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Program Codes:
BAPSYCH
Bachelor of Arts
Introduction
Psychology is the scientific study of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Psychologists strive to gain an understanding of the processes underlying human behavior by examining influences ranging from the neurobiological to the sociocultural. It is an ever-changing discipline that has broad applicability across many diverse contexts. A detective interviewing a child who witnessed a crime, an engineer designing a cockpit for ease of use, a doctor who creates a treatment plan for a patient, or a marketing executive launching a new advertisement campaign would all benefit from training in psychology. Many of our students enter graduate programs in psychology or related areas such as law, medicine, or social work. Other students enter the job market in a variety of applied settings, most commonly in social services, business, government, and marketing.
Psychology majors can expect rigorous training in scientific literacy, critical thinking, ethics, social responsibility, cultural competency, and communication skills. The American Psychological Association counts career development as one of its five major goals of undergraduate education. This means that students will be taught how to apply psychological findings to their own career skills, including how to exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation, refine social skills, and develop a meaningful professional direction for life after graduation.
In addition to our major and minor curriculum the Department of Psychology offer interdisciplinary a concentration Neuroscience, as well as, minors in and Crime and Justice. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisors to help determine the track and/or concentration that is the best fit.
Mission Statement
The Department of Psychology fully adopts both the core values at
Mercyhurst University and the American Psychological Association’s goals for undergraduate education and seeks to develop students that are:
Socially merciful, in that they can build and enhance interpersonal relationships and adopt values that build community at local, national, and global levels.
Globally responsible through their application of ethical standards in their application of psychological science and practice.
Compassionately hospitable through their ability to interact effectively and sensitively with people of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and cultures.
Intellectually creative with their ability to develop an understanding of the major content areas of the discipline and to interpret, design, and conduct psychological research.
Reflectively aware with their ability to apply psychological content and skills to explain behavior and mental processes, including accurate, critical self-assessment of performance and the ability to develop and execute strategies for exceeding performance criteria.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
In accordance with the American Psychological Association’s 2.0 Guidelines for Undergraduate Education in Psychology, Mercyhurst Psychology graduates will be expected to demonstrate:
Psychology Minor - 22 Credits
A Minor in Psychology would be a useful complement to any major area of study. Six courses are required for the Psychology Minor, including:
PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology 3 credits
PSYC 291/293 Research Design and Statistical Analysis & Lab 4 credits
STAT 120 Statistics for Research 3 credits
Four (4) electives in Psychology 12 credits
The Departments of Psychology and Criminal Justice have developed a sequence of study to provide students with an interdisciplinary focus in the psychology of crime and justice. The minor is designed to complement undergraduate degrees in psychology, criminal justice, and other social and behavioral sciences.
Required courses:
Choose any 3 courses from the following list:
If you are a Criminal Justice or Psychology major and your required major courses are listed above, you will need to select courses from this listing from the other discipline to reach your 21 credits and at least 4 unique courses. Please work closely with your advisor to monitor your progress toward the minor. Criminal Justice majors who seek the Interdisciplinary Minor in the Psychology of Crime and Justice must maintain a 2.5 GPA in order to earn the minor.
Psychology Majors must take the following courses and earn a C or higher:
A general introduction to the science of behavior and mental processes. Topics considered include learning, memory, perception, motivation, personality, psychopathology and social interaction.
This course is designed to help sophomore psychology majors begin to chart their future in the field and lay the groundwork for life after graduation. Specifically, its purpose is to help students further understand themselves, their choice of psychology as a major, their potential careers and how these interact. Topics such as success in the major, career options, graduate school preparation, employment at the bachelor's level, professional identity, and personal development will be explored. Required for sophomore psychology majors.
An introduction to the statistical, experimental and descriptive research methods in psychology. Topics include how to conduct literature searches, the American Psychological Association (APA) style of writing, the research process, ethics and bias in research and experimental/non-experimental research design. Statstical topics include measurement scales, hypothesis testing, descriptive statistics, and concepts and procedures in statistical inference.
Experimental coursework corequisite to RDSA I.
PSYC 291
This course will provide an introduction to statistical methods used in research with an emphasis on describing, organizing, applying and interpreting a variety of basic statistical techniques. Topics include measurement scales, elements of experimental design, probability, hypothesis testing, descriptive statistics, correlation, t-tests, analysis of variance, chi-square tests, regression techniques, and non-parametric statistical methods. Students will gain experience in basic data management using a data entry platform, such as Excel.
Additionally, students must take one course from each cluster below:
Cluster 1: Social and Cultural
In this course, we will examine how the elements of culture affect psychological processes including values, traditions, socialization, education, language and politics. We will explore which psychological theories and findings apply across cultures and which do not, and why. This course will also explore the psychological effects of moving between cultures and will address the immigrant and refugee experience. Finally, this course also aims to develop cross-cultural communication skills.
This course examines the social foundations of human thoughts, feelings, and behavior by addressing the following aspects of social life: (a) social influence; (b) social roles and public behavior; (c) inferences about other people; and (d) interpersonal relations and groups. Among the topics to be considered are: the influence of public behavior on social norms, persuasion, impression management, social emotions, judgment of responsibility and character, interpersonal attraction, aggression, altruism, group dynamics, and inter-group conflict. The course will concentrate on the level of analysis of the individual, but will include sociological and evolutionary perspectives where appropriate.
Human beings are inherently cultural, moreso than any other species. This course explores the ways in which humans are uniquely built for cultural learning and how different cultural experiences affect perceptual processes, cognition, emotion, personality, self, social interactions, and physical and mental health.
Cluster 2: Developmental
How do we become who we are? How do children, adolescents, an dadults develop? This course explores human development from conception to death, outlining the eight time periods and the three domains of developmental change. We will examine the biological, cognitive/psychological, social/cultural and environmental/contextual fators that impact physical, cognitive, socioemotional development throughout the lifespan.
This course covers an area in psychology known as developmental psychology, which is the scientific study of age-related changes in behavior, thinking, emotions and social relationships. The focus is on childhood, from conception to the teenage years. Areas of development include physical, cognitive and socio-emotional. The role of biological, maturational and socio-cultural influences on development are considered. This course is solidly grounded in psychological theory. Basic issues in development are explored, and research methodologies and findings are emphasized.
PSYC-101
This course covers the area of developmental psychology and will focus exclusively on that part of the lifespan know as adolescence (or, "the second decade of life"). A multi-disciplinary approach is utilized to examine how individuals develop from childhood into mature adulthood. Grounded in theory and empirical research, the course will cover fundamental changes (e.g., puberty, social transitions), contexts (e.g., families, peer groups), and psychosocial developmental issues (e.g., achievement, intimacy) associated with adolescence. In addition, basic issues in development are explored, and research methodologies and findings are emphasized.
PSYC-101
Cluster 3: Applied
The major forms of psychopathology that appear in childhood and adult life. Topics include the symptomatology of mental disorders; their etiology from psychological, biological, and sociocultural perspectives; and issues pertaining to diagnosis, treatment, ethics, and the legal system.
An overview of clinical psychology focusing on the settings, clients, and activities of the clinical psychologist. Attention to the assessment and treatment of psychopathology and evaluation of the success of psychological interventions.
An introduction to the principles and problems involved in the assessment of human behavior. This course highlights the skills involved in collecting, interpreting, and integrating data from a variety of sources, such as interviews, observations, and formal psychological testing. It will emphasize how this information is presented through psychological report writing.
PSYC 211 or PSYC 221
Cluster 4: Biological and Health
This course focuses on the relationship and interaction of the mind and body. That is, how psychological functioning relates to illness and disease; treatment and outcome; and recovery and cure. In addition, the student will be introduced to the impact of age, gender and ethnicity on the availability of, use of, and access to health care. The relationship of stress and lifestyle on the immune system, wellness and disease will be discussed. The psychological and physical interaction of some of today's major health issues such as eating, smoking, drinking, cancer and heart disease are presented with a discussion of treatment and outcome. Also, lifetime accommodation to chronic illness/disease based on psychological adjustment is reviewed. Other topics include: response to terminal illness, adjustment to trauma and the current industrialization of health care.
This course explores the biological basis of behavior and experience, including the role of the brain in emotions, learning, memory, motivation, sleep, perception, consciousness, and psychological disorders. The course also considers how the brain recovers from damage.
This course covers basic principles of psychopharmacology, including the effects of stimulants, depressants, opioids, psychedelics, cannabis, as well as alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. Also considered is the nature of addiction and modalities of treatment and prevention of drug abuse.
PSYC 101
Students opting for the General Track in the Psychology Major must have a major GPA of 2.25 or higher.
Students in this track must also take:
One advanced-level (300 - 400) Psychology course (3 credits)
Four additional Psychology electives (12 credits)
