Overview
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program offers a comprehensive introduction to the contemporary discipline of psychology. Graduates of this program are well prepared to seek employment in personnel, vocational counseling, criminal justice, journalism, or entry-level counseling in the context of a county-funded agency or hospital. They are also prepared to seek admission to graduate programs at the master's or doctoral level.
Program Outcomes
The primary program outcomes and competencies are:
· Competency in classification and research of psychopathology.
· Knowledge and understanding of developmental psychology throughout the life span.
· Mastery of theory and research of personality and psychological characteristics of the individual.
· Knowledge of social influences on behavior.
· Ability to write a comprehensive paper that covers empirical and theoretical study of a specific topic related to the major.
· Understanding of the history of substance abuse, and individual social, cultural, and institutional values that underlie substance abuse and dependency.
· Knowledge of the social service structure for prevention and treatment of substance abuse and dependency.
· Knowledge of neurological, physiological, and biological bases of behavior.
· Knowledge of theory and principles of cognitive psychology and the cognitive approach to understanding the mind and behavior
· Understanding of basic data analysis techniques in psychology and the ability to perform simple statistical calculations.
· Mastery of the fundamental ideas in the history of psychology and how they relate to contemporary theories and systems.
· Sensitivity to diversity issues and awareness of multiculturalism.
Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree, students must complete at least 180 quarter units as articulated below, 76.5 of which must be completed at the upper-division level and 45 of which must be completed in residence at National University. The following courses are specific degree requirements. In the absence of transfer credit, students may need to take additional general electives to satisfy the total units for the degree. Students should refer to the section on undergraduate admission procedures for specific information on admission and evaluation.
Preparation for the Major
(2 courses; 9 quarter units)
MTH 210 Introduction to Probability and Statistics*
(Prerequisite: Placement Evaluation)
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology*
*May be used to satisfy general education requirements.
Requirements for the Major
(10 courses; 45 quarter units)
PSY426 History of Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 427 Biological Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 428 Developmental Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
(PSY301 may not be substituted for this course)
PSY 429 Introduction to Personality Theory
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 430 Introduction to Psychopathology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 432 Social Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 433 Cognitive Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 435 Analysis of Data in Psychological Research
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101, MTH?210 and PSY 100)
CHD 440 Drugs, Values and Society
PSY 480 Senior Project (two-month course)
(Prerequisites: All other core courses)
or
PSY 491 Guided Studies for Honors Students (two-month course)
(Prerequisite: Completion of core courses with a GPA of 3.75 or higher and approval of the Department Chair.)
Upper-Division Electives
(6 courses; 27 quarter units)
Students not pursuing a minor must choose six upper-division electives from courses with the following prefixes: HUB, PSY, SOC, HRM, and CJA. Other electives must be approved by the department chair or regional full-time or associate faculty. Students may not take PSY 301 as an upper-division elective.
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