Psychology, B.A.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Description

The Psychology Undergraduate major includes a broad survey of courses that explore the thoughts, emotions, and actions of humans and animals.

What careers can this major prepare you for?

A bachelor’s degree with a major in psychology provides a foundation for many careers. After earning bachelor’s degrees, many psychology majors enter the workforce in such areas as business and social services. Many careers in psychology, such as college professor or clinical psychologist, require advanced degrees (e.g., M.A. or Ph.D.). A bachelor’s degree in psychology can also prepare students for a wide variety of graduate programs in other areas (law, medicine, human resources, advertising, sales, social work, mental health counseling, etc.).

What skills are developed within this major?

Students learn to apply a broad range of psychological concepts that describe and explain the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of humans and animals; apply basic statistical concepts; create psychological research designs; and evaluate psychological research.

Additional Information

Independent study opportunities (PSY 396 & PSY 397 ) may be arranged by a student in consultation with a faculty member.

Hours Required for Degree

Minimum credit hours required for degree: 120

Minimum credit hours required for major: 42

College Requirements

See college page for college requirements.

Major-Field Requirements

To satisfy the requirements of the Psychology major, a student must complete a minimum of 42 credit hours of psychology courses. For a course to count toward the major, a grade of at least C must be earned.

Requirements of the College of Sciences and Health Professions

A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for a degree, of which at least 42 semester credit hours must be earned in 300- and/or 400-level courses

Required Courses

Core Areas

Choose one course from each of the following four areas, and one additional course from any core:

Psychological Health Core

Social/Personality Core

Perception and Cognition Core

Neuroscience Core

Electives - Additional Psychology courses

Eleven additional credit hours (typically four courses) of any courses offered by the Psychology Department, including Core courses.

Notes:

Students should take PSY 200 as soon as possible after declaring a psychology major.
Students are required to earn at least 15 credit hours from Core courses. A student who majors in psychology should seriously consider taking courses in such disciplines as biology, anthropology, mathematics, sociology, and the philosophy of science. Any student who plans to pursue graduate study in psychology should obtain a solid background in statistics, research methods, and experimental psychology.
Although PSY 217 and PSY 317 both qualify as Quantitative Literacy courses, the General Education Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy rules stipulate that only one of these courses may be counted toward the fulfillment of the QL requirement.
Any student who plans to apply to graduate programs in psychology should consult an adviser to appropriately structure an undergraduate program of study.
A student may count no more than 6 credits of PSY 390 and no more than 6 credits of PSY 396 , toward the major requirements, but may count no more than 9 credits of PSY 390 and PSY 396 combined toward the major.

In-Major Residence Requirement

University regulations stipulate that at least 18 credits of the psychology major must be earned in residence at CSU. In addition, the Department of Psychology requires that at least 12 of these credits be upper-division (300/400-level). For more information on residence requirements, please refer to “Residence Requirements” in the University Regulations section of this catalog.

Partnership Major in Psychology

The requirements of the Psychology major may be completed through Cleveland State’s partnerships with Lakeland Community College or Lorain County Community College. A student who is enrolled in the partnership may complete most, if not all, of the requirements of the major by completing CSU psychology courses offered on the campuses of the community colleges, CSU courses offered online, and appropriate psychology courses offered at the community colleges. For more information, see http://www.csuohio.edu/campuses/lakeland/ or http://www.csuohio.edu/campuses/lorain/.

University Honors and University Scholars Requirements

University Honors and University Scholars students in Psychology register for PSY 495H - Honors Seminar in Spring of their junior year, during which they develop proposals for the research that they conduct under faculty supervision during the following year (both Fall and Spring semesters) while registered for PSY 497H - Honors Project and/or PSY 498H - Honors Project and Defense .

Departmental Honors

The departmental Honors Program is appropriate for Psychology majors with strong academic records who want additional exposure to advanced psychology studies. Graduation with honors in Psychology reflects a student’s independence, commitment to the field, and expertise in a specialized area. Completion of the program may be advantageous to students applying to graduate or professional programs.

A minimum GPA of 3.3 is required for admission. Prerequisite courses include PSY 312 and PSY 317 , but in special cases, these may be taken after admission to the program.

Participants in the program register for PSY 495H - Honors Seminar in the spring semester of the year preceding the year in which they plan to graduate, during which they develop proposals for either (a) the research that they conduct under faculty supervision during the following year while registered for PSY 497H - Honors Project and/or PSY 498H - Honors Project and Defense , or (b) additional advanced coursework through which they earn a total of 6 credits from graduate-level courses during the following year.

To complete the Honors program curriculum, students follow one of two tracks:

Thesis Option. Students following this track complete PSY 495H , PSY 497H , and PSY 498H . Students in this track do not need to complete the PSY 412 /PSY 415 Capstone requirement, as PSY 498H will function as their Capstone course.
Non-Thesis Option. Students following this track complete PSY 495H , followed by 6 credits of graduate-level courses. Students in this track, like all other psychology majors, will be required to complete either PSY 412 or PSY 415 in order to satisfy their Capstone requirement.

Applications are solicited in the fall semester; instructions may be obtained in the Psychology Department office (UN 715).

Accelerated 4+1 Program

See the Psychological Science, Accelerated 4+1 BA/MA page.

Psychology Partnership with C|M Law 3+3

This partnership accelerates the completion of most of the Psychology degree requirements into 3 years of full-time study, ending with students earning 91 total credit hours. The fourth year, comprised of 29 credit hours taken in the first year of study at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, is then transferred back to meet the Bachelor of Arts total credit hour requirement of 120. More information can be found here: https://www.law.csuohio.edu/admission/3plus3