USF 2005-2006 Undergraduate Catalog - USF Lakeland - Pages 211-212

Psychology (PSY)

Psychology involves the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Because of this focus, psychology is relevant to many other areas of study both inside and outside of the social and behavioral sciences. The undergraduate program in Psychology offers the student a well-rounded liberal arts education. In addition, the program provides excellent training for qualified students who wish to pursue graduate work in such disciplines as Clinical, Cognitive and Neural Sciences or Industrial Psychology, Education, Gerontology, Counseling, Management, Medicine, Law, and other human service programs. The undergraduate major emphasizes the breadth of psychology while allowing the student some electives to pursue in depth a particular aspect of the field. Interested undergraduate majors may apply for admission to a concentration in Applied Behavioral Analysis, or to the Honors Program. The graduate faculty of the Psychology Department are divided into three broad program areas: Clinical, Cognitive and Neural Sciences, and Industrial/Organizational. Each of these program areas offers Ph.D.-level training as well as instruction at the undergraduate level.

Requirements for the Major in Psychology

Prerequisites (State Mandated Common Prerequisites)

Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete the A.A. degree at the community college. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education Requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university. If students transfer with fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the students must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

The transfer student should also be aware of the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses listed below at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at the community college, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Unless stated otherwise, a grade of “C” is the minimum acceptable grade.

• PSY X012 Introduction to Psychology and any other lower level Psychology course within the Psychology inventory
• STA XXXX Any level Statistics course (X000 - X099)
• BSC XXXX Any level General Biology course (or BSC X200-X209, or ZOO X010)

Majors must complete at least 34 semester hours in the field. A minimum grade of “C-” or better must be attained in each course in the major, except for PSY 3204 (or other qualifying statistics course) and PSY 3213, where a C or better is required. Although a C- is allowable for individual courses, a major GPA of 2.0 minimum is required for graduation. All majors must complete:

Requirements for Psychology Majors

1. 2000/3000 Level Requirement (6 semester hours)
   PSY 2012 Psychological Science I (if not already taken at a community college)
   PSY 3204 Psychological Statistics

2. Methods Course Requirement (7 semester hours)
   PSY 3213 Research Methods
   and one of the following:
   CLP 4433 Tests and Measures
   PSY 4205 Experimental Design and Analysis
   or another methods course approved by the undergraduate advisor in Psychology.

3. 4000 Level Requirement (21 semester hours)
   Courses in categories 1 and 2 must be completed before any 4000 level courses are attempted. Successful completion of 7 additional Psychology courses numbered at the 4000 level selected as follows: At least two courses from each of the two groups below:

   Group I
   EXP 4204C Perception
   EXP 4404 Psychology of Learning
   PSB 4013C Physiological Psychology
   EXP 4304 Motivation
   EXP 4523C Cognitive Psychology

   Group II
   CLP 4143 Abnormal Psychology
   INP 4004 Industrial Psychology
   SOP 4004 Social Psychology
   DEP 4005 Developmental Psychology
   PPE 4004 Personality
   and any 3 additional courses numbered at the 4000 level.

Note: No more than a total of 3 hours of the following courses may count toward the major:

• PSY 4913 Directed Study
• PSY 4970 Honors Thesis.

PSY 4932 may not count toward the major. Nor may EAB 4715 (Supervised Practicum) count towards the major for those in the Applied Behavior Analysis program.

Statistics and Biological Science are required. Otherwise, students majoring in psychology are encouraged to complete a varied undergraduate program.

A prerequisite for all 4000-level courses is a grade of “C” or better in both PSY 3204 (or other qualifying statistics course) and PSY 3213, not “C-”. For students minoring in Psychology, a grade of “C” or better in any college-level statistics course will substitute for the PSY 3213.

For students majoring in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, any college-level statistics course with a grade of “C” or better may serve as prerequisite for 4000 level courses in Psychology but does not substitute for the PSY 3213 requirement.

Requirements for the Minor in Psychology

A minor in Psychology consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours, comprising PSY 2012, and any four 4000-level psychology courses except PSY 4913. Students minoring in Psychology must also obtain a “C” or better in any college level statistics course in lieu of PSY 3213, or must complete PSY 3213 with a “C” or better. A GPA of 2.0 or better in the minor is required for certification. The purpose of the minor is to help students majoring in other disciplines to obtain an appropriate psychology background that will complement their work in their major. See the Psychology Department Undergraduate Advisor for suggested minor programs for students majoring in various fields.

Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webcat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2005

http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0506/lakpsy.htm