing using logical or empirically based arguments to support their claims.