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2015-2016 Catalog 
    
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2015-2016 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, B.S.

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Major Code: 7141 Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science
Age Restriction: N Admission status: undergraduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus

Program Chair
Vanessa Edkins, Ph.D.

The B.S. degree is designed for students oriented toward the natural sciences and mathematics. Students consult with their faculty advisers to select the degree program most appropriate to their interests and goals.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for a Bachelor of Science in Psychology must successfully complete 120 credit hours as indicated in the suggested curriculum below. No courses with the prefix BEH, PSF or PSY, other than PSY 2444 , can be used as the Social Science Elective. Technical Electives exclude mathematics courses below the 2000 level.

The undergraduate psychology majors are designed to allow students to customize their coursework to meet their specific interests and needs. Coursework within the psychology major includes a 21 hour psychology core and an additional 30 hour psychology concentration that includes courses in psychology and other areas that are deemed appropriate to the students’ intellectual goals and interests in psychology. The concentration must be approved by the undergraduate program chair.

A list of concentrations and related courses follow the undergraduate psychology program plans in this section.

Courses are offered in the department to facilitate several concentrations: animal learning and behavior, applied behavior analysis, clinical/counseling psychology, forensic psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, neuropsychology, social-cultural and sport psychology. In special cases, students may also design their own concentrations appropriate to pursuing postgraduate education in law, medical fields, business and the experimental fields of psychology. Students are encouraged to pursue minors in other disciplines, such as business administration, communication or biology.

Curriculum

Freshman Year

Fall (16 Credit Hours)

Complete:
Select one course:

Spring (14 Credit Hours)

Complete:
Select one course:
Select one course:

Sophomore Year

Fall (16 Credit Hours)

Complete:

Spring (15 Credit Hours)

Complete:
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
  • Humanities Core Course Credit Hours: 3
  • Concentration Courses Credit Hours: 6
  • Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3

Junior Year

Fall (15 Credit Hours)

Complete:

Spring (15 Credit Hours)

Complete:

Senior Year

Fall (16 Credit Hours)

Complete:

Spring (13 Credit Hours)

Complete:
  • Concentration Course Credit Hours: 3
  • Free Electives Credit Hours: 10

Total Credits Required: 120

Concentrations and Suggested Courses

Students have the option to choose one of the following concentrations to provide depth within one of the subdisciplines of psychology:

Animal Learning and Behavior

The concentration in animal learning and behavior allows students the opportunity to pursue specialized knowledge and skills in animal learning and training. Courses in both biological sciences and behavior analysis emphasize biological bases of behavior and species-typical learning as well as standard principles of training that cross species lines. The culmination of the program is an internship with a facility or institution that emphasizes animal training, husbandry or education of the public in these areas. Previous graduates have earned internships at facilities such as Oahu’s Sea Life Park, Dolphin Quest Bermuda, Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. A minor in biology and scuba certification are recommended for this degree. Students in this concentration must take BIO 1010  and BIO 1020 .

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (6 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (8 credit hours)

Applied Behavior Analysis

The concentration in applied behavior analysis prepares undergraduate students for the associate certification in behavior analysis (BCaBA) that permits career opportunities in facilities and with organizations that emphasize behavioral interventions. In the ABA concentration, special emphasis is given to principles of behavioral analysis and intervention strategies, particularly in working with children who have developmental disabilities. Internship opportunities under the supervision of licensed Board-Certified Behavior Analysts are available at Florida Tech’s Scott Center for Autism Treatment. In addition to the bachelor’s degree career opportunities, psychology graduates with this concentration have been successful in attaining acceptance in M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (12 credit hours)

Clinical/Counseling Psychology

The clinical/counseling concentration exposes students to courses and field placements that emphasize the assessment and treatment of mental and emotional disorders as well as disorders of adjustment and substance abuse. Students interested in pursuing postgraduate study in clinical, counseling or school psychology, or in obtaining employment in a mental health or social service agency after graduation, should study in areas that will familiarize them with these occupations and build basic skills. Such areas of study include substance abuse, abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, professional ethics and assessment techniques.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Developmental Psychology Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (12 credit hours)

Forensic

Forensic psychology can be defined as anything that involves the intersection of psychology and the legal system. Some forensic psychologists have a background in clinical psychology and focus on things like assessing people charged with crimes to determine competency to stand trial or whether or not the individual was legally insane at the time of the incident. Other forensic psychologists may focus on research applied to the justice system, studying such topics as eyewitness identification procedures (and errors), police interrogation procedures, police selection and assessment, confessions and false confessions, and jury decision-making, to name a few. Recent students have interned with law enforcement officers, jail staff, attorneys, treatment providers in pretrial diversion treatment programs, child and victim advocates, Federal Bureau of Investigation behavior analysts and researchers in criminology. These internships allow for studies of the impact of interventions and procedures on recidivism, trial outcomes and etiology of criminal behaviors.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (6 credit hours)

Concentration Natural Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (12 credit hours)

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Students who plan to enter business directly after graduation, or apply to an MBA program or to a graduate program in personnel or industrial/organizational psychology should select courses in psychology and business that will help define their interests, prepare them for graduate school admission or develop skills. Some useful areas of study include psychology of the workplace, business law, management, human resource management and organizational behavior. Students who choose this concentration are encouraged to add a minor in business administration.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Natural Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Business Bases (6 credit hours)

Concentration Elective (3 credit hours)

  • PSY 2xxx Select one 2000-level or higher Credit Hours: 3

Neuropsychology

The concentration in neuropsychology introduces students to the complex area of brain-behavior interactions. The combination of coursework and internship prepares students for graduate programs in neuroscience, cognitive neuropsychology and clinical neuropsychology. Areas of emphasis include the study of dementing illnesses, sportrelated concussion, visuospatial cognitive processing and eyetracking research. Students in this concentration are strongly encouraged to pursue the bachelor of science degree and to consider a minor in biology. Research opportunities for students who concentrate in neuropsychology include the study of dementing illnesses at the East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic, investigation of the biomechanics of sport-related concussion as well as valid baseline and post-trauma measures at the Florida Tech Neuropsychology Laboratory, visuospatial cognitive processing and brain-computer interfaces at the Cognition Applied Research Laboratory. Students in this concentration must take BIO 1010  and BIO 1020 .

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (6 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (9 credit hours)

Social-Cultural

The social-cultural concentration is a good choice for those preparing for graduate school and those interested in social psychology, sociology, social work, business, to name a few. Some internship possibilities include a study-abroad project; work in a local program for minorities; participation in a political action organization or a nonprofit community organization; work at a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the U.S. or abroad; a volunteer abroad program; or a theoretical research project.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Natural Science Bases (3 credits)

Concentration Electives (12 credit hours)

  • PSY 2xxx Select 2000-level or higher Credit Hours: 12

Sport Psychology

Students looking forward to graduate programs in sport psychology or careers in coaching or training will take courses that are foundational to these pursuits such as physiological psychology, leadership, group behavior and sport psychology, and applied sport psychology. These classroom experiences, combined with practical training and research, give students a view of the various opportunities within this growing field as well as preparation for advanced study or practice. A minor in education is encouraged for those interested in working in secondary education.

Concentration Required Courses

Concentration Social Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Natural Science Bases (3 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (6 credit hours)

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