Psychology (B.A.)

Faculty

Dr. Deborah Harris O’Brien, Professor of Psychology (program chair)
Dr. Stacey-Ann Baugh, Professor of Psychology
Dr. Christopher Bishop, Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. Carlota Ocampo, Associate Professor of Psychology; Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Rachel Poirier, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Description

The study of psychology emphasizes the behavior and experience of the individual. Psychology investigates the effects on the individual of other individuals, groups, the environment, and the world of sensation and perception. This investigation can be undertaken from a number of different perspectives: physiological, sociocultural, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and psychoanalytic. Psychology thus interfaces with fields such as sociology, economics, political science, education, biology, and philosophy. In summary, psychology contributes to an understanding of how people behave, think, interact, and make sense of the world around them.

The goals of the Psychology Program are to prepare students to continue on to graduate training in psychology or related fields (such as counseling or social work); to enable students to apply psychological theory and research to everyday experience; to work at a Bachelor’s degree level in Psychology related careers; and, to provide students with the skills to devise and conduct psychological studies. In accordance with the overall goals of Trinity, the Psychology Program strives to heighten student awareness of the diversity of human behavior and experience, notably with respect to gender, ethnicity, and age, as well as to teach and instill an ethical approach to the study of human behavior and cognition.

The Psychology major and minor are offered to students in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the major is offered in the School of Professional Studies. Psychology also supports the human relations major in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Professional Studies. In addition, psychology majors also can apply to the B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling program, which allows select students to complete their undergraduate psychology degree while also beginning graduate coursework towards a Master’s degree in counseling.

Major Requirements

In addition to completing a set of required courses (30 credits), all psychology majors are required to complete one of three course clusters (15 credits): general, developmental, or forensic. Each cluster is designed to give the student a degree of expertise within a given area of psychology.

All psychology majors must take the following courses:

Required Courses (30 credits)

ALL of the following courses:
PSYC 101 Introductory Psychology
PSYC 301 Experimental Psychology: Research Methods I
PSYC 302 Applied Psychology: Research Methods II
PSYC 490 Practicum
PSYC 499 Senior Seminar in Psychology

BOTH of the following statistics courses:
MATH 110 Introduction to Statistics
MATH 210 Statistical Inference

ONE ethics course, such as:
PHIL 241 Introduction to Theoretical Ethics
PHIL 245 Ethics I
PHIL 251 Bioethics
PHIL 341 Moral Psychology

ONE biology course chosen from among:
BIOL 101 Introduction to Biology
BIOL 111 General Biology I
BIOL 112 General Biology II

Additional courses in mathematics and natural sciences are highly recommended.

General Psychology Cluster (15 credits)

THREE of the following courses:
PSYC 211 Social Psychology
PSYC 221 Psychopathology
PSYC 231 Child Psychology
PSYC 241 Physiological Psychology
PSYC 243 Lifespan Development

TWO additional psychology electives (6 credits minimum)

Developmental Psychology Cluster (15 credits)

ONE required course in child psychology:
PSYC 231 Child Psychology

THREE of the following courses:
PSYC 212 Self and Identity
PSYC 233 Psychology of Adolescence
PSYC 235 Psychology of Aging
PSYC 262 Psychology of Women
PSYC 325 Behavior Disorders in Children
PSYC 402 Juvenile Forensic Psychology

ONE additional psychology elective (3 credits minimum)

Forensic Psychology Cluster (15 credits)

TWO required courses in Forensic Psychology:
PSYC 323 Forensic Psychology (or may substitute PSYC 402 Juvenile Forensic Psychology)
CJUS 100 Introduction Criminal Justice

THREE of the following courses:
PSYC 211 Social Psychology
PSYC 221 Psychopathology
PSYC 317 Psychology of Aggression and Violence
PSYC 325 Behavior Disorders in Children
PSYC 343 Drugs and Human Behavior
PSYC 402 Juvenile Forensic Psychology

ONE additional psychology elective (3 credits minimum)

Minor Requirements

For a general minor in psychology, students are required to take PSYC 101 Introductory Psychology Introductory Psychology and are then advised to pursue a pattern of courses similar to the major described above, although PSYC 301 Experimental Psychology: Research Methods I and PSYC 302 Applied Psychology: Research Methods II are not required. A total of eighteen (18)  credits, specifically courses with the code PSYC are required for the minor. Furthermore, nine (9) credits must be taken at Trinity Washington University

Minor in Forensic Psychology (18 credits)

Students wishing to pursue a minor in forensic psychology should follow the structure below:

ALL of the following courses:
PSYC 101 Introductory Psychology
PSYC 221 Psychopathology OR  PSYC 325 Behavior Disorders in Children
PSYC 323 Forensic Psychology
CJUS 100 Introduction Criminal Justice

TWO additional courses from the following:

PSYC 211 Social Psychology
PSYC 325 Behavior Disorders in Children or PSYC 221 Psychopathology
PSYC 343 Drugs and Human Behavior
PSYC 402 Juvenile Forensic Psychology

B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling

During senior year, psychology majors have the unique opportunity to apply to the accelerated B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling, which allows select students to complete their undergraduate psychology degree while also beginning graduate coursework towards a Master’s degree in counseling.

Selection Criteria

  • Students must have a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average.
  • Students must complete the Pre-screening Information form, and the Admissions Personal Statement, showing evidence of interest and commitment to a School Counseling or a Clinical Mental Health program.
  • Students must complete the admissions application, including a personal statement that shows evidence of interest in and commitment to a career either as a School Counselor or as a Licensed Professional Counselor (or both).
  • Students must have two recommendations from faculty. One of the recommendations must come from a full-time Trinity psychology professor.   The second recommendation can come from a professor in psychology or human relations, who can attest to the student’s intellectual, interpersonal and emotional maturity.

Program of Study

The description below provides an illustration of the student’s final year in CAS after having been admitted into the accelerated B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling as well as after the student’s graduation from CAS and full admittance to the MA in NHP.

The senior year schedule for Psychology majors varies depending on students’ matriculation through the curriculum and completion of General Education requirements and Psychology requirements. Students are typically enrolled in 12-15 credits.

  • Fall Term, Senior Year in CAS
    • Psychology Courses (12-15 credits)
    • COUN 535 Introduction to Counseling*
    • EDCC 601 Orientation: Tools for Graduate School
  • Spring Term, Senior Year in CAS
    • Psychology Courses (12-15 credits)
    • COUN 540 Principles and Theories of Counseling*

*Counseling courses require a B or better to continue to the master’s program

After Graduation

Given successful completion of the undergraduate senior year with a B or better in all counseling courses, students are full admitted into the MA in Counseling. Students have the option to continue their Counseling coursework either during the summer term that immediately follows their CAS graduation or in the following fall semester. At this point, the student continues her studies as indicated in the Catalog pages for the student’s program:

In general, students need another 3 years of study to complete the M.A. program of their choice.

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Credit for PSYC 101 is granted for a score of a 4 or 5 on the AP examination. These credits may count toward the major and the General Education curriculum.

CLEP Policy:
CLEP examination scores will not be accepted as qualifying for psychology credits or requirements.

Grades in Major Courses:
A minimum of a 2.0 (“C”) cumulative GPA average must be earned in the required courses for the major. A grade of C- may be counted toward fulfilling the requirements, at the discretion of the program faculty, if the overall average in the required courses is at least a 2.0. This policy applies to the required Psychology classes, including the co-requisites in Mathematics (MATH 110, MATH 210), but not in Biology and Philosophy.

Pass/No Pass:
No major courses may be taken on a pass/no pass basis. MATH 110 and MATH 210 may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis. However, required related courses (Biology and Philosophy) may be taken pass/no pass.

Residency Requirement
Students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences with a declared Psychology major must take PSYC 301: Exper Psyc: Research Methods I and PSYC 302: Exper Psyc: Research Methods II in the CAS DAY format.  In CAS, these two courses form a 2-semester sequence.  CAS students should also enroll in the CAS DAY format for Practicum (from Spring 2025 forward) and for Senior Seminar, unless a waiver is approved by the program chair.

Practicum Requirement
CAS students must arrange their practicum placement site with approval of the course instructor BEFORE the semester in which they are scheduled to take the course. Students who have not secured a practicum placement in the prior semester will not be admitted to the course (or will be dropped).  Students should confer with their advisor and the course instructor to plan their practicum in a timely manner.

Senior Assessment:
The Senior Assessment is administered during PSYC 499: Senior Seminar, which all students must take in the Fall of senior year.  The Senior Assessment covers the following topics:  General Psychology, Lifespan, Psychopathology, Research Methods, Social Psychology, Physiology, Intelligence, Learning, and Memory.

TELL Policy:
Psychology faculty review TELL portfolios and will accept up to nine credits toward the major.

Transfer Credits:

The following courses must be taken at Trinity:

  • One of the three Experimental Psychology courses
    • PSYC 301 Experimental Psychology: Research Methods I
    • PSYC 302 Applied Psychology: Research Methods II
  • PSYC 490 Practicum
  • PSYC 499 Senior Seminar in Psychology
  • At least three psychology electives

All other psychology courses, as well as the Biology and Philosophy requirements, may be accepted as transfer courses toward the psychology major.