Requirements for a Psychology Degree (1999-2000 Catalog)
There are two psychology degrees offered at North Central
College: the BS (Bachelor of Science) and the BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree.
This page describes the basic requirements for each of these types of degrees.
More
specific advice on choosing and sequencing your courses is also available
by clicking here.
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Core Courses: PSY 100, PSY 250, PSY 255, and sometimes
PSY 360
The core of our major emphasizes the scientific foundations of the discipline.
These courses will provide a strong foundation for all other psychology
courses you take. For that reason, we strongly recommend that you take
these courses by the end of your sophomore year.
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Theoretical Perspectives
In addition to core requirements, you will explore courses in four primary
theoretical areas in psychology: Social, Biological, Cognitive/Learning,
and Developmental. By taking courses in these areas, you will get an idea
about the breadth of psychology. We believe that in order to understand
human behavior, we must be able to take into account these different perspectives.
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Depth
Most psychology courses provide you with an overview of a part of the discipline.
The depth requirement encourages you to focus on a specific area and examine
some of the current research in that area. This is typically accomplished
through 400-level seminar courses, or through an
internship
or independent study.
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The BA/BS Debate
Should you get a BA or a BS degree? You might be wondering "which one is
better?" Unfortunately, there is no universally correct answer to that
question. One major difference between the two degrees lies in the requirements.
There are more requirements for the BS degree and they include courses
such as Tests & Measurements, Calculus, Computer Science, and a laboratory
course in the natural sciences. Apart from requirements, the purpose of
the two degrees is slightly different. The BS degree is designed for people
with both the interest and ability to pursue research-oriented careers.
If you plan to apply to Ph.D. programs in any field of psychology or to
pursue a research-oriented career after getting your Bachelor's degree,
you should seriously consider the BS degree. On the other hand, many psychology
students feel they lack the interest or ability to do well in the math
and science courses emphasized in the BS degree. Yet they are interested
in eventually pursuing a Ph.D. degree or doing research in their jobs.
As an alternative to the BS degree, these students can earn a BA degree
following the
Graduate School and Research track
of
studies.
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The BA, BS, and Minor
Requirements
As mentioned above, there are several difference between the BA and
BS degree requirements. To help you get a better grasp of them, the requirements
for the degrees are presented below.
Requirements: BA Degree
-
at least nine credit hours at the 300 or 400-level
| Core |
| PSY 100 Psychology: Science of Behavior |
| PSY 250 Statistics |
| PSY 255 Research Design and Experimentation |
| Theoretical Perspectives |
| Social |
Biological |
Cognitive/Learning (choose one) |
Developmental (choose one) |
| PSY 240 Social |
PSY 280 Drugs & Behavior |
PSY 340 Learning |
PSY 210 Child |
|
PSY 370 Physiological |
PSY 345 Cognitive |
PSY 220 Adolescence |
| Depth (choose at least three credit hours of one of
the following) |
| 400-level Seminar (PSY 400) |
400-level Independent study (PSY
499) |
400-level Internship (PSY 497) |
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Requirements: BS Degree
-
at least 12 credit hours at the 300 or 400-level
| Core |
| PSY 100 Psychology: Science of Behavior |
| PSY 250 Statistics |
| PSY 255 Research Design and Experimentation |
| PSY 360 Tests & Measurements |
| Theoretical Perspectives |
| Social |
Biological |
Cognitive/Learning (choose one) |
Developmental (choose one) |
| PSY 240 Social |
PSY 280 Drugs & Behavior |
PSY 340 Learning |
PSY 210 Child |
|
PSY 370 Physiological |
PSY 345 Cognitive |
PSY 220 Adolescence |
| Depth |
| 3 credit hours of 400-level Independent
study (PSY 499) |
• Required courses from other disciplines for the B.S. degree:
• Six credit hours in Computer Science not to include
CSC/IFS 102 or CSC 105. CSC/IFS 104 and 106 may be
substituted for up to three
credit hours of computer science.
• MTH 151 & 152
• One 200- or 300-level mathematics course
• Three and one-half credit hours (minimum) from
the following list in addition to the course used to fulfill
Foundation Objective 1:
– BIO 100, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 140, 147
– CHM 100, 113, 114
– PHY 100, 111, 112, 131, 132
• Other courses recommended for the B.S. degree:
• PHL 370 Philosophy of Science
• PSY 380 History and Systems of Psychology
• SOA 202 Research Methods in Social Sciences: Qualitative
Minor Requirements:
A minimum of 21 credit hours to include PSY 100 and PSY 250.
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Last updated: April 18, 2000
URL: http://www.noctrl.edu/acad/majors/psych/degreerq.htm
Comments about the content of this page should be sent
to:
Steve Davis
smd@noctrl.edu