Psychology BA

The Department of Social Sciences’ psychology program provides students a general overview of the field of psychology. Students are introduced to research techniques, theories of learning, psychometrics, and a variety of other subfields of psychology.

Majors are not only exposed to the central concepts of psychology but also see how these concepts are utilized in a broad range of courses that address specific areas of study.

The courses you choose to meet the requirement for the psychology major may not count as General Education Program courses. See your advisor for further information.

Degree Requirements

General Education Program		34 Hours
	Psychology majors must take MATH 1500 (Principles of Statistics) to satisfy the GEP Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Students are required to take BIOL 1151 (General Biology 1) as a prerequisite. It also satisfies the GEP Natural Science requirement. See the General Education Program .
Psychology Core Courses		12 Hours
Psychology Capstone Courses		3 Hours
Upper Division Psychology Courses		27 Hours
General Elective Courses		48 Hours

Total Hours Required		124 Hours

Psychology Core Courses (12 Hours)

Psychology Capstone Courses (3 Hours)

Choose at least three hours of:

Upper Division Psychology Courses (27 Hours)

Choose a total of 27 credit hours from the following list of classes. You must choose, at a minimum, the hours specified from each category. Additional courses may be chosen and will count as general electives.

Clinical Psychology

(Minimum 6 hours)

Developmental and Social Psychology

(Minimum 9 hours)

Learning and Cognition

(Minimum 6 hours)

Biopsychology

(Minimum 6 hours)

General Elective Courses (48 Hours)

Although electives may be chosen from the broad spectrum of university courses, you may choose to take your electives within the social sciences department (anthropology, geography, history, government, psychology, and sociology). Electives can be utilized for the completion of a minor. For those students interested in pursuing graduate school, many graduate programs require calculus as a prerequisite. Students considering a future master’s or doctorate degree in psychology should take MATH courses up through MATH 2120, Calculus 2.

Special Notes

Students must earn a “C” or higher grade in every course in the psychology major.
Psychology courses taken on a pass/no pass basis will not count toward the major.
Transfer students who have taken psychology courses at another institution must take at least 18 hours of upper division psychology courses at Shawnee State University.
The chairperson must approve any variation from the required program.

Bachelor Degrees

Special Notes

Students must complete—at Shawnee State— at least 12 credit hours in their majors. The 12 hours must be taken at the 3000 or 4000 level. In the case of the BS natural science, at least 8 of the 12 upper division hours must be in the first concentration.
General Electives Elective hours are not limited to any particular area of study and can be earned in science to enhance the major or to complete requirements for a minor. Courses from all departments of the University can be used to satisfy the electives requirements. Electives should include courses in the arts and humanities. Coherent groups of courses are encouraged and should be chosen with the student’s career objectives and personal interests in mind. Consultation with your faculty advisor is highly recommended so that electives can be an important component of your educational experience.