BS in Psychology
At the Bachelor's Level, graduates can pursue a career in marketing, human resources, university admissions offices, social service worker, mental health assistant. Any career that involves understanding human behavior and the ability to analyze data.
Marketable Skills
Students will develop the following marketable skills:
- Critical thinking: Analyze and evaluate issues in order to solve problems and develop informed opinions
- In particular, the ability to distinguish scientific vs non-scientific claims
- Research: Be able to search, investigate and critically analyze information in response to a specific research question
- Be able to develop a research design and statistically analyze data
- Social responsibility: Act ethically and responsibly for the benefit of society and the public good
- Development of Professional Ethics
- Writing: Be able to write in a clear and comprehensible manner to the reader
- Learn technical writing--- specifically, APA Style
Additionally, students will learn the ability to apply psychological knowledge to real-world problems. Should be able to formulate a career plan: including a plan for further education (given how many careers depend upon advanced degrees).
The BS degree in all science disciplines requires a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit including a minimum of 37 upper-division (junior and senior) semester hours.
The BS degree is recommended for students who intend to pursue graduate work in Psychology because the BS requires a more extensive mastery of mathematics and laboratory science than does the BA. Training in science and mathematics is advantageous for students who elect to continue in Psychology beyond the baccalaureate. The BS in Psychology degree requires a minor in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for both the major and the minor.
Degree Plan
Required Credits: 120
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Required | 18 | |
| This program requires the selection of a minor in Chemistry, Biological Science, Mathematics, or Physics. | ||
| Designated Core (Courses require a grade of C or better.) 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Calculus I | ||
| University Core Curriculum | ||
| Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. | 42 | |
| Psychology Major | ||
| Required Courses: | ||
| PSYC 1301 | Introduction to Psychology C | 3 |
| PSYC 1303 | Statistical Methods C | 3 |
| PSYC 3101 | Lab for Gen Exper Psyc C | 1 |
| PSYC 3102 | Professional Development | 1 |
| PSYC 3201 | Gen Experimental Psychology C | 2 |
| PSYC 4317 | Advanced Statistics | 3 |
| Major Electives | ||
| Select three courses from: | ||
| Learning & Memory | ||
| Sensation and Perception | ||
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | ||
| Drugs of Abuse and Behavior | ||
| Behavior Modification | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Psychological Testing | ||
| Adolescent Development | ||
| Advanced Topics Dev Psyc | ||
| Advanced Psychopathology | ||
| Physical & Cognitive Aging | ||
| Psych of Criminal Behavior | ||
| Judgment and Decision Making | ||
| Psychobiology | ||
| Motivation & Emotion | ||
| Seminar in Psychology | ||
| Select six hours of upper division PSYC: | 6 | |
| Psychology and the Law | ||
| Learning & Memory | ||
| Sensation and Perception | ||
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | ||
| Drugs of Abuse and Behavior | ||
| Behavior Modification | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Psychological Testing | ||
| History & Systems Psychology | ||
| Adolescent Development | ||
| Advanced Topics Dev Psyc | ||
| Advanced Psychopathology | ||
| Physical & Cognitive Aging | ||
| Psych of Criminal Behavior | ||
| Judgment and Decision Making | ||
| Psychobiology | ||
| Motivation & Emotion | ||
| Seminar in Meta-Analysis | ||
| Seminar in Psychology | ||
| Independent Research | ||
| Honors Thesis | ||
| Select nine additional hours of PSYC at any level: | 9 | |
| Social Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Human Sexuality | ||
| Psychology of Personality | ||
| Life Cycle Development | ||
| Intro to Psychopathology | ||
| Introductory Neuroscience | ||
| Psychology and the Law | ||
| Learning & Memory | ||
| Sensation and Perception | ||
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | ||
| Drugs of Abuse and Behavior | ||
| Behavior Modification | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Psychological Testing | ||
| History & Systems Psychology | ||
| Advanced Topics Dev Psyc | ||
| Advanced Psychopathology | ||
| Language and Cognition | ||
| Judgment and Decision Making | ||
| Psychobiology | ||
| Motivation & Emotion | ||
| Seminar in Meta-Analysis | ||
| Seminar in Psychology | ||
| Independent Research | ||
| Honors Thesis | ||
| Open Electives | ||
| Select additional hours to complete a total of 120 total hours, 37 must be upper division | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Although the UTEP choice is larger, these choices satisfy the requirements of both the core and the major.
- C
Course requires a grade of C or better
University Core Curriculum
The department may make specific suggestions for courses which are most applicable towards your major.
All courses require a C or better
I. Communication (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. | ||
| Select six hours of the following: | 6 | |
| For students whose secondary education was in English: | ||
| Written and Oral Communication | ||
| Writing About Literature | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition I | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition 2 | ||
| Rhetoric, Composition & Comm | ||
| For students whose secondary education was not in English: | ||
| Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl | ||
| Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl | ||
| Total Hours | 6 | |
II. American History (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role. | ||
| HIST 1301 | History of U.S. to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 1302 | History of U.S. Since 1865 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
III. Language, Philosophy & Culture (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intro-African Amer Studies | ||
| Latina/o Presence in the U.S. | ||
| English Literature | ||
| English Literature | ||
| Intro to American Fiction | ||
| Intro to American Drama | ||
| Intro to American Poetry | ||
| Making of the "Other" Americas | ||
| World History to 1500 | ||
| World History Since 1500 | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Introduct to Religious Studies | ||
| Seeing & Naming: Conversations | ||
| Introduction to Womens Studies | ||
| Global Feminisms | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
IV. Mathematics (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| College Algebra | ||
| Trigonometry and Conics | ||
| Math in the Modern World | ||
| Math for Social Sciences I | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Precalculus 1,2 | ||
| Math for Social Sciences II | ||
| Statistical Literacy | ||
| Elementary Statistical Methods | ||
| 1 A higher-level course in the calculus sequence can be substituted. | ||
| 2 TCCN MATH 1314 will also satisfy this requirement. | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
V. Life & Physical Sciences (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 1-4 | |
| Astronomy Lab I | ||
| Elem Astronomy-Solar System | ||
| Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies | ||
| Introductory Biology Lab | ||
| Human Biology Laboratory | ||
| Topics in Study of Life I | ||
| Organismal Biology Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| General Biology | ||
| Organismal Biology | ||
| Human Anat/Physio Lab I | ||
| Human Anat/Physio Lab II | ||
| Human Anat/Physiology I | ||
| Human Anat/Physiology II | ||
| Laboratory for CHEM 1305 | ||
| Laboratory for CHEM 1306 | ||
| Intro General Chemistry Lab | ||
| Intro Organic & Biochem Lab | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| Intro to General Chemistry | ||
| Intro Organic & Biochemistry | ||
| Environmental Sci. Lab | ||
| Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301 | ||
| Intro to Environment Science 2 | ||
| Intro to Environmental Sci | ||
| Laboratory for GEOG 1306 | ||
| Physical Geography | ||
| Lab for GEOL 1313 | ||
| Lab for GEOL 1314 | ||
| Principles of Earth Sci - Lab | ||
| Laboratory for Geology 1212 | ||
| Principles of Earth Sciences | ||
| Principles of Earth Science | ||
| The Blue Planet | ||
| Natural Hazards | ||
| Intro to Physical Geology | ||
| Intro to Historical Geol | ||
| Fundamentals of Nutrition | ||
| Wellness Dynamics | ||
| Microorganisms and Disease | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Laboratory for PHYS 2320 | ||
| Laboratory for PHYS 2321 | ||
| Introductory Mechanics | ||
| Introductory Electromagnetism | ||
| Total Hours | 6 | |
VI. Political Science (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations. | ||
| Required Courses: | ||
| POLS 2310 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| POLS 2311 | American Gover & Politics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
VII. Social and Behavioral Sciences (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog | ||
| Intro-Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Intro to Linguistics | ||
| Econ for Engrs & Scientists | ||
| Intro to Chicano Studies | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Mass Media and Society | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Introduction to Ed Psychology | ||
| Action Research in Classrooms | ||
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Leadership in Action | ||
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
VIII. Creative Arts (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| History of Art I | ||
| History of Art II | ||
| Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat | ||
| Introduction to Dance | ||
| Intro-Art of Motion Pict. | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Jazz to Rock | ||
| Music, Culture, and Society | ||
| Introduction to Theatre | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
IX. Component Area Option (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice. | ||
| Intro to Global Business | ||
| Public Speaking | ||
| Business/Profession Comm | ||
| Intro-Computational Thinking | ||
| Computer Programming Sci/Engr | ||
| Eng Innovation and Leadership | ||
| Engineering Design Experience | ||
| Applied Engineering Analysis | ||
| Introduction to Leadership | ||
| Inquiry in Math & Science | ||
| Comm. Var. Across the Lifespan | ||
| Seminar/Critical Inquiry | ||
| Total Hours | 0 | |
4-Year Sample Degree Plan
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BS in PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| FRESHMAN | ||
| Fall | ||
| PSYC 1301 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 1508 | Precalculus | 5 |
| Communication | 3 | |
| Component Area | 3 | |
| Component Area | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| PSYC 1303 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| HIST 1301 | History of U.S. to 1865 | 3 |
| POLS 2310 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| MATH 1411 | Calculus I | 4 |
| Communication | 3 | |
| SOPHOMORE | ||
| Fall | ||
| Life/Phys. Science + Lab | 3 | |
| HIST 1302 | History of U.S. Since 1865 | 3 |
| POLS 2311 | American Gover & Politics | 3 |
| PSYC 3102 | Professional Development | 1 |
| PSYC 3201 & PSYC 3101 | Gen Experimental Psychology and Lab for Gen Exper Psyc | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Social and Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| Mathematics | 3 | |
| Life/Phys. Sc. | 3 | |
| Major Elective | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| JUNIOR | ||
| Fall | ||
| Major Elective | 3 | |
| Creative Arts Elective | 3 | |
| Other Psyc Elective | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| PSYC 4317 | Advanced Statistics | 3 |
| Major Elective | 3 | |
| Language, Philosophy and Culture | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Other PSYC Elective | 3 | |
| SENIOR | ||
| Fall | ||
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Psychology Elective | 3 | |
| Other PSYC Elective | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper-Division Psychology Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |