Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, B.A.


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About the B.A. in Psychology


  • Real-world internships and fieldwork
  • Hands-on research required of all majors
  • An internship-based or original research-based capstone project by all seniors
  • Core Liberal Arts Track
  • Pre-Professional Track
  • Ph.D. Track
  • Opportunities to study abroad at some of the top universities around the world

Arcadia offers several different Psychology tracks designed to accommodate students’ interests and career objectives. Psychology coursework is unique in three ways. Many courses offer hands-on experience through laboratory or fieldwork.

Senior Capstone Experience: Major courses are sequenced, so every student is at the same experience level, and all seniors participate in Senior Seminar, an individually supervised research or internship project.

The Psychology major allows you to add relevant coursework in other disciplines to create one of three tracks.

Core Liberal Arts Track: The core liberal arts program allows the B.A. in Psychology to be combined easily with other majors such as Fine Arts, English or Pre-Medical studies.

Pre-Professional Track: The pre-professional program prepares students for master’s degree programs in various post-graduate professional schools, including fields such as school psychology, art therapy, music therapy, psychiatric social work, and school counseling and guidance. Arcadia offers a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, and Psychology majors who meet the criteria for admission will be given preferential consideration for admission and may be exempted from certain courses.

Ph.D. Track: The Ph.D. track is specifically geared to prepare students for entrance into Ph.D. programs in psychology, including teaching, research and professional careers in psychology.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology


In accordance with individual interests and career goals, Psychology majors can select courses in one of three directions.

Core Liberal Arts Track: Major in Psychology. The liberal arts direction may be selected by students who want a basic foundation in psychology and a broad preparation in the liberal arts. Since only two courses per year are required for the major in Psychology (four courses during the sophomore year), the Psychology major can be combined with other majors or minors. This direction fulfills the requirements for graduate study in psychology, as well as for careers open to liberal arts graduates without specific pre-professional preparation. Students might have careers in marketing, healthcare, communications, or business.

Pre-Professional Track: Major in Psychology, supplemented with courses in a pre-professional specialization. The pre-professional direction is designed for students who want to pursue a specialized profession. The Psychology major is sufficiently open in requirements so that it can be integrated easily with pre-professional preparation. Correlative courses prepare students for professional work or graduate study in the following areas:

  • Pre-Health Professions: Students preparing for one of the health professions often find the Psychology major a useful center for their pre-professional studies. In fields such as physical therapy, medicine, health education, nursing, public health, health administration, or veterinary medicine, professionals who regard their task as dealing with human beings who have difficulties can find psychology a meaningful source of guidance. Coursework in Biology, Chemistry, or Computer Science is combined with the major to provide appropriate background. (See separate listings for these pre-health programs.)
  • Secondary Education: Psychology majors seeking certification for secondary teaching in Social Studies must notify their advisers and the Director of Secondary Education. State certification requirements are very specific, so the earlier students plan for this option, the easier it is to develop appropriate programs.
  • Psychology and Business: Students who are interested in positions in human resources management and who want to combine preparation in psychology and business can combine the major in Psychology with a minor in Business. This program is good preparation for students who want to pursue graduate study in psychology or business administration.
  • Pre-Art Therapy: Students may want to combine Psychology and Art Therapy courses in preparation for graduate study. This can be accomplished through a major in Psychology with an Art Therapy emphasis, a major in Art and Design with an Art Therapy emphasis and coursework in Psychology, or a combined major in Art and Design (B.A. program) and Psychology with an Art Therapy emphasis.
  • Individualized Options: Students who are interested in careers such as school psychology, psychiatric social work, working with children, counseling and guidance in schools, music therapy, or psychometrics must continue their education at the master’s level. Appropriate preparatory courses at the undergraduate level should be selected in consultation with the Department adviser.

Ph.D. Track: Major in Psychology, supplemented with cognate courses in preparation for master’s and Ph.D. programs in psychology. The graduate studies direction is designed for students interested in postsecondary teaching, research, clinical or counseling psychology, or other specialized areas of psychology. Undergraduate psychology coursework should be supplemented with cognate courses relevant to students’ particular interests, selected in consultation with the Department Chair or adviser. Students should also consider courses aimed at increasing skills in quantitative methods (such as advanced statistics courses, e.g., MA 201 , MA 242 , PY 275 ), public speaking (e.g. CM 110 , TH 101,  TH 140,  TH 141,  TH 150,  US 248 ), and/or visual presentation (e.g., CM 268 , CS 107 ). PhD programs do not require any specific set of such courses, but may give weight to students who have such training.

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology


Arcadia University Psychology majors who meet the criteria for admission will be given preferential consideration for admission. The graduate program in Counseling Psychology is designed to allow a student to sit for the NCE and to apply for Pennsylvania licensure once mandated supervised work experience is acquired. (See Graduate Catalog.)

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology


(48 credits as listed below, with Undergraduate Curriculum requirements and electives to total 128)

One course in Mathematics


One natural science course (NP) outside of Psychology


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