Bachelor of Arts in Psychologie - Allgemein

A student who graduates from Thiel College with a major in psychology will:

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to behavioral problems;
• Demonstrate scientific reasoning and problem-solving skills, including effective research methods;
• Display ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity;
• Communicate effectively, including competence in writing and in oral and interpersonal communication skills;
• Demonstrate professional abilities including effective self-reflection, project management skills, and career/graduate school preparation.

Major Requirements

The major in psychology consists of 46-48 credit hours. These credit hours include 21CH of foundation courses, 4CH of capstone courses, 6CH of “Breadth of Knowledge” electives hours, and 16CH in the specialized track chosen by the student.

In order to successfully complete the psychology major, students must earn a grade of at least a C minus in all courses required for the major and maintain a 2.0 overall average for all psychology courses. Majors are expected to choose an advisor within the psychology department (typically aligned with their chosen track) and work conscientiously to ensure appropriate course selections and timely progress toward fulfilling major and general college requirements while developing their passion in the field of psychology.

Foundation Courses

• PSY 105 Orientation to Psychology
• PSY 150 General Psychology
• NSCI 101 Brain and Behavior
• PSY 215 Statistics for the Social Sciences
• PSY 235 Research Methods
• PSY 255 Lifespan Development
• PSY 435 History and Philosophy of Psychology

Capstone Courses

• PSY 345 Professional Development in Psychology
• PSY 445 Senior Seminar in Psychology

Track 1: Counseling

• PSY 161 Interpersonal Process
• PSY 221 Counseling Methods & Personality Theory
• PSY 241 Abnormal Behavior
• PSY 281 Microcounseling Skills
• PSY 381 Research with Human Participants (Lab)
• PSY 401/450/455/499 Counseling Special Populations or Topics in Psychology or Internship in Psychology or Independent Research in Psychology

Track 2: Kognitive Entwicklung

• PSY 262 Child Development
• PSY 272 Adulthood & Aging
• PSY 342/352 Cognitive Psychology or Sensation and Perception
• PSY 382 Developmental Psychology Research (Lab)
• PSY 450/455/499 Topics in Psychology or Internship in Psychology or Independent Research in Psychology

Track 3: Sozialpsychologie

• PSY 203 Positive Psychology
• PSY 223 Social Psychology
• PSY 263/363 Health Psychology or Psychology of Eating
• PSY 383 Experimental Social Psychology (Lab)
• PSY 450/455/499 Topics in Psychology or Internship in Psychology or Independent Research in Psychology

Breadth of Knowledge Electives (2 courses)

(In addition to the courses below, students may also choose PSY electives from their unchosen track specialization)

• BADM 100 Intro to Business
• BADM 300 Intro Entrepreneur
• BADM 324 Advertising
• BADM 454 Marketing
• BADM 484 Human Res Mgmt
• BIO 117 Medical Terminology
• CJS 101 Intro Criminal Justice
• CHEM 220 Forensic Science
• COMM 171 Intro to Comm
• COMM 225 Interpersonal Comm
• COMM 250 Small Group Comm
• COMM 265 Comm & Gender
• CSD 111 Intro Comm Sci & Dis
• EDUC 111 Foundations of Ed
• EDUC 112 Psych Found of Ed
• ENG 260 Bus and Tech Writing
• ENG 270 Advanced Comp
• ENG 317 Linguistics
• EXER 105 Intro Exercise Science
• INDS 202 Wom & Gend Stud
• NSCI 202 Intro Neuroscience
• NSCI 320 Neuropharmacology
• NSCI 350 Neurosci Dis & Disord
• PHIL 137 Critical Thinking
• PHIL 267 Ethics
• PHIL 337 Social & Political Phil
• PHIL 347 Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL 358 Phil of Language
• PHIL 387 Medical Ethics
• POSC 236 Public Policy
• POSC 330 Health Care Policy
• POSC 315 Political Psychology
• REL 210 Religion and the Sci
• REL 230 Phil of Religion
• REL 250 Psych of Religion
• SOC 121 Microsociology
• SOC 191 Social Problems
• SOC 321 Deviance
• SOC 381 Medical Sociology
• SOC 391 Sociology of Aging
• SOC 401 Sociology of Family
• SOC 421 Gender and Society

Your interest in the working of the human mind along with your desire to help others can put you on the path to becoming a mental health counselor, college admissions officer, special education teacher, sports psychologist, police officer, human resources specialist, and market research analyst, for example. Recent Thiel College graduates now hold positions as teachers, case managers, resident directors of group homes for troubled adolescents, counselors of individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, personnel evaluators in industry, and group counselors in state and local agencies.

Here’s what you could do with your Psychology degree from Thiel:

• Psychologist – attend graduate school to receive your doctorate and earn a median salary of $90,460 as a neuropsychologist, $88,400 as an experimental psychologist, or $87,055 as a clinical psychologist.*
• School Career Counselor – help students find the right job path and earn a median salary of $53,610.*
• Sports Psychologist – work with athletes to develop a winning mindset and earn a median salary of $55,000.*
• Correctional Psychology – work with inmates in a prison setting and earn a median salary of $71,000.*
• Geropsychologist – work with the aging who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and earn a median salary of $89,900.*

*“20 Highest paying Psychology Degrees”