Psychology Degree & Course Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree & Course Requirements

ODU's Psychology program focuses on the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Degrees offered:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
  • Minor in Psychology
Students explore psychological, biological and environmental influences on behavior as these relate to human development, motivation, thinking and memory, learning, personality, social relationships, psychological disorders and counseling.

Lab experiences allow students to acquire a deeper understanding of psychological principles and research methods. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain experience in applied and research settings.

Psychology graduates work in a variety of areas related to mental health and social services. Businesses employ psychology graduates in human resources, marketing, public relations and sales positions.

Psychology majors may also choose to continue their studies in graduate school.

 

Download Program Guide

Includes a program overview, sample semester plan and program course requirements.

Psychology Program

 

Psychology Four-Year Sample Plan

Year 1-Fall  
ENG 110
CORE 179
MTH 140
PSY 100
HST

Year 1-Spring
ENG 111
BIO from list
SOC
PHL
Developmental PSY
Year 2-Fall  
CORE 279
PSY 232
Foreign Language 110
Art/Music/Theatre
Developmental PSY

Year 2-Spring
THL
PSY 332
Foreign Language 111
Bio/Behav PSY
Elective
Year 3-Fall  
CORE 379
Social/Cog or Bio PSY
PHL - 200 Level
Elective
Elective

Year 3-Spring
THL - 200 Level
Clinical/Counsel PSY
Social/Behavioral Science
Elective
Elective
Year 4-Fall  
LIT
Bio or Social/Cog PSY
Elective
Elective
Elective

Year 4-Spring
PSY 479
Clinical/Counsel PSY
Elective
Elective
Elective

 

Program Requirements

Required Psychology Courses (12 credits):

• PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
• PSY 232 Research Methods & Statistics I
• PSY 332 Research Methods & Statistics II
• PSY 479 CORE: Current Issues in Psychology

Psychology Area Studies:
Developmental Psychology
Select two courses from the following (6 credits):
• PSY 220 Human Development: Childhood and Adolescence
• PSY 221 Human Development: Adolescence
• PSY 222 Human Development: Adulthood and Aging
• PSY 224 Human Development: Lifespan

Social and Cognitive Psychology
Select one course from the following (3 credits):
• PSY 212 Social Psychology
• PSY 434 Cognitive Processes

Biological and Animal Psychology
Select two courses from the following (6 credits):
• PSY 234 Animal Behavior
• PSY 236 Biopsychology
• PSY 335 Health Psychology
• PSY 433 Learning & Motivation

Clinical/Counseling and Applied Psychology
Select two courses from the following (6 credits):
• PSY 350 Theories of Personality
• PSY 351 Theories of Psychology
• PSY 352 Psychological Testing
• PSY 354 Psychopathology
• PSY 451 Counseling Theory & Process

Required Correlatives:
Select one course from the following (3-4 credits):
• BIO 105 Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology
• BIO 107 Principles of Biology
• BIO 201 General Biology: Cells & Molecules
• BIO 202 General Biology: Biodiversity & Evolution
• BIO 203 General Biology: Vertebrate Anatomy & Physiology

• MTH 140 Introduction to Statistics
• Any course from the Sociology offerings