Lead Faculty: Dr. Brenda Lee Shook
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program offers a comprehensive introduction to the contemporary discipline of psychology. Graduates of this program are well prepared to seek employment in personnel, vocational counseling, criminal justice, journalism, or entry-level counseling in the context of a county-funded agency or hospital. They are also prepared to seek admission to graduate programs at the master's or doctoral level.
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
• The ability to articulate major theories, concepts, and historical
trends in psychology.
• The ability to explain behavior, cognition, and emotion from
multiple schools of thought and multicultural perspectives.
• The ability to identify a problem, examine available evidence,
analyze assumptions, and apply research methods to solve a
problem. This includes the ability to interpret numbers and apply
basic statistical procedures.
• The ability to communicate in different literary formats e.g.,
narrative, exposition, critical analysis, and to use APA format.
• The ability to perform information searches and to organize and
evaluate the soundness of information.
• The ability to use current technologies in both research and
communication theories and systems.
• Understand and demonstrate appropriate sensitivity to the
psychology of diverse populations and and their implications for
psychological theory, research and mental health treatment
Degree Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree, students must
complete at least 180 quarter units as articulated below, 76.5 of which
must be completed at the upper-division level and 45 of which must
be completed in residence at National University. The following
courses are specific degree requirements. In the absence of transfer
credit, students may need to take additional general electives to
satisfy the total units for the degree. Students should refer to the
section on undergraduate admission procedures for specific
information on admission and evaluation.
Preparation for the Major
(2 courses; 9 quarter units)
MTH 210 Probability and Statistics*
(Prerequisite: Placement Evaluation)
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology*
*May be used to satisfy general education requirements.
Requirements for the Major
(10 courses; 45 quarter units)
PSY426 History of Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 427 Biological Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 428 Developmental Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
(PSY301 may not be substituted for this course)
PSY 429 Introduction to Personality Theory
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 430 Introduction to Psychopathology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 432 Social Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 433 Cognitive Psychology
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
HUB 441 Research Design and Analysis
(Prerequisites: ENG100/101, PSY100 and MTH210)
CHD 440 Drugs, Values and Society
PSY 480 Senior Project (two-month course)
(Prerequisites: All other core courses)
or
PSY 491 Guided Studies for Honors Students (two-month course)
(Prerequisite: Completion of core courses with a GPA of 3.75
or higher and approval of the Department Chair.)
Upper-Division Electives
(6 courses; 27 quarter units)
Students not pursuing a minor must choose six Upper-Division
Electives from courses with the following prefixes: HUB, PSY, SOC,
HRM, and CJA. Other electives must be approved by the department
chair or regional full-time or associate faculty. Students may not take
PSY 301 as an Upper-Division Elective.
The following course is strongly recommended:
PSY 441 Global Psychology
(Prerequisite: PSY 100)
This program is available online.
National University is an affiliate of the National University System.