Psychology

DEGREE
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

CONCENTRATION
Concentration in Clinical Psychology

MINORS
General Theory
Developmental Psychology

The Psychology Department at Wesley College provides a broad-based curriculum which exposes the student to a wide variety of fields in which Psychology is used. The overriding goal of the Psychology Department is to prepare students for graduate school in the field of Psychology, or other allied fields, or to enter the work force in entry level positions in various government or human services agencies.

Graduates of the Psychology program:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge base of psychology, such as familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
2. Understand and apply research methods in psychology including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
3. Respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach to investigate problems related to behavior and mental processes.
4. Understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, clinical, ethical, and organizational issues.

SPECIAL FEATURES 

• Internship opportunities available for qualified Senior Psychology majors.
• Psychology Club which is open to all Psychology majors. This club is organized and run by elected officers in the Psychology program, along with a faculty sponsor. It meets regularly and engages in activities related to the field of Psychology (i.e., field trips, special speaker, etc.).
• Psi Chi, the National Honor Society for Psychology majors, is available at Wesley College. This honors organization is open to students who have either a major or minor in Psychology and who meet the national organization’s requirements for induction.
• Directed research with a faculty member. This provides an excellent opportunity to engage in and present independent research before entering into graduate school.
• A comprehensive psychology curriculum with opportunities to explore several sub-specialties of psychology, such as clinical, forensic, developmental, and experimental.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The Psychology Department requires majors to complete 42 credit hours in Psychology towards the 124 credits required for graduation. The following courses, as well as three other elective Psychology courses are required:

• Introduction to Psychology
• Psychological Science
• Abnormal Psychology
• Statistics for the Social Sciences
• Psychology of Human Development
• Psychology of Personality
• Experimental Psychology
• History and Systems of Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Psychology Senior Seminar

An additional 39 hours of core courses and 43 hours of general electives are required in order to fulfill the requirements for the Bachelor’s degree.

Psychology majors must take all required Psychology courses at Wesley College once they have matriculated. Students who transfer required Psychology courses into Wesley prior to matriculating at Wesley will have those courses applied towards their BA degree at Wesley subject to review and approval of the Department Chair. This requirement may be waived, based upon specific individual circumstances, with the approval of the Department Chair.

To graduate, students majoring in Psychology must hold a minimum GPA of 2.50 in major course requirements (including PY100 and PY222) and must attain a minimum grade of C in major course requirements.

Core Requirements
Meet the Faculty