Brockport / Catalogs / 2013-14 / Programs / Psychology Major (BA/BS)

Psychology Major

Description

Psychology is the science of behavior. It covers the behavior of humans and animals, normal and abnormal behavior, and behavior across the life span. The field is concerned both with the development of principles of behavior and with their application to individuals, society and the institutions of government, business, and mental health.

What can I do with a psychology major?

Admission to the Program

Any undergraduate student can declare this major.

Program Requirements

Students in the psychology major pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and must complete the corresponding degree's requirements.

All majors are required to complete a minimum of 39-40 credits of psychology, 18 credits of which must be taken at Brockport. Courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may not be counted toward the major. One may elect to take more than the minimum, but not more than 54 credits in psychology will count toward the degree. A Brockport psychology GPA of 2.00 is required in order to graduate with a major in psychology.

Core Courses (10 credits)

Introduces the science of psychology and tools to understand and conduct psychological research.

To make normal progress in the major, a student should complete the core before entering his/her junior year. Transfer students should consult with a psychology faculty advisor as soon as possible.

  • PSH110
  • PSH301

Content Areas (15 credits)

Provides and overview of Psychology's major domains.

Select ONE from each group

Application (3 credits)

Investigates strategies for using psychological knowledge to solve human problems.

Select ONE of the following courses:

  • PSH336
  • PSH397
  • PSH402
  • PSH480
  • PSH482
  • PSH483

Integration (3 credits)

Writing-intensive capstone experience. Restricted to senior-status Psychology majors. Must have completed core and content areas before enrolling. Low enrollment seminar class to promote critical thinking and synthesis of knowledge from multiple content areas to understand complex psychological phenomena.

Select ONE of the following courses:

  • PSH431
  • PSH436
  • PSH441
  • PSH442
  • PSH446
  • PSH492 -- perhaps we should inactive this course if the faculty member teaching it has left?
  • PSH494

Michael Fox: can a department add or subtract from this list without approval? PSH436 in, PSH492 out (but course still active in Banner); also PLS 303 as Stat course

Psychology Electives (9 credits)

Select at least THREE additional psychology courses with the approval of a faculty advisor. If a student elects to fulfill the statistics requirement with a statistics course from a different
discipline, a FOURTH psychology elective will be required.

Total Number of Credits: 40

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Knowledge Base in Psychology
    1. Students will analyze the neurophysiological, neurochemical, and neuroanatomical processes that cause sensation, perception, thought, or action. (SLO1)
    2. Students will apply theories and empirical principles to information processing in human or non-human animals. (SLO2)
    3. Students will describe normal human behavior as a function of factors ranging from the level of the individual to larger sociocultural forces. (SLO3)
    4. Students will apply major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings to human cognitive and social development. (SLO4)
    5. Students will apply major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings to psychological disorders and their treatment. (SLO5)
  2. Research Methods: Students will describe and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation of results. (SLO6)
  3. Critical Thinking: Students will employ critical thinking to answer questions in psychology. (SLO7)
  4. Application: Students will apply psychological principles to practical problems in the field of psychology. (SLO8)
  5. Ethics: Students will evaluate ethical issues relevant to empirical research and/or practice in the field of psychology. (SLO9)
  6. Quality of Written Arguments: Students will communicate effectively in writing using logically or empirically based arguments to support their claims.

Department of Psychology

Department Chair: Melissa Brown
Location: Holmes 133
Visit Website
Email: psychdpt@brockport.edu
Phone: (585) 395-2488
Fax: (585) 395-2116

Related Programs

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Faculty & Staff

    


Caitlin  Abar Ph.D
 (Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus)  
Assistant Professor
David A Abwender Ph.D
 (University Of Miami)  
Associate Professor
Stacy  Birch Ph.D
 (University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign)  
Associate Professor
Kelly A Brennan-Jones Ph.D
 (SUNY At Buffalo)  
Associate Professor
Melissa M Brown Ph.D
 (Indiana University-Bloomington)  
Assistant Professor
Laura A Crosetti MED
 (Rutgers University-Newark)  
Lecturer
Marcie  Desrochers Ph.D
 (University of Manitoba)  
Associate Professor
Lori-Ann B Forzano Ph.D
 (SUNY At Stony Brook)  
Associate Professor
Janet F Gillespie Ph.D
 (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)  
Associate Professor
Gary  Hobson Ph.D
 (Union Institute + University)  
Lecturer
Amanda R Lipko-Speed Ph.D
 (Kent State University-Main Campus)  
Assistant Professor
Sara  Margolin Ph.D
 (University Of Florida)  
Assistant Professor
Laurel A McNall Ph.D
 (SUNY At Albany)  
Associate Professor
Jennifer J Ratcliff Ph.D
 (Ohio State University-Main Campus)  
Assistant Professor
Debra  Reynolds 
Keyboard Specialist 1
Patricia M Schwert Ph.D
 (University Of Rochester)  
Adjunct Lecturer
Susan M Shonk Ph.D
 (University Of Rochester)  
Associate Professor
Jeffery  Snarr Ph.D
 (SUNY At Stony Brook)  
Assistant Professor
James  Witnauer Ph.D
 (SUNY At Binghamton)  
Assistant Professor