Students will be assessed on various specific competencies and professional behaviors as they progress through their program of study. Faculty will continually assess a student’s ability to function effectively within the context of helping relationships. Among the competencies evaluated, in accordance with a student’s experience, include:
Psychology Major Requirements
I. Common Core (15 Credits):
All Psychology Majors complete a common core of 15 credits.
CPSYC1551: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
Recommended General Education outcomes course: CMATH 1522 Introduction to Statistics, recommended to be taken before CSOCS 3444 Research Methods in the Social Sciences. Students who have not taken CMATH 1522 should take CPSYC 3441. Students who have taken CMATH 1522 and want more rigorous graduate school preparation should take CMATH 3522.
II. Required Internship Sequence Coursework (10 credits)
All majors are required to complete 10 credits of internship experience. The semester before beginning an internship, students need to work with the internship office for guidance in securing an approved site. Students who have not secured an internship site by the start of the semester must either drop the course or receive approval for an extension.
| CPSYC 2551 | Concepts & Skills in Professional Practice | 4 |
| CPSYC 3901 | Psychology Internship and Seminar I | 6 |
CPSYC2551 and CPSYC3901: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
III. Specializations (18 - 27 credits): Choose One
Students must choose one specialization to complete the Psychology Major. Minors are available for any students who wish to expand their education in areas outside of their chosen specialization.
1) General Psychology Specialization
To successfully meet the requirements of the General Psychology specialization, students will:
- demonstrate familiarity with major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and historical trends in psychology.
- understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis and interpretation.
- respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
- understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social and organizational issues.
- be able to weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values underpinning psychology as a discipline.
- develop knowledge and abilities integrating hands-on learning with studies of psychology and applied therapies through exploring career development, cultural humility, self-reflective skills, communication skills, ethics, and self-care.
Students can complete CMATH 3522 Inferential Statistics in place of CPSYC3441 (CMATH1522 is a prereq for CMATH3522).
CPSYC 4907: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
A. Required Core (9 credits)
B. General Psychology Electives (6 credits): Choose Two
C. Applied Psychology Elective (3 credits): Choose One
Special topics courses in Psychology may be substituted for a General Psychology elective.
2) Holistic Psychology Specialization
The Holistic Psychology Specialization is designed to offer students a foundation in the study of psychology from a holistic perspective. Grounded in the concept that mind, body, and spirit are integrally connected, and in cross-cultural perspectives, students gain an understanding of topics in psychology including alternative healing practices, states of consciousness, perception, cognition, and identity.
To successfully meet the requirements of the Holistic Psychology Specialization, students will:
- demonstrate the ability to utilize Holistic Psychology theories to understand how mind, body and spirit are integrally connected.
- develop the capacity to utilize cross-cultural and global perspectives to understand psychological well-being and distress.
- meet pre-professional competencies in holistic practices, such as yoga, mindfulness, and somatic healing through coursework and internship experience.
- be able to utilize, critically assess, and apply traditional approaches to psychological research to the practices within the field of Holistic Psychology.
- develop knowledge and abilities integrating hands-on learning with studies of psychology and applied therapies through exploring career development, cultural humility, self-reflective skills, communication skills, ethics, and self-care.
A. Required Core (9 credits)
CPSYC4881: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
B. Mind-Body Focus (3 credits): Choose one
C. Social-Cultural Focus (3 credits)
D. Spiritual-Transpersonal Focus (3 credits)
3) Counseling Specialization
The Counseling Specialization is designed to prepare undergraduate students for work in counseling settings or for further graduate education in counseling. It equips students with the necessary counseling skills for entry-level positions in various human services settings. Additionally, it is designed to prepare students for admission into a professional master's degree program in Counseling Psychology and/or the dual degree programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (for more information, refer to the Counseling Dual Degree Program).
To successfully meet the requirements of the Counseling Specialization, students will:
- utilize theories of human behavior in assessing clinical problems and in developing appropriate skills and interventions.
- be able to apply multicultural and global perspectives in their approach to counseling practice.
- demonstrate an understanding of psychological development across the range of human experience.
- critically assess and utilize social science research to further their development as counseling professionals.
- engage in behaviors and practices that conform to professional values, ethics, and standards.
- develop knowledge and abilities integrating hands-on learning with studies of psychology and applied therapies through exploring career development, cultural humility, self-reflective skills, communication skills, ethics, and self-care.
A. Required Core (9 credits)
B. Counseling Electives (6 credits): Choose Two
CPSYC4881: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
C. Applied Elective (3 credits): Choose One
4) Art Therapy Specialization
The Art Therapy Specialization is designed for students interested in using visual art modalities in working with adults and children in a variety of settings. It prepares students for entry-level positions in a number of human services settings, such as social service agencies, child care programs or specialized school programs, and other community settings. It is also designed to prepare students for entry into a professional master's degree program in Art Therapy and/or Expressive Art Therapies. The major and this specialization combine pre-professional courses in human services with substantial coursework in psychology and studio art. To qualify for professional licensure, students must continue into graduate-level preparation in Art Therapy. Students in this specialization may be eligible to apply for the Art Therapy Clinical Mental Health Counseling dual-degree program (see Dual Degree Art Therapy for more information).
To successfully meet the requirements of the Art Therapy Specialization, students will:
- develop values that integrate the identity of a visual artist and that of a helping professional.
- integrate the concepts of art therapy within a context of the helping profession, through engagement in experiential learning.
- be able to critically analyze social science research to enhance their development within the field of art therapy.
- demonstrate an understanding of psychological development across the range of human experience.
- display a capacity to utilize multicultural perspectives in their approach to understanding art therapy practice.
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develop knowledge and abilities integrating hands-on learning with studies of psychology and applied therapies through exploring career development, cultural humility, self-reflective skills, communication skills, ethics, and self-care.
A. Required Core (9 credits)
CPSYC4623: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
B. Studio Art Courses (18 credits)
The foundation courses are designed to give art therapy students a broad experience in 2D and 3D studio work. Electives are intended to build depth and breadth in various media.
Students planning to apply for the dual-degree program or graduate school will need most of the studio art courses completed by mid-junior year, as well as 3 additional credits in psychology.
Required Courses (6 credits)
Choose One (3 credits)
Studio Art Electives (9 credits)
Choose 3 additional studio art courses (at least 2 at the 2000-level or above). Studio art classes can be from areas other than Fine Arts (IFINE), such as Animation (IANIM), Design (IDESN), Illustration (IILLU), Photography (IPHOT), etc.
5) Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization
The Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization is designed for students interested in learning about the theory and philosophy of expressive arts therapy and how professionals utilize expressive arts therapy modalities of dance/movement, drama, creative writing, music, poetry and the visual arts in integrated ways in working with children and adults in a variety of settings. It prepares students for entry-level positions in a number of human services settings, such as social service agencies, child care programs or specialized school programs, and other community settings. It is also designed to prepare students for entry into a professional, Master of Arts degree licensure program in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling. The major and this specialization combine pre-professional courses in human services with substantial coursework in psychology and the arts. Students in this specialization may be eligible to apply for the Expressive Arts Therapy Clinical Mental Health Counseling dual-degree program. Additionally, students in this specialization and the Dance/Movement Therapy minor may be eligible for the Dance/Movement Therapy Clinical Mental Health dual degree program (see Dual Degree Options in Expressive Arts Therapy for more information).
To successfully meet the requirements of the Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization, students will:
- develop multimodal proficiency, synthesizing the identity of an integrated artist with that of a helping professional.
- demonstrate an understanding of modality-specific applications of Expressive Therapies within a context of the helping profession, through engagement in experiential learning.
- be able to critically analyze social science research and utilize their understanding to enhance their development within the field of Expressive Art Therapy.
- show an understanding of psychological development within a cultural context.
- demonstrate a capacity to utilize multicultural global perspectives in their approach to understanding Expressive Arts Therapy practice.
- develop knowledge and abilities integrating hands-on learning with studies of psychology and applied therapies through exploring career development, cultural humility, self-reflective skills, communication skills, ethics, and self-care.
A. Core Requirements (9 credits)
CPSYC4623: A minimum grade of C must be earned to meet the requirements of the psychology major.
B. Arts Courses (9 Credits)
Choose one course from each of the 3 categories below: Visual Arts, Music, and Dance/Movement
Visual Arts (3 credits): Choose One
Music (3 credits): Choose One
| CPSYC 3502 | Music Therapy: History, Theory, and Application | 3 |
| CPSYC 3504 | Guitar for Therapy and Education | 3 |
Dance/Movement (3 credits): Choose One