B.S. in Psychology

Psychology is the science of behaviors, mental and emotional processes, development, and social interactions. As a psychology major, you will learn about the theories, researchers, and research findings related to how humans think and behave, and how we as a field try to describe, explain, predict, and influence human behavior and mental processes. The Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology prepares students for work that requires liberal arts training as well as psychological knowledge and skills, while also preparing the student for success in future graduate studies. The major provides students with a detailed awareness of the field of psychology, including its historical background, paradigms, methods, research findings, and applications. The major addresses the general areas of developmental, personality, social, cognitive, and abnormal psychology. It fosters the development of verbal, quantitative, analytical, and technological skills that are useful for work in psychology and related fields. By completing the B.S. in Psychology degree program, students will: Have learned the pre-history and the history of Psychology including the evolution of its main issues, topic areas, methods, and applications Know the major perspectives in Psychology, including Psychoanalytic Theory, Behaviorism, Humanistic Psychology, Social Learning, and Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience Understand the lifespan approach to human biological, cognitive, and psychosocial development Be able to understand and provide examples of the major forms of psychological research, including methodologies such as naturalistic observation, surveys, case studies and archival research, and the main features and techniques of psychological experimentation Understand basic data organization, presentation, and statistical analysis, including both inferential and descriptive statistics Understand characteristics of psychological research, including the limitations of correlation research, experimental biases, placebo effects, and ethical issues regarding human subjects Be able to critically evaluate the psychological research presented in the popular press and peer-reviewed journals Be able to relate key psychological concepts and theories to their own personal lives Understand how key psychological concepts and theories are applied in clinical, medical, educational, human services, and corporate settings Understand connections between Psychology and such other disciplines as Biology, Philosophy, Business, Sociology, Religion, and Human Services The B.S. Psychology degree program at UB will help prepare you for a wide range of Graduate School options (both at the M.A./M.S. and Ph.D./Psy.D. level) in areas such as: Counseling, Education, Clinical Psychology, Experimental (Social, Cognitive and Developmental) Psychology, Educational/School Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Law School, Social Work. It can also help students secure jobs in areas such as: State departments of mental health or youth services, the criminal justice system, Human resources departments within companies, Local agencies on aging, Crisis centers, Hospitals, Schools, Women’s health and rehabilitation programs. In other words, an undergraduate degree in Psychology can be a great springboard to many exciting jobs and careers.