Degrees
The Department of Psychology offers programs leading to the following types of degrees:
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree
Both programs give the student a broad introduction to contemporary Psychology and provide a sound basis for advanced study at the graduate level in Psychology and other related fields. The Department also offers a minor in Psychology for students in other majors.
In addition to the two general psychology bachelor's degrees, the Psychology department offers specializations in:
Becoming a Major
To be accepted as a major in the Department of Psychology, a student must meet the following requirements:
- 2.25 or better cumulative grade point average (GPA)
- 2.25 or better GPA in Psychology courses
- 30 credit hours with at least two psychology courses
Transfer Students
Students who are transferring to Wright State from another institution must meet all the requirements of the major of psychology, the College of Science and Mathematics and Wright State University Requirements. Complete up-to-date information is available at /prospective/.
The Degree Audit Repot (DARS) for transferring students must be updated by the PUP Office before it is correct. Once the DARS is updated, it will appear on Wings Express as "advisor reviewed." If the advisor reviewed DARS is not available, please visit the PUP Office in 342 Fawcett, or call 937-775-4155, for a request.
B.S. vs. B.A.
The B.A. degree provides fundamental research design and data analysis skills, and also provides flexibility to take courses that enhance preparation for a career in a related field after graduation.
Therefore, the B.A. degree is an excellent choice for students who are:
- Interested in clinical/counseling graduate schools in psychology (M.A. or Psy.D.)
- Planning on a career in a related area. For example:
-
- Law school
- Marketing
- Sales or Business
- Social work
- Rehabilitation.etc
The B.S. degree offers courses that teach students advanced mathematical, statistical, and basic computer programming skills. Mastery of these skills is excellent preparation for a career in academic and research career in psychology.
Therefore, the B.S. degree is an excellent choice for students who are considering.
- Ph.D. graduate programs in psychology or related area
- Medical School
- Teaching in a university or college
- A career in research
Objectives
The psychology curriculum here at WSU is designed to provide you with knowledge and skills you need to enter many related careers or to move on to graduate school.
Our extensive curriculum is based on five learning objectives:
- Be familiar with current theory and research in diverse areas of psychology.
- Have fundamental research design and mathematical/statistical skills needed to understand psychological science
- Have skills in integrating and communcating about knowledge in self-selected areas of psychology.
- Communicate effectively in both written and oral forms.
- Have advanced research design, mathematical/statistical, and computing skills needed to critically evaluate and conduct research in a self-selected area of interest. (B.S. only)
Courses
Course Overview
The Department of Psychology offers a wide variety of courses that cover many areas within the science of psychology such as:
- Psychology: The Science of Behaviors
- Psychology: Science and Practice
- Psychological Studies of Contemporary Issues
- Stereotype & Prejudice
- Human Sexuality
- Psychology of Men and Women
- Environmental Psychology
- Psychological Principles in Commercial Films
- Drugs and Behavior
- Mind, Body and Consciousness
- Basic Research Methods in Psychology
- Experimental Methods in Psychology
- Alternatives to Experimental Methods in Psychology
- Industrial / Organizational Psychology
- Engineering Psychology
- Tests and Measures
- Psychology of Health Behavior
- Abnormal Psychology
- Cognition and Learning
- Psychology of Personality
- Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Conditioning and Learning
- Perception
- Behavioral Neuroscience
For all the PSY course descriptions, please click on the link below: /cgibin/catalog/ugradcourses.cgi?action=desc&department=psy
Psychology Major Requirements
Below is an overview of the difference in requirements for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
|
B. S. |
|
B. A. |
|
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Total General Education hours* |
56 |
Total General Education hours* |
56 |
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Required GE Substitutions:
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|
Required GE Substitutions:
|
|
|
Total Psychology hours |
84 |
Total Psychology hours |
76 |
|
7 Core Courses: (2 from row 1, 2 from row 2, 1 from row 3)
|
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7 Core Courses: (2 from row 1, 2 from row 2)
|
|
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PSY 402
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College Requirement
|
|
|
Required Supporting Courses |
11-13 |
Required Supporting Courses |
3-5 |
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MTH 128 or 129 CS 141 & 142 (or 2 other programming courses) |
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MTH 126 or 127 N/A |
|
|
General Electives |
42-44 |
General Electives |
31-33 |
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TOTAL Hours |
187 |
TOTAL Hours |
187 |
*Students should complete ENG 101 and 102 and the General Education mathematics requirements (MTH 126 or higher and STT 160) by the time they have earned 60 credit hours at WSU.
Worksheets for the B.S. and B.A. degrees in Psychology are available in the link below.
Psychology Minor Requirements
The Department of Psychology also offers a minor in Psychology for students who would like to gain a better understanding of psychological processes. Students in a wide variety of majors may benefit by supplementing their knowledge and skill with a strong background in Psychology. The minor is flexible and allows students to select subsets of courses that are appropriate for particular majors.
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REQUIREMENTS for a Psychology Minor |
HOURS |
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Area I: Introductory Psychology
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8 |
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Area II: Core Courses
PSY 321, PSY 361, PSY 371, PSY 391
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12 |
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Area III: Psychology Electives Any psychology course at 200 level or 300 level, including core courses beyond those required in Area II, will satisfy this requirement. |
16 |
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Area IV: Total hour and GPA requirements
|
36 |
Click here to download the psychology minor worksheet.
Prerequisites
It is very important before you register for courses to check if you have met the prerequisites. Prerequisites for a course are courses which students must complete before they register for the course.
Completion of course requirements is closely monitored. If you feel you have met the prerequisite(s) for a given course but aren't allowed to enroll, please contact the PUP Office in 342 Fawcett, 937-775-4155.
Electives
Planning Guide to Course Offerings
Please check the bulletin board outside of the PUP Office for tentative course offerings for the current academic year. The listing is subject to change without notice and should be used as a general planning guide only. Times and locations will be posted on WINGS as soon as they are available. WINGS Express will have the most current information.
Course Syllabi
The PUP Office in 342 Fawcett maintains a master binder of syllabi for courses taught. If a student is interested in a particular course but have additional questions about content, please stop in to review the syllabus.
Special Electives
The Department offers four special electives courses (PSY 490, PSY 498, PSY 432, and PSY489/499). These special elective courses are excellent opportunities to enhance knowledge and experience in self-selected interest areas of psychology.
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PSY 490 Independent Reading |
Provides course credits for pursuing readings of specific interest one-to-one with a faculty advisor. Pass or Fail. |
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PSY 498 Independent Research |
Provides course credits for pursuing research of specific interests one-to-one with a faculty advisor. Pass or Fail. |
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PSY 432 Practicum |
A four-credit hour independent study course. Purpose of the course is to gain directly relevant work experience. Students can take twice, for a total of 8 credit hours. Pass or Fail. |
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PSY 489/499 Honors program |
An intensive program of independent study and research. Students must complete a written honors thesis and present and defend their research in the honor seminar. Pass or Fail. |
More detailed information about Practicum and the Honors Program is found in the corresponding section.
Practicum
Practicum (PSY 432) is designed to offer credit hours toward Elective requirements for Psychology majors for non-pay based working experience in the related field of Psychology.
Students who would like to enroll in Practicum must meet the following prerequisites:
- Successfully completed PSY301, PSY302, and PSY303
- One core Psychology course in the relevant field in which the practicum will be done
Although the student is responsible for finding a practicum site and a practicum site supervisor, Dr. Tamera Schneider, the Department advisor for practicum courses, has compiled a list of practicum sites that previous students have used (along with contact persons for each site and a brief description of the practicum experience available at each site). This information is available in the Undergraduate Guide to the Psychology Practicum Program in the main the PUP Office (342 Fawcett).
In order to register for PSY432, students must meet with Dr. Schneider to discuss requirements and enrolling in the course. Students must obtain approval to register for the course from Dr. Schneider using the registration activity slip along with an application form available from the PUP Office.
Students must also complete the Independent Study Approval Form in the PUP Office. Dr. Schneider will submit the final grade (Pass or Unsatisfactory). Typically, students will spend at least 10 hours each week in the practicum site during the practicum and may do other activities to enhance the experience (such as reading, writing an annotated bibliography, keeping an activity log, or doing a literature review). Expected activities and the work schedule should be approved by the work site supervisor and by Dr. Schneider.
The Practicum Registration Form
Honors Program
The Psychology Honors Program provides students with opportunity to enrich their undergraduate education with an intensive program of independent study and research. The focus of the program is on psychological research and it is especially valuable for students who plan to pursue graduate education.
Students work individually with a faculty member, their thesis advisor, on state-of-art research that could be of such merit that it would be submitted to scientific journal for publication. Students will be active participants in all aspect of the research, including conception, design, implementation, analysis, and writing.
Honors students must complete a written honors thesis and must orally present and defend their research in the honors seminar.
In order to be admitted in the Psychology Honors Program, students must meet the following requirements:
- A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.2
- At least 75 quarter- hours
- Successfully completed PSY 301, 302, and 303.
It is also student's responsibility to identify a faculty member who agrees to supervise the student's thesis.
As students progress on their honors thesis, they will register in Honors Research (PSY 499) to receive credits for their research activities, and also in the Honors Seminar (PSY 489) that is offered each spring quarter. Credits from these courses will be counted toward the hour requirements for Psychology electives for the major.
Application to the Psychology Honors Program is available in the PUP Office, 342 Fawcett. For further information, contact the Director of Psychology Honors Program at 937-775-2391.
Titles of honors thesis completed in the past:
- "Early Exposure to Corticosterone Impairs Hippocampal-Mediated Learning in Males but not in Females"
- "The Roles of Extraversion and Neuroticism on Psychological and Physiological Stress Response"
- "The Effects of Unpaired CS and UCS Pre-exposure on Development of Trace and Delay Eyeblink Conditioning in Infant Rats"
- "Navigation Fidelity in 3D Perspective Displays for Web-based Shopping: From Nodes to Views"
- "The Effects of Family Attachment on Delinquency: An Examination of Racial Differences"
- "Role of Testosterone in Inbreeding Suppression"
- "The Role of Color Information in Directing Attention"
