BS in Psychology Curriculum
In addition to the lab-based science required by the University Curriculum, psychology majors are required to complete one additional lab-based science course outside of psychology, one additional social science outside of psychology, one course that explores issues of multiculturalism and/or diversity, and a foreign language up to the 102-level. NOTE: The department strongly encourages psychology majors to take courses in biology.
Students majoring in psychology must meet the following requirements for graduation:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| University Curriculum 1 | 46 | |
| College of Arts and Sciences Requirements 2 | 3 | |
| Psychology Requirements | ||
| Psychological Science Core | ||
| PS 101 | Introduction to Psychology 3 | 3 |
| PS 206 | Introduction to Statistics in Psychology 3 | 3 |
| PS 307 | Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology with Lab 3 | 4 |
| PS 308 | Advanced Research Methods in Psychology with Lab 3 | 4 |
| PS 401 | Integrative Capstone for Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Majors 4 | 3 |
| Psychology Perspectives | ||
| Biological Perspective (select one) 5 | 3 | |
| Physiological Psychology | ||
| Cognitive Perspective (select one) 5 | 3 | |
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Developmental Perspective (select one) 5 | 3 | |
| Child and Adolescent Development | ||
| Social Perspective (select one) 5 | 3 | |
| Social Psychology | ||
| Scientist-Practitioner Perspective (select one) | 3 | |
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Industrial-Organizational Psychology | ||
| Psychology Electives | ||
| Select one psychology course at the 200-level or higher | 3 | |
| Select one psychology course at the 300-level | 3 | |
| Additional Degree Requirements | ||
| Select one additional Natural Science course with a Lab | 4 | |
| Select one Diversity/Multicultural course | 3 | |
| Select one Social Science course outside of Psychology | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 23 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
| 1 | All students must complete the 46 credits of the University Curriculum. |
| 2 | Students must complete the College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum requirements specific to their major. See details below. |
| 3 | Students must earn a grade of C- or higher before moving on to the next course. |
| 4 | Senior standing required. Must be taken as a seminar during the regular academic year. |
| 5 | Additional courses may be designated to fulfill this requirement. |
Psychology majors also have the opportunity to engage in supervised fieldwork and intensive study within one of three concentrations.
Applied Clinical Science Concentration
Students may apply to enroll in the applied clinical science (ACS) concentration within the psychology major. The program prepares students for careers related to clinical psychology and provides the basis for graduate work in fields such as social work, counseling and school psychology. A minimum 3.0 overall GPA is required to participate in the ACS concentration fieldwork courses. Space is limited in the fieldwork courses and, therefore, in some years enrollment in the concentration may be awarded on a competitive basis.
ACS students must take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 272 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PS 371 | Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| PS 391 | Applied Clinical Science Seminar (SL: Service Learning) | 3 |
| PS 393 | Fieldwork in Applied Clinical Science (SL: Service Learning) | 3 |
| PS 394 | Fieldwork in Applied Clinical Science (SL: Service Learning) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
The ACS program emphasizes:
- Mental health fields as possible careers.
- Conceptions of mental illness and the history of therapeutic methods.
- Counseling and other treatment techniques.
Applied Cognitive Psychology Concentration
The applied cognitive psychology concentration focuses on providing students with the opportunity to gain job-relevant skills while exploring cognition. Students are exposed to major theories and methods in cognitive psychology, along with applications of cognitive psychology to the workplace (e.g., design thinking, task analysis, survey design) and careers that use insights and methods from cognitive psychology (e.g., behavioral engineering). Because cognitive psychology draws on a range of disciplines, students will also have the opportunity to explore cognition from a different field.
Applied Cognitive Psychology students must take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 233 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PS 333 | Applied Cognition | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Skill-Building 2 | 3 | |
| 1 | Elective from a related discipline (e.g. computer science, philosophy, industrial or software engineering) to be decided upon by student in consultation with a faculty member in the cognitive perspective. |
| 2 | Skill-building through internship, independent research, or relevant training (e.g. certification of technical skill) to be decided upon by student in consultation with a faculty member in the cognitive perspective. |
The Applied Cognitive Psychology program emphasizes:
1. Applying theories and methods from cognitive psychology to real-world contexts
2. Exploring and experiencing multidisciplinary careers in cognitive psychology
3. Building marketable skills that are relevant for a range of careers (e.g., public speaking, collaboration), as well as specific skills that are relevant for jobs in cognitive psychology (e.g., task analysis, survey design)
Industrial-Organizational Psychology Concentration
Students may elect to enroll in the industrial/organizational (I-O) psychology program within the psychology major. The program exposes students to career possibilities in I-O psychology areas and provides the basis for further study related to fields such as I-O psychology and management. I-O psychology students must take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 265 | Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| PS 397 | Fieldwork in Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Personnel Psychology | ||
| Advanced Organizational Psychology | ||
| Occupational Health Psychology | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
The I-O psychology program emphasizes:
- The traditional research and practice of industrial-organizational psychology.
- Using psychological principles to study and improve working conditions.
- Mindfulness of the changing nature of work and the ability of the field to make innovations to match such changes.
College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum
The College of Arts and Sciences offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. As the home of the liberal arts at Quinnipiac, CAS encourages students to pursue a balanced program of study across multiple disciplines. In pursuit of that goal, CAS imposes additional requirements beyond the University Curriculum.
All CAS students (both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts) must complete one foreign language through the 102-level. Foreign language classes may also count toward the UC Personal Inquiry II requirement.
Additionally, students earning a bachelor of arts must fulfill separate requirements for breadth and depth of study:
For the breadth requirement, students must complete at least 3 credits in each of the four CAS disciplinary areas other than the area of the student’s major. These areas are: fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. For example, a student majoring in political science—a social science discipline—would complete at least 3 credits each in fine arts, humanities and natural science. A course taken to fulfill the CAS breadth requirement may not simultaneously fulfill any UC requirement.
For the depth requirement, students must complete at least 9 credits within a single subject area other than that of the major. (A “subject area” is identified with a catalog subject code, such as PL, CJ, WS, MA, etc.) CAS depth courses may also count toward UC requirements.
Students pursuing a bachelor of science, a double major, or certain accelerated degree programs are exempt from the CAS breadth and depth requirements, but must complete the foreign language requirement.