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Location: 203 Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, Phone: (409) 880-8285

Chair: Edythe Kirk

Degree Coordinators:

• Undergraduate Degree Program - Edythe Kirk
• Applied Psychology Graduate Program, Industrial/Organizational Track - Raymond Doe
• Applied Psychology Graduate Program, Clinical Track - Elizabeth Aronson

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes and, as such, is a diverse field that touches all aspects of human endeavor. The objectives of the Department of Psychology are to provide students with current knowledge through learning experiences in and out of the classroom that will increase critical thinking skills, equip them with research methodology, and prepare them for employment in business, education, community agencies, other professional areas, or graduate school. Curriculum in psychology is based on American Psychological Association principles for training students to be behavioral scientists and to use their training to inform their practice as professionals. Â鶹ÊÓƵ reserves the right to modify degree requirements and teaching certificate requirements in keeping with legislative acts and rules established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the State Board for Educator Certification.

Admission to Department of Psychology Programs

The Department of Psychology recommends that students wishing to major in psychology have SAT/ACT scores of approximately 1000/21. Students changing their major to psychology must have acceptable SAT/ACT scores and be in good standing in the university.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology -120 hrs
Bachelor of Science Psychology -120 hrs
Minor in Psychology -18 hrs
Master of Science in Applied Psychology

Bachelor of Arts – Psychology Major

The degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology will be awarded upon completion of the following:

1. General Requirements: See and degree requirements. Six semester hours of English composition (ENGL 1301-1302); 3 semester hours of English literature (ENGL 2310. 2320, 2322, 2326, 2331, 2371, or 2376); 3 semester hours of Communication (COMM 1315 or 1321); MATH 1314 plus an additional 3 hours of math at or above the level of MATH 1314; 3 semester hours of creative arts (ARTS 1301, ARTS 1303, COMM 1375, DANC 2304, MUSI 1306, or PHIL 1330); 8 semester hours of Biology (1406-1407 or 2401-2402); 12 semester hours and completion of 2312 course in Spanish or French or 12 hours of sign language; 3 semester hours of Philosophy (1370 or 2303); 6 semester hours of History (select 2 from 1301, 1302, 2301); 6 semester hours of Political Science (2301-2302); 1 semester hour in LIBR 1101, or HNRS 2160; and ENGL 3310.
2. PSYC 2301 General Psychology, PSYC 2317 Introduction to Statistical Methods, PSYC 3301 Advanced Statistics, PSYC 3302 Methods in Psychology, PSYC 4330 Experimental Psychology. An additional 21 semester hours selected from PSYC 3320, 3330, 3340, 3360, 4310, 4320, 4360, 4380, and 4390.
3. Minor (18 semester hours). An approved minor of at least 18 semester hours; a minimum of 9 semester hours must be on the advanced level.
4. Electives. A sufficient number of approved electives (3 upper-level hours) to complete a total of 120 semester hours (45 upper-level hours).
5. Completion of a standardized test of psychological knowledge such as the Major Field Achievement Test.
6. Meet all remaining general education degree requirements of the university and college.

Total Minimum Hours: 120 (45 upper-level hours). Additional requirements may be required for specialized areas, such as preparation for graduate school, certifications, or licensures. Please see a program advisor or the department chair for details.

Bachelor of Science – Psychology Major

The degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychology will be awarded upon completion of the following:

1. General Requirements: See and degree requirements. Six semester hours of English composition (ENGL 1301-1302); 3 semester hours of English literature (ENGL 2310. 2320, 2322, 2326, 2331, 2371, or 2376); 3 semester hours of Communication (COMM 1315 or 1321); MATH 1314 plus an additional 3 hours of college-level MATH; 3 semester hours of creative arts (ARTS 1301, ARTS 1303, COMM 1375, DANC 2304, MUSI 1306, or PHIL 1330); 8 semester hours of Biology (1406-1407 or 2401-2402); 8 semester hours of physical sciences (select from CHEM 13__/11__, GEOL 14__, PHYS 14__, and SPSC 14__); 6 semester hours of History (select 2 from 1301, 1302, 2301); 6 semester hours of Political Science (2301-2302); 1 semester hour in LIBR 1101,  or HNRS 2160; COSC 1371; and ENGL 3310.
2. Major: PSYC 2301 General Psychology, PSYC 2317 Introduction to Statistical Methods, PSYC 3301 Advanced Statistics, PSYC 3302 Methods in Psychology, PSYC 4330 Experimental Psychology. An additional 21 semester hours selected from PSYC 3320, 3330, 3340, 3360, 3370, 3380, 4310, 4320, 4360, 4380, and 4390.
3. Minor (18 semester hours). An approved minor of at least 18 semester hours; a minimum of 9 semester hours must be on the advanced level.
4. Electives. A sufficient number of approved electives (3 upper-level hours) to complete a total of 120 semester hours (45 upper-level hours).
5. Completion of a standardized test of psychological knowledge such as the Major Field Achievement Test.
6. Meet all remaining general education degree requirements of the university and college.

Total Minimum Hours: 120. Additional requirements may be required for specialized areas, such as preparation for graduate school, certifications, or licensures. Please see a program advisor or the department chair for details.

Minor in Psychology

A total of 18 hours of psychology courses are required for a minor, of which 9 hours must be upper level. PSYC 2270 does not count toward a minor. The department will not accept any grade in the minor below a C. Required lower-division courses: PSYC 2301 General Psychology and PSYC 2317 Introduction to Statistical Methods

It is advisable for a student to meet with someone in the Department of Psychology to discuss the selection of the remaining hours to best address the needs of the individual student.

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology

Bachelor of Science - Psychology

Graduate Program

The Department of Psychology offers a program of study leading to the Master of Science degree in Applied Psychology. It is designed to prepare professional personnel for employment in business, industry, or clinical mental health. Students may elect to take their primary coursework in industrial/organizational psychology or in clinical psychology. In addition, the department offers a dual specialization program that offers training in both fields. Students seeking admission to this program must meet the general requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies (see section 7.2.3) and must offer the substantial equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in psychology (24 semester hours) including courses in statistics and research methods, GRE scores, a statement of purpose, and 3 letters of recommendation addressing the applicant's academic preparation, suitability for graduate study, and appraisal of the applicant's personal and moral standards for professional conduct. Students applying to the clinical concentration must also interview with the program director to determine readiness and fit for the clinical concentration. In most cases, applicants with the materials listed above who have at least a 3.0/4.0 cumulative GPA, at least a 3.0/4.0 GPA in psychology courses, a verbal GRE score of at least 150, and a quantitative GRE score of at least 150 are considered for admission. International students must present a minimum TOEFL score of 550. The department has flexible admission criteria that allow the faculty to review applicants individually. The department will only consider applications for enrollment that begins in the fall semester. Applications for fall admission must be received by April 15. Post Baccalaureate students are not permitted to enroll in psychology graduate courses without special permission from the department chair.

Degree Requirements

The candidate for the Master of Science degree in Applied Psychology must meet all of the College of Graduate Studies general degree requirements. Additional specific degree requirements are as follows:

1. A minimum of 44 semester hours of course work in psychology, which must include 18 semester hours in PSYC 5300, 5301, 5302, 5320, 5323, 5350, and two semester hours in PSYC 5120. For the Clinical track, an additional 12 semester hours in PSYC 5310, 5311, 5312, and 5313 is required. In the Industrial/Organizational track, an additional 6 semester hours is required in PSYC 5321 and 5322 and 6 hours of approved electives.
2. Candidacy examinations devised by the Psychology Department graduate faculty. A student may petition to be administered the candidacy (qualifying) examination during the spring semester in which the appropriate course work listed in No.1 above is to be completed provided the student is in good academic standing. Dates to sit for the examination will be announced each year. A student must have satisfactorily passed candidacy examinations prior to enrolling in PSYC 5330, 5331, 5390, or 5391.
3. Practicum: Six semester hours in PSYC 5330 and 5331.
4. Thesis: Submission of an acceptable thesis and satisfactory performance on a final oral examination with a minimum of six semester hours in PSYC 5390 and 5391.

Departmental Policies

Special attention is called to the following departmental policies:

1. Graduate students are prohibited from providing psychological services except when supervised by a faculty member as part of a course requirement or when regularly employed by a licensed psychologist; an exempt agency, as defined by the Psychologist’s Licensing Act; or a departmental-approved nonexempt agency. Students in training are expected to be aware of and abide by the Psychologist’s Licensing Act and the Ethical Principles of Psychologists. A violation of this policy will result in the student’s dismissal from the program.
2. More than six hours of “C” level work will result in the student’s dismissal from the program.
3. Students may not enroll in the same course more than twice (except for Thesis).
4. Qualifying and/or final examinations may be repeated once if failure occurs. In general, a student repeating any portion of the examinations must do so at the next administration of the examination.
5. After admission to candidacy, a student must be enrolled in a thesis course each regular semester until requirements for the degree are completed. In addition, a student must be registered for a thesis course each session of the summer term if the student is to receive the degree in August or is involved in research or writing.
6. Students not admitted to the Psychology graduate program may enroll in no more than six graduate hours before being admitted.
7. Licensures available for Clinical track graduates through the state of Texas as a Licensed Psychological Associate. Additional coursework may be required for licensure as a Licensed Psychological Associate. Consult the licensure board (Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists) for additional details. The Clinical track does not prepare students for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Additional coursework not provided by the Department of Psychology is required for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Consult the licensure board guidelines for additional details

Under unusual circumstances and with the approval of the department chair and the student’s supervising professor, a student may postpone registration for the thesis course for one or more semesters. Unless special permission has been granted, a student who is not continuously enrolled in a thesis course must repeat the candidacy examinations and apply for re-admission to candidacy.