Psychology, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology curriculum reflects the discipline’s major functions — scientific research, teaching, acting as a healing profession and raising philosophical questions about the assumptions, values and ideals of human beings and their societies, which reflects psychology’s origin in philosophy. Through a core set of requirements the student systematically develops understanding and skill in scientific methods of inquiry, focusing on the human mind and behavior. To fulfill the degree requirements, students may pursue the standard curriculum by selecting courses from four content areas that introduce students to the healing and philosophical sides of psychology and provide a broad understanding of the field as a whole; or the student may apply to one of several more focused concentrations that draw upon the special strengths of the VCU Department of Psychology.

Program outcomes

Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:

• Understanding of content domain
  The curriculum of the B.S. in Psychology is designed to provide students with an accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of psychological concepts, principles and findings in the key domains of the field, including developmental processes, social processes, physiological and behavioral processes, and mental health and well-being.
• Development of intellectual domain
  The curriculum of the B.S. in Psychology fosters the development of the intellectual skills required to generate theories, do research, communicate ideas and information to others, evaluate conclusions statistically and locate the information needed for these intellectual pursuits. Students will learn to think scientifically, understand the relationships between theories, observations and conclusions, and skillfully evaluate the empirical support for various theories and findings.
• Development of affective and interpersonal domain
  Students seeking the B.S. in Psychology learn a number of practical, applied life skills pertaining to personal adjustment, relations with others and cross-cultural awareness.

Student learning outcomes

I. Communication and professional development

• Effective communication skills: Students will be able to communicate psychological theory and research to a range of audiences in oral and written formats in the capstone course.

II. Development of intellectual domain

• Critical evaluation skills: Students will be proficient in evaluating psychological theory and research methods; thinking scientifically about behavior and mental processes; and basing judgments on psychological theory and research.

• Empirical research skills: Students will demonstrate proficiency in applying methodological knowledge in measurement, experimental design and analysis of psychological data.

III. Ethical responsibility in a diverse world

• Ethical practices: Students will demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues in psychological research and practice.

Special requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology curriculum requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 30 credits in psychology courses. A maximum of 40 credits in psychology (this limit does not apply to PSYC courses numbered 490 and above) can be presented for the degree. At least 15 of the 30 minimum-required credits must be completed at VCU. All students must complete the following:

Course	Title	Hours
Psychology standard requirements
PSYC 101 Play course video for Introduction to Psychology	Introduction to Psychology	4
PSYC 214	Applications of Statistics	3
PSYC 317	Experimental Methods	3
Ancillary requirements
BIOL 101 & BIOZ 101	Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory	4
Select one of the following:		3
BIOL 103	Global Environmental Biology
BIOL 201	Human Biology
Or an approved biology course
STAT 210	Basic Practice of Statistics	3

For the standard curriculum, students must complete the psychology standard requirements, PSYC 451, at least one course from each of the following four domains or content areas, and at least three psychology electives.

Course	Title	Hours
Developmental
PSYC 301	Child Psychology	3
PSYC 302	Psychology of Adolescence	3
PSYC 304	Life Span Developmental Psychology (cannot take both for credit toward a degree)	3
PSYC 306	Psychology of Adult Development	3
PSYC 307	Community Solutions: Multiple Perspectives	3
GRTY 510	Aging	3
Social/personality
PSYC 309	Personality	3
PSYC 321	Social Psychology	3
PSYC/AFAM 322	Personality and Behavior of the African American	3
PSYC 323	Interpersonal Relations	3
PSYC/RELS 333	Psychology and Religious Experience	3
PSYC/GSWS 335	Psychology of Women	3
PSYC/SOCY 341	Group Dynamics	3
Physiological/learning
PSYC 401	Physiological Psychology	3
PSYC 406	Perception	3
PSYC 410	Principles of Learning and Cognition	3
Self-development/applied psychology
PSYC 303	Personal Adjustment	3
PSYC 308	Stress and its Management	3
PSYC 310	Industrial Psychology	3
PSYC 318	Principles of Psychological Tests and Measurements	3
PSYC 340	Introduction to the Helping Relationship	3
PSYC 407	Psychology of the Abnormal	3
PSYC 412	Health Psychology	3
PSYC 415	Psychological Theories of Addiction	3
PSYC 416	Psychological Treatment of Addiction	3
PSYC 426	Child Psychopathology	3

Standard psychology courses must be taken sequentially and ideally should be completed by the end of the junior year. These courses are PSYC 101 with a minimum grade of C; PSYC 214 with a minimum grade of C (PSYC 214 also has the prerequisite requirement of STAT 210 or its equivalent with a minimum grade of C); and PSYC 317 with a minimum grade of C (PSYC 317 also has the prerequisite requirement of PSYC 214 or its equivalent with a minimum grade of C).

PSYC 451 is the capstone course and must be taken in the senior year.

Students must achieve a minimum cumulative VCU GPA of 2.0 and also achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the major in order to graduate.

Degree requirements for Psychology, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Course	Title	Hours
General education
Select 30 credits of general education courses in consultation with an adviser.		30
Major requirements
• Major core requirements
PSYC 214	Applications of Statistics	3
PSYC 317	Experimental Methods	3
PSYC 451	History of Psychology	3
• Additional major requirements
Select at least one course from each of the domains listed above.		12
• Major electives
PSYC electives (upper-level)		9
Ancillary requirements
BIOL 101	Biological Concepts (satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning)	3
BIOL 103	Global Environmental Biology 1	3
or BIOL 201	Human Biology
BIOZ 101	Biological Concepts Laboratory	1
HUMS 202	Choices in a Consumer Society	1
PSYC 101 Play course video for Introduction to Psychology	Introduction to Psychology (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and AOI for diversities in the human )	4
STAT 210	Basic Practice of Statistics (satisfies general education quantitative foundations)	3
Electives (upper level)		21
Experiential fine arts 2		1-3
Foreign language through the 102 level (by course or placement)		0-6
Open electives
Select any course.		23-32
Total Hours		120

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Accelerated B.S. and M.Ed.

The accelerated B.S. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counselor Education program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counselor Education in six years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Students in the program may count up to 12 hours of graduate courses toward both the B.S and M.Ed. degrees. Thus, the two degrees may be earned with a minimum of 168 credits rather than the 180 credits necessary if the two degrees are pursued separately.

Students holding the undergraduate degree in psychology will have knowledge in human behavior, learning and cognition that provides a foundation for graduate study in counselor education. The counselor education program will provide students with research-based professional and clinical experiences necessary for effective counseling, supervision, teaching, advocacy and leadership in diverse settings. Program faculty will prepare students to become licensed school counselors, couples and family counselors, or counselors and student affairs professionals in higher education institutions.

Entrance to the accelerated program

Interested undergraduate students should consult with their adviser as early as possible to receive specific information about the accelerated program, determine academic eligibility and submit (no later than two semesters prior to graduating with a baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the spring semester of their junior year) an Accelerated Program Declaration Form to be approved by the graduate program director. Limited spaces may be available in the accelerated program. Academically qualified students may not receive approval if capacity has been reached.

Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 75 undergraduate credit hours, including at least one undergraduate CLED course; minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the most recent 60 credits of course work. Additionally, students must submit three letters of recommendation addressing their potential for graduate study in education (including at least one from a psychology faculty member); a current resume; a statement of intent (consult with counselor education faculty); transcripts of all previous college work; and must complete a personal interview (to be scheduled after application is received). Note: All of the material components will need to be submitted for the official graduate school application if accelerated program students elect to continue in the VCU counselor education program (see Admission to the graduate program directions below). Students who are interested in the accelerated program should consult with both a psychology academic adviser and a graduate counselor education adviser before they have completed 75 credits. Successful applicants would enter the program in the fall semester of their senior year.

Undergraduate students must have psychology department approval (e.g., academic adviser, department chair) to participate in this accelerated program and also meet admission criteria of the M.Ed. in Counselor Education program prior to beginning their final year of full-time undergraduate study.

Once enrolled in the accelerated program, students must meet the standards of performance applicable to graduate students as described in the “Satisfactory academic progress” section of the Graduate Bulletin, including maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Both the undergraduate psychology adviser and the graduate counselor education faculty adviser provide guidance to students admitted to the accelerated program.

Admission to the graduate program

Entrance to the accelerated program enables the student to take the approved shared courses that will apply to the undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, entry into an accelerated program via an approved Accelerated Program Declaration Form does not constitute application or admission into the graduate program. Admission to the graduate program requires a separate step that occurs through a formal application. In order to continue pursuing the master’s degree after the baccalaureate degree is conferred, accelerated students must follow the admission to graduate study requirements outlined in the VCU Bulletin. Students may resubmit the same three letters of recommendation addressing their potential for graduate study in education (including at least one from a psychology faculty member and statement of intent (consult with counselor education faculty); a current resume; and updated transcripts of all previous college work.

Degree requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree will be awarded upon completion of a minimum of 120 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be taken prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree. These graduate credits may be used to satisfy major elective or open elective credits for the undergraduate degree. These courses are shared credits with the graduate program, meaning that they will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

The graduate counselor education (CLED) courses that may be taken as an undergraduate, once a student is admitted to the program, are:

Course	Title	Hours
CLED 601	Theories of Counseling	3
CLED 605	Career Information and Exploration	3
CLED 607	Multicultural Counseling in Educational Settings	3
CLED 612	Wellness Counseling	3

Recommended course sequence/plan of study

What follows is the recommended plan of study for students interested in the accelerated program beginning in the fall of the junior year prior to admission to the accelerated program in the senior year.

Course	Title	Hours
Junior year
Fall semester
Course in developmental domain		3
Course in social/personality domain		3
Elective (upper-level)		3
Electives (upper- or lower-level)		6
Term Hours:		15
Spring semester
Course in physiological/learning domain		3
Course in self-development/applied psychology domain		3
Elective (upper-level)		3
Electives (upper- or lower-level)		6
Term Hours:		15
Senior year
Fall semester
CLED 601	Theories of Counseling	3
CLED 605	Career Information and Exploration	3
PSYC 451	History of Psychology	3
Psychology elective (upper-level)		3
Psychology or other elective (upper-level)		3
Term Hours:		15
Spring semester
CLED 607	Multicultural Counseling in Educational Settings	3
CLED 612	Wellness Counseling	3
Psychology or other elective (upper-level)		3
Electives (upper- or lower-level)		5
Term Hours:		14
See requirements for fifth and sixth years by concentration below.

School counseling concentration

Course	Title	Hours
Fifth year
Summer semester
CLED 600	Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice in Counseling	3
CLED 640	Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling	3
Term hours:		6
Fall semester
CLED 602	Techniques of Counseling	3
CLED 613	Data-driven Comprehensive School Counseling Programs	3
CLED 650	Addiction Counseling	3
Term hours:		9
Spring semester
EDUS 660	Research Methods in Education	3
CLED 603	Group Procedures in Counseling	3
CLED 622	School Counseling Services	3
CLED 660	Mental Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning	3
Term Hours:		12
Summer semester
CLED 615	Lifespan Development: A Gender Perspective	3
Elective (chosen with approval of adviser)		3
Term Hours:		6
Sixth year
Fall semester
EDUS 673	Democracy, Equity and Ethics in Education	3
CLED 604	Practicum: School Counseling	3
CLED 606	Assessment Techniques for Counselors	3
Term Hours:		9
Spring semester
CLED 672	Internship	6
Term Hours:		6

College counseling and student affairs concentration

Course	Title	Hours
Fifth year
Summer semester
CLED 600	Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice in Counseling	3
CLED 640	Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling	3
Term hours:		6
Fall semester
CLED 602	Techniques of Counseling	3
CLED 620	Student Development Services in Higher Education	3
CLED 650	Addiction Counseling	3
Term hours:		9
Spring semester
EDUS 660	Research Methods in Education	3
CLED 603	Group Procedures in Counseling	3
CLED 660	Mental Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning	3
Term Hours:		9
Summer semester
CLED 615	Lifespan Development: A Gender Perspective	3
Elective (chosen with approval of adviser)		3
Term Hours:		6
Sixth year
Fall semester
CLED 606	Assessment Techniques for Counselors	3
CLED 608	Practicum: College Student Development and Counseling	3
CLED 631	American College and University	3
Term Hours:		9
Spring semester
CLED 672	Internship	6
Elective (chosen with approval of adviser)		3
Term Hours:		9

Couples and family counseling concentration

Course	Title	Hours
Fifth year
Summer semester
CLED 600	Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice in Counseling	3
CLED 640	Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling	3
Term hours:		6
Fall semester
CLED 602	Techniques of Counseling	3
CLED 650	Addiction Counseling	3
CLED 641	Advanced Family Counseling	3
Term hours:		9
Spring semester
CLED 603	Group Procedures in Counseling	3
CLED 645	Couples Counseling	3
CLED 660	Mental Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning	3
Term Hours:		9
Summer semester
CLED 609	Couples and Family Counseling Practicum	3
CLED 615	Lifespan Development: A Gender Perspective	3
CLED 644	Sexuality Counseling	3
Term Hours:		9
Sixth year
Fall semester
CLED 606	Assessment Techniques for Counselors	3
CLED 672	Internship	3
Term Hours:		6
Spring semester
EDUS 660	Research Methods in Education	3
CLED 672	Internship	3
Elective (chosen with approval of advisor)		3
Term Hours:		9