BA or BS in Psychology
Susquehanna University
Key Information
Campus location
Selinsgrove, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 54,440 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* tuition 2022-23
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
A psychology degree can take you anywhere
Whether you’re interested in a career in research, behavioral health, social work, counseling, or some other profession, psychology provides excellent preparation.
Our psychology majors have a track record of success in multiple career paths. Consistently accepted to among the best graduate and professional schools, they’ve demonstrated their versatility by excelling in a variety of professions.
Want to be a writer or an attorney? You’ll need to ensure your words resonate. Are you a future business manager or consultant? You’ll have to understand what motivates people and how they interact in groups. These are just a few ways psychology is critical in many careers.
Real-life experience
Your faculty advisor will help you refine your interests and find a meaningful practicum or internship. You’ll design and conduct your own research and have the opportunity to present it at conferences.
Add another major or minor to gain complementary skills in areas such as management, neuroscience, a foreign language, mathematics, creative writing, health care studies, religious studies, or one of our interdisciplinary minors. All of these add value to your psychology major and broaden your opportunities after graduation.
Gallery
Curriculum
Requirements for Major
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
The department offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs. Majors pursuing the Bachelor of Arts complete 41 semester hours in psychology with a grade of C- or better and with at least a 2.00 psychology GPA. Students complete the following required courses from each of five content areas:
12 Psychology Core (all are required)
- PSYC-101 Principles of Psychology
- PSYC-223 Research Methods in Psychology
- PSYC-421 Directed Research
4 Developmental Psychology (choose one of the following):
- PSYC-238 Developmental Psychology: Conception Through Childhood
- PSYC-239 Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
- PSYC-240 Developmental Psychology: Adulthood and Aging
4 Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Psychology (choose one of the following):
- PSYC-230 Social Psychology
- PSYC-245 Personality
- PSYC-320 Psychological Disorders
8 Fundamental Paradigms in Psychology (choose two of the following):
- PSYC-340 Cognitive Psychology
- PSYC-342 Behavioral Neuroscience
- PSYC-344 Learning Processes
- PSYC-346 Sensation and Perception
1 Laboratory Proficiency (choose one of the following):
- PSYC-360 Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience
- PSYC-361 Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology
- PSYC-362 Laboratory in Learning Processes
- PSYC-363 Laboratory in Sensation and Perception
12 Psychology Electives
- 12 hours of electives selected with faculty adviser guidance
Majors must also complete a comprehensive psychology examination during the junior or senior year. Questions cover courses in the psychology core, developmental psychology, interpersonal and intrapersonal psychology, and fundamental paradigms in psychology content areas but not courses in the laboratory proficiency area. Students have up to four opportunities to take the comprehensive examination; only the highest score is recorded on the transcript. Performance on the comprehensive examination is reported on the transcript as high pass, pass or fail.
The department also recommends additional courses in other areas, depending on specific career goals. Frequent choices are biology, health care studies, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, business, prelaw, and communications.
Additional Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree will complete all requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in psychology. Bachelor of Science candidates also complete two additional courses (at least one of which must be selected from outside the psychology department) from among the following four options:
- A course (together with its corresponding lab) from the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, ecology, earth and environmental sciences, health care studies, or physics) that does not fulfill the student’s Scientific Explanations requirement*
- Any four-semester-hour math course numbered 111 or higher (except statistics) that does not fulfill the student’s Analytical Thought requirement*
- A third course from the fundamental paradigms content area of the psychology major2
- PSYC-323 Advanced Research Design and Analysis**
- *A student may take two of these courses to meet their B.S. course requirements.
- **This course may also be counted as a psychology B.A. elective.
Secondary Teaching Certification
Coursework required by the state of Pennsylvania for admission to the teacher certification program includes successful completion of ENGL-100 Writing and Thinking or equivalent course, at least 3 semester hours in British or American literature, at least 6 semester hours of mathematics coursework (or other courses which satisfy the Central Curriculum Analytical Thought requirement), and at least one 40-hour externship.
Education course requirements for secondary education are EDUC-101 Introduction to Education and Society, EDUC-250 Educational Psychology, EDUC-260 Introduction to Special Education, EDUC-270 Instruction of Exceptional Students, EDUC-330 Technology in Education, EDUC-350 English Language Learners: Theory and Instruction, EDUC-380 Instructional Design, EDUC- 479 Principles of Learning and Teaching in Secondary Education, EDUC-483 Differentiated Instruction and Classroom Management in Secondary Education, and the EDUC-500 Student Teaching package (EDUC-501, EDUC-502, EDUC-503, and EDUC-600).
In addition to completing the psychology major and the courses listed above, secondary education psychology students must complete certification in social studies. The requirements for certification in social studies are EDUC- 425 Methods of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment in Teaching Social Studies, SOCI-101 Principles of Sociology, ANTH-162 Introduction to Anthropology, ECON-105 Elements of Economics, POLI-111 American Government and Politics, POLI-121 Comparative Government and Politics, HIST-322 Pennsylvania History or HIST- 324 Pennsylvania’s Pasts and Their Publics, 1 course in U. S. history (HIST-111, HIST-112 or HIST-115), 1 course in European history (HIST-131 or HIST-132), and 1 course in non-Western history (HIST-151, HIST-152, HIST-171, HIST-172, HIST-180, or HIST-181).
Honors in Psychology
Award of departmental honors recognizes outstanding performance and dedication in the psychology major. To graduate with honors in psychology, students must do the following:
- Complete all the requirements for either the B.A. or B.S. in psychology.
- Have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a psychology GPA of 3.50,
- Score at least 80 percent on the comprehensive examination,
- Complete PSYC-525 Independent Research for two semester hours, and
- Present their independent research in an approved public forum.
Psi Chi
Students who meet the requisite standards will be invited to join the international psychology honor society.
Requirements for Minor
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Minor in Psychology
The minor is designed to acquaint students with important areas in the field while offering flexible options based on their career goals. Students consult with a psychology department adviser to select minor courses. The minor requires 24 semester hours in psychology with a grade of C- or better and a minimum 2.0 grade point average in their psychology classes. Required courses include PSYC-101 Principles of Psychology, 12 semester hours at the 200 level (only one of which may be from the developmental psychology sequence), and eight semester hours in courses numbered 300 or above. Psychology laboratory courses may be applied to the minor. Substitution of 300-level courses for 200-level courses is possible with the permission of the minor adviser. Students may not apply the following courses to the minor: PSYC-123 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences; PSYC-421 Directed Research; PSYC-505 Research Apprenticeship; PSYC-525, 526 Independent Research; and PSYC-527, 528 Practicum.
Courses Options
- PSYC 101 Principles of Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 123 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Credits: 4
- PSYC 201 Special Topics in Psychology, Credits: 2–4
- PSYC 223 Research Methods in Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 230 Social Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 232 Environmental Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 238 Developmental Psychology: Childhood, Credits: 4
- PSYC 239 Developmental Psychology: Adolescence, Credits: 4
- PSYC 240 Developmental Psych: Adulthood and Aging, Credits: 4
- PSYC 242 Health Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 243 Drugs, Society, and Behavior, Credits: 4
- PSYC 245 Personality, Credits: 4
- PSYC 320 Psychological Disorders, Credits: 4
- PSYC 322 Psychological Testing, Credits: 4
- PSYC 323 Advanced Research Design/Analysis, Credits: 4
- PSYC 334 Psychology of Gender, Credits: 4
- PSYC 340 Cognitive Psychology, Credits: 4
- PSYC 342 Behavioral Neuroscience, Credits: 4
- PSYC 344 Learning Processes, Credits: 4
- PSYC 346 Sensation and Perception, Credits: 4
- PSYC 348 Psycholinguistics, Credits: 4
- PSYC 350 Psych, Culture, and Ethnicity, Credits: 4
- PSYC 360 Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Credits: 1
- PSYC 361 Cognitive Psychology Laboratory, Credits: 1
- PSYC 362 Learning Processes Laboratory, Credits: 1
- PSYC 363 Sensation and Perception Lab, Credits: 1
- PSYC 400 Advanced Topics in Psychology, Credits: 2–4
- PSYC 421 Directed Research, Credits: 4
- PSYC 450 Theories of Psychotherapy, Credits: 4
- PSYC 500 Internship, Credits: 2–4
- PSYC 505 Research Apprenticeship, Credits: 1–4
- PSYC 510 Independent Study, Credits: 1–4
- PSYC 525 Independent Research, Credits: 2
- PSYC 526 Independent Research, Credits: 2
- PSYC 527 Practicum, Credits: 4
- PSYC 528 Practicum, Credits: 4
Career Opportunities
Recent graduates have enrolled at:
Doctoral Programs
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of Indianapolis
- Kent State University
- Washington University
- Chestnut Hill College
- Penn State University
- University of Missouri
- Washington State University
- East Tennessee State University
- Saint Louis University
- Pacific University
Masters Programs
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Pennsylvania
- New York University
- Bryn Mawr College
- Columbia University
- Drexel University
- University of Connecticut
- Rider University
- University of New Haven
- Catholic University
- West Chester University
- Rutgers University
- Bucknell University
- University of Baltimore
- Temple University
- Seton Hall University
- Towson University
- University of South Carolina
- Arizona State University
Recent graduates with a BA/BS in psychology have worked at:
- Northumberland Children and Youth Services - caseworker
- TEKsystems (IT staffing) - recruiter
- Center for Social Development and Education (Boston) - research assistant
- YP (phone apps) - digital marketing sales executive
- PA Counseling Services - family-based therapist
- Inline Plastics - marketing communications coordinator
- Nebraska Respite Network - coordinator of respite services
- Community Hope (NJ) - behavioral health counselor
- Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc - financial consultant
- Geisinger Medical Center - research assistant
- Northumberland County Juvenile Court - program coordinator
- Philhaven Behavioral Health - therapeutic support staff
- US Army - 2nd Lieutenant Infantry
- Friedman LLP - HR Assistant
- PA State Correctional Institution - drug & alcohol treatment specialist
- St. Luke’s Hospital - geriatric mental health technician
English Language Requirements
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