Psychology (PSYC) - Ferris Course Catalog

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Psychology PSYC

Required Courses		Credit Hours
General Education
This degree requires completion of the General Education requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree. Details of these requirements are delineated on the General Education website. Courses listed below as program/major required courses with the indicators: C, S, Z, R, G, may also be used to satisfy some of these general education requirements.
Major Core	27 Credit Minimum
PSYC 150	Introduction to Psychology	3
PSYC 210	Statistics for PSYC Sciences	3
PSYC 280	Psych Research Methods-Design	3
PSYC 482	Senior Seminar in Psychology	3
Choose one:
PSYC 410	Behavior Modification	3
PSYC 406	Cognitive Psychology	3
Choose one:
PSYC 491	Human Services Internship-Prac	3
PSYC 480	Directed Research Experience	3
Choose One:
PSYC 360	Physiological Psychology	3
PSYC 365	Sensation and Perception	3
Choose one:
PSYC 226	Lifespan of Human Development	3
PSYC 341	Child Psychology	3
PSYC 342	Psychology of Adolescence	3
Choose one:
PSYC 325	Social Psychology	3
PSYC 331	Psychology of Personality	3
PSYC 422	Abnormal Psychology	3

Major Directed Electives	15 credits as approved by advisor
Electives may be chosen from the categories above (including 3 additional credits of PSYC 480), SOCY 345, SCWK 263 or from the following courses:
PSYC 241	PSYC-Exceptional Children	3
PSYC 310	Educational Psychology	3
PSYC 326	Indust-Organizational Psych	3
PSYC 345	Psychology Death and Dying	3
PSYC 350	Intro to Forensic Psychology	3
PSYC 415	Measure-Assessment in PSYC	3
PSYC 430	Interpersonal-Cultural Percept	3
PSYC 444	Psychology of Gender	3
PSYC 472	History-Systems of Psychology	3
PSYC 478	Guided Research With Animals	3 **
*PSYC	Independent Study in Psychology	3 **
**Either course may be taken twice, or one of each for a total of no more than 6 credits.

A minor or equivalent course of studies		18
General electives to total 124 minimum credits including 40 credits of upper division coursework

Why Choose Psychology?

Psychology, the scientific study of behavior, emotion, and thought, is the second most popular academic major in the United States. This makes sense when one considers the subject matter of psychology: You and those around you. Very few of us will live in a world or have a job that does not involved regular contact with others. Therefore, there is nothing more interesting and important than learning about yourself and the people with whom you interact.

Psychology addresses a range of topics, including learning and memory, drug addiction, IQ and personality testing, counseling issues, research design and data analysis, social and emotional development, etc. The best careers in psychology (therapist, professor, researcher, business consultant) require an advanced degree (i.e., a Ph.D., Psy.D., or a Masters degree). Your undergraduate psychology degree at Ferris is an important first step on that career path. However, many students elect to enter directly into the labor force with their bachelors degree. There are a wide variety of job areas for which psychology graduates are well suited, including human resources, research and development, marketing and sales, special needs casework, and human services program coordination. The psychology program at Ferris provides the ancillary courses and internships to maximize the effectiveness of your degree in preparing you for such careers.

The Psychology Major

Psychology is the science of thought, emotion and behavior. As a student of psychology, you will learn how scientists settle controversial questions about how people act, think, feel, and change. In fact, you will become a part of the scientific process yourself. Find out what is and what is not yet known on a topic of interest to you, and learn how to conduct your own original research to answer some of the unanswered questions. You will develop a set of interdisciplinary studies to broaden your experience and increase your marketability. At the end of your senior year, you will complete either a research project or an internship culminating your studies in psychology.

Admission Requirements

First year student admission is open to high school graduates (or equivalent) who demonstrate academic preparedness, maturity and seriousness of purpose with educational backgrounds appropriate to their chosen program of study. High school courses and grade point average, ACT composite score, and ACT reading and mathematics subscores will be considered in the admission and placement process. Transfer students must have at least 12 credits at the time of application with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA including an English and mathematics course, or they will be considered as first year students.

Graduation Requirements

The Psychology program at Ferris leads to a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum of 120 credits with a minimum 2.3 GPA overall and successful completion of all required courses with a minimum 2.5 GPA in the Psychology major courses and a 'C' or better in each course within the program. Students also must meet all of the university requirements for bachelor degrees.

More Information

Department of Social Sciences
Ferris State University
Arts and Sciences Commons 2108
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Phone: 231-591-2735