2013-2014 University Catalog 
  
2013-2014 University Catalog

Psychology, BA


Banner Code:  LA-BA-PSYC

Web: psychology.gmu.edu

This program of study is offered by the Department of Psychology .

For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see Academic Policies .

This undergraduate program offers students the option of applying to the accelerated master’s degree program in education psychology (EDPA  and EDPL  concentrations) or psychology (CBNR  concentration).  See each listing for specific requirements.

Degree Requirements


Students must fulfill all requirements for bachelor’s degrees , including university general education requirements . Students pursuing a BA in psychology must complete additional college requirements for BA degrees  in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students pursuing this degree must complete 36 credits in psychology with 24 credits at the 300 and 400 level.  Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 in these 36 credits and a minimum grade of 1.67 (C-) in each of the courses.

Students may meet the applied psychology requirement by completing a concentration in work and organizational psychology. This concentration may be of interest to students who are planning to attend graduate school in industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology or a related field such as organizational behavior or human resources management. Students who are considering a career in business may find this concentration advantageous for careers in training and development, human resources, and management.  

Basic courses in psychology (22-28 credits)


One introductory course (3 credits)


Three or four foundational courses (9 or 12 credits)


Two research methods courses (7 credits)


One or two courses in biopsychology (3 or 6 credits)


Only students who receive transfer credit for PSYC 372  may use it in place of PSYC 375  as the prerequisite for PSYC 376 . Students taking PSYC 372 at Mason may not use it in place of PSYC 375.

Notes


Students are strongly encouraged to complete PSYC 300  and PSYC 301  by their junior year.  PSYC 300 is a prerequisite to several courses, and a background in research methods facilitates understanding empirical research discussed in all psychology courses.

It is strongly recommended that students fulfill the general education natural science requirement by completing BIOL 103  and BIOL 104  because these courses are prerequisites to the requirement of PSYC 372  or PSYC 375  and PSYC 376  .

Applied psychology courses or optional concentration (6-13 credits)


Students pursuing a BA in psychology complete two applied psychology courses chosen from the list below. 

Alternatively, students may earn a concentration in work and organizational psychology by completing additional credits of applied psychology as outlined.

Two courses in applied psychology


 Students pursuing the BA without concentration take 6-7 credits chosen from:

▲Concentration in Work and Organizational Psychology (WKOP)


Students pursuing the BA with concentration take 12-13 credits. Students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the concentration.

Students who successfully complete the Psychology Department Honors Program (PSYC 490 , PSYC 491 , and PSYC 492 ) with an honors thesis/project focused on I/O psychology may, with approval of their thesis committees and the associate chair for undergraduate studies, substitute their honors work for one course in the concentration.

Specific requirements for the concentration are listed below.

One required applied psychology course (3 credits)

Three courses (9-10 credits) chosen from:

Total: 12-13 credits

Elective courses in psychology (1-8)


Students complete the 36 required credits with electives in psychology (PSYC) with the following restrictions.

  • A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 327  and PSYC 328  may be applied to required psychology credits.
  • A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 260 , PSYC 350 , and PSYC 460  may be applied to required psychology credits.
  • No more than 9 credits of PSYC 327, 328, 260, 350, and 460 can be taken without written permission of the department chair.
  • PSYC 330  may not be taken for credit by psychology majors.

PSYC 465 is strongly recommended for all students who plan to attend graduate school in psychology.

Total: 36 credits


Writing-Intensive Requirement


The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated “writing intensive” in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in psychology may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing PSYC 301 , PSYC 304 , PSYC 309 , or PSYC 323 . Students who receive transfer credit for a research methods course must take PSYC 304, PSYC 309, or PSYC 323 unless the transfer courses has been approved as writing intensive.

Note


Students who have limited technology skills are encouraged to take IT 103 .