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Dec 21, 2024
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2024-2025 General Catalog [Current]
Psychology - Human Services Emphasis (B.A., B.S.)
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 Return to: Department of Psychology
Program Summary
The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology with a Human Services Emphasis are designed to prepare students who want to work in a wide array of professional helping careers immediately upon graduation. Similar to the Psychology (B.A., B.S.) degrees, the Human Services Emphasis includes courses designed to build progressively upon each other as students begin with more general psychology courses, advance through a variety of methods courses with labs, and then finalize their degree with a Capstone course. Throughout this progression, students complete courses covering the major subfields of study in psychology including abnormal, developmental, cognitive, social/personality, biological, and diversity psychology. Additional courses related to the counseling field are included in the Human Services Emphasis to better prepare students to work in a helping profession immediately upon graduation with their B.A. or B.S. degree. The Human Service emphasis is not designed for students who anticipate pursuing an advanced degree upon graduation.
Program Information
- All courses must be passed with a “C-” (1.7) or better to be counted in the major.
- Exceptions to the requirements below require departmental approval. Students are encouraged to work closely with their Student Success Advisor to develop their program of study.
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General Education Requirement (30-35 Credits)
See General Education for course options. - Core Course Requirements (12-15 Credits)
- Breadth Area Requirements (16-20 Credits)
Please note: All students must complete a minimum of 30 credits between the Core and Breadth Area requirements. Bachelor’s Degree Type: Arts or Science Requirement (12* or 16** Credits)
Select one degree type from either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science: Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree Requirement (12 Credits*)
- Bachelor of Science Degree - Math or Science minimum requirement 12 Credits
* Note: A portion of the B.S. requirements may be met by fulfilling the General Education Core and Breadth Areas. Because of this, these credits are typically not counted in the degree total at the bottom of page. Some students majoring in non-science fields may need additional math/science courses to reach the minimum 12 credits. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details. orBachelor of Arts (BA) Degree Requirement (16 Credits**)
- Bachelor of Arts Degree - Foreign Language Requirement 16 Credits
** Note: One semester of a foreign language may also fulfill the General Education Humanities requirement. The 16 credits may be fulfilled by taking four semesters of a foreign language or by testing out of a language and purchasing the credits. These credits are typically counted in the degree total at the bottom of the page. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details. Psychology - Human Services Curriculum (55 Credits)
Foundation Courses (10 Credits)
Methods Courses (8 Credits)
Complete 8 credits from the following lecture/lab pairings*: Note
* A given lecture/lab pairing may not be broken up or taken separately. Developmental Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Abnormal Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Bio-Psychology Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Cognitive Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Social/Personality Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Diversity Course (3 Credits)
Complete one of the following: Capstone Course (3 Credits)
Human Services Emphasis (16 Credits)
Complete One of the Following
Free Electives (14-38 Credits)
Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. For a bachelor’s degree, students must earn a minimum of 40 upper-division credits (courses numbered 3000-4999). Students may need to select additional upper-division courses not included in their major requirements in order to reach this minimum. Please consult your Student Success Advisor for details. Recommended Electives
The following courses are additional recommended electives for students who are pursuing a career in human services and/or graduate study: Total Credits, B.A./B.S. Degree: 120
Program Learning Outcomes
- Content Knowledge and Applications: Students should demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major subfields, major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to behavioral problems. Students completing foundation courses should demonstrate breadth of their knowledge and application of psychological ideas to simple problems. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should show depth in their knowledge, application, and integration of psychological concepts, themes, and frameworks to problems of greater complexity.
- Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: The skills in this domain involve the development of scientific reasoning and problem solving, including effective research methods. Students completing foundation-level courses should learn basic skills and concepts in interpreting behavior, studying research, and applying research design principles to drawing conclusions about psychological phenomena. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should focus on theory use as well as designing and executing research plans.
- Values in Psychological Science: The skills in this domain involve the development of ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity. Students completing foundation-level courses should become familiar with the formal regulations that govern professional ethics in psychology and begin to embrace the values that will contribute to positive outcomes in work settings and in building a society responsive to multicultural and global concerns. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should have more direct opportunities to demonstrate adherence to professional values that will help them optimize their contributions and work effectively with all individuals. This domain also promotes the adoption of personal and professional values that can strengthen community relationships and contributions.
- Communication: Students should demonstrate competence in writing and in oral and interpersonal communication skills. Students completing foundation-level courses should write a cogent scientific argument, present information using a scientific approach, engage in discussion of psychological concepts, explain the ideas of others, and express their own ideas with clarity. Students completing a baccalaureate degree should produce a research study or other psychological project, explain scientific results, and present information to a professional audience. They should also develop flexible interpersonal approaches that optimize information exchange and relationship development.
- Personal and Professional Development: The emphasis in this goal is on application of psychology-specific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork skills, and career preparation. Foundation-level outcomes concentrate on the development of work habits and ethics to succeed in academic settings. The skills in this goal at the baccalaureate level refer to abilities that sharpen student readiness for post baccalaureate employment, graduate school, or professional school. These skills can be developed and refined both in traditional academic settings and in extracurricular involvement. In addition, career professionals can be enlisted to support occupational planning and pursuit. This emerging emphasis should not be construed as obligating psychology programs to obtain employment for their graduates but instead as encouraging programs to optimize the competitiveness of their graduates for securing places in the workforce.
Source: American Psychological Association. (2023). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major: Version 3.0. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/about/policy/undergraduate-psychology-major.pdf |
Return to: Department of Psychology
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