At which campus can I study this program?
Begin Campus
Any Penn State Campus
End Campus
Erie
Program Description
Not all options are available at every campus. Contact the campus you are interested in attending to determine which options are offered.
The Psychology program at Penn State Behrend provides students with a solid foundation in the application of psychological knowledge, skills and techniques for the solution and prevention of individual and social problems. A spectrum of courses (bio-behavioral, clinical, cognitive-experimental, developmental, educational, human factors, industrial/organizational, personality, and social) is united by a strong focus on the scientific method. All students are afforded the opportunity to participate in internships and research assistantships throughout their training. Bachelor-level graduates in psychology are equipped for various positions in human service agencies, businesses, industries, and laboratories. Those not joining the workforce following graduation most often continue their training, working towards a master's or doctoral degree in psychology; others go on to other disciplines, e.g., medical or law school. Courses within this degree can also be used to develop a specialty in areas such as criminal justice, sociology, or international studies.
The Bachelor of Science degree offers four multidisciplinary options. The Science option is intended for students with a strong interest in science and requires more coursework in the biological, physical, social, and mathematical sciences than does the Bachelor of Arts program. The Psychology in the Workplace option is designed for students who wish to combine their interests in business and psychology. The Human Factors and Design option combines perspectives within the fields of psychology and engineering in order to design products that maximize human functioning. The Data Analytics option emphasizes the applied aspects of quantification. Students will take a closer look at several aspects of analysis and extracting meaning from data sets. The Bachelor of Science degree helps to prepare students for future careers in clinical, developmental, educational, human factors, industrial organization, program evaluation and health-related fields.
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of thought, behavior, and experience. Many people associate psychology with psychological therapy and the practice of clinical psychology. There are also many other important areas of scientific psychology, such as cognitive, developmental, industrial/organizational, and social psychology. What these subfields of psychology have in common is the use of the scientific method to understand human behavior and apply that understanding to the development of theory and practice. Psychologists are increasingly making use of neuroscience methods and theories to understand psychological phenomena. As a profession, psychology is related to fields such as health, education, marketing, human resources, social work, and more. The principles of psychology are relevant to almost all areas of human endeavor, and the career paths of psychology students reflect this wealth of possibilities.
You Might Like This Program If...
- Human behavior fascinates you.
- You wonder how personality influences behavior, how brain function relates to behaviors, how memory works, or how people make decisions.
- You’re fascinated by how people interact with machines and technology, workplace dynamics, leadership, and motivation.
- You want to know more about child/adolescent development, parenting, and learning.
- You are interested in human diversity in all its forms, including personality, gender, and culture.
- You’d like to help people who have psychological disorders.
Entrance to Major
In order to be eligible for entrance to this major, a student must:
- attain at least a C (2.00) cumulative grade-point average for all courses taken at the University; and
- have at least third-semester classification.
READ SENATE POLICY 37-30: ENTRANCE TO AND CHANGES IN MAJOR PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Degree Requirements
For the Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, a minimum of 120 credits is required:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| General Education | 45 |
| Electives | 15 |
| Requirements for the Major | 73 |
13 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major.This includes4 credits of GQ courses; 9 credits of GWS courses.
Per Senate Policy 83.80.5, the college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of coursework in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned.
Requirements for the Major
Each student must earn a grade of C or better for prescribed and additional courses in the major and for each 300- and 400-level course in the major field.
To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.
Common Requirements for the Major (All Options)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PSYCH100 | Introductory Psychology  | 3 |
| PSYCH301W | Basic Research Methods in Psychology | 4 |
| PSYCH406W | Advanced Research Projects in Psychology | 4 |
| PSYCH489 | Professional Development in Psychology | 1 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| ENGL15 | Rhetoric and Composition | 3 |
| orENGL30H | Honors Rhetoric and Composition | |
| PSYCH200 | Elementary Statistics in Psychology | 4 |
| orSTAT200 | Elementary Statistics | |
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
CAS100A | Effective Speech | |
CAS100B | Effective Speech | |
CAS100C | Effective Speech | |
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
ENGL202A | Effective Writing: Writing in the Social Sciences | |
ENGL202B | Effective Writing: Writing in the Humanities | |
ENGL202C | Effective Writing: Technical Writing | |
ENGL202D | Effective Writing: Business Writing | |
| Select 3 credits in four of the following five content categories: | 12 | |
| 1. Biological Bases of Behavior | ||
PSYCH253 | Introduction to Psychology of Perception | |
PSYCH260 | Neurological Bases of Human Behavior | |
PSYCH269 | Evolutionary Psychology | |
| 2. Social/Developmental | ||
HDFS129 | Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies | |
HDFS229 | Infant and Child Development | |
PSYCH212 | Introduction to Developmental Psychology | |
PSYCH221 | Introduction to Social Psychology | |
| 3. Cognitive/Learning | ||
PSYCH256 | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | |
PSYCH261 | Introduction to Psychology of Learning | |
PSYCH263N | Science of Learning | |
PSYCH268 | Animal Minds | |
| 4. Clinical/Applied | ||
EDPSY14 | Learning and Instruction | |
PSYCH217N | The Science of Human Resilience | |
PSYCH238 | Introduction to Personality Psychology | |
PSYCH243 | Introduction to Well-being and Positive Psychology | |
PSYCH244 | Introduction to the Psychology of Human Factors Engineering | |
PSYCH270 | Introduction to Abnormal Psychology | |
PSYCH281 | Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology | |
| 5. Diversity | ||
PSYCH230 | Introduction to Psychologies of Religion | |
PSYCH231 | Introduction to the Psychology of Gender | |
PSYCH232 | Cross-Cultural Psychology | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Select 3 credits of quantification courses from the departmental list - Quantification | 3 | |
| Select 3 credits of a structured practicum, internship or an approved research experience (PSYCH294, PSYCH296, PSYCH477, PSYCH494, PSYCH495, or PSYCH496 may be applied to this requirement) | 3 | |
| Select 3 additional credits of psychology courses at the 200, 300, or 400-level in consultation with your adviser | 3 | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 9 credits of 400-level psychology courses from any combination of categories in consultation with adviser (except PSYCH494, PSYCH495, PSYCH496) 1 | 9 | |
| Requirements for the Option | ||
| Select an option | 18 | |
- 1
PSYCH477 can only count in one place.
Requirements for the Option
Option courses may not double count with major requirements.
Data Analytics Option (18 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| DA101 | Introduction to Data Analytics | 3 |
| DA201W | Descriptive Analytics | 4 |
| STAT184 | Introduction to R | 2 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| CMPSC121 | Introduction to Programming Techniques | 3 |
| orCMPSC131 | Programming and Computation I: Fundamentals | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better: | ||
| Select 6 credits in data-analytic related courses from the departmental list – Data Analytics Option and in consultation with adviser. 1 | 6 | |
- 1
Six credits of PSYCH courses listed in the Additional Courses category for the Data Analytics Option that the student does not apply under Additional Courses for the Data Analytics Option may be taken as Supporting Courses counting toward the Data Analytics Option. However, these credits may not count in both the Data Analytics Option and towards the Additional Courses or Supporting Courses and Related Areas in the Common Requirements for the Major.
Human Factors and Design Option (18 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PSYCH244 | Introduction to the Psychology of Human Factors Engineering | 3 |
| PSYCH444 | Engineering Psychology | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
PSYCH253 | Introduction to Psychology of Perception | |
PSYCH256 | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | |
PSYCH260A | Neurological Bases of Human Behavior | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better: | ||
| Select 9 credits in psychology, engineering and business-related courses from the departmental list - Human Factors and Design Option and in consultation with adviser 1 | 9 | |
- 1
The 3 PSYCH credits for Additional Courses in the Human Factors and Design Option may not count in both the Human Factors and Design Option and towards the Supporting Courses and Related Areas in the Common Requirements for the Major.
Psychology in the Workplace Option (18 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PSYCH281 | Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better: | ||
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
PSYCH482 | Selection and Assessment in Organizations | |
PSYCH484 | Work Attitudes and Motivation | |
PSYCH485 | Leadership in Work Settings | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 12 credits in business-related courses from the departmental list - Psychology in the Workplace Option and in consultation with adviser. A maximum of 3 credits may be selected from the PSYCH courses listed. 1 | 12 | |
- 1
Six credits of PSYCH courses listed in the Supporting Courses can count toward the Psychology in the Workplace Option. However, these credits may not count in both the Psychology in the Workplace Option and towards the Related Areas Common Requirements for the Major.
Science Option (18 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 3 credits from the following: 1 | 3 | |
PSYCH253 | Introduction to Psychology of Perception | |
PSYCH256 | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | |
PSYCH260A | Neurological Bases of Human Behavior | |
PSYCH261 | Introduction to Psychology of Learning | |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 15 credits in science-related courses from the departmental list - Science Option and in consultation with adviser 1 | 15 | |
- 1
Six credits of PSYCH courses listed in the Additional Courses category for the Science Option that the student does not apply under Additional Courses for the Science Option may be taken as Supporting Courses counting toward the Science Option. However, these credits may not count in both the Science Option and towards the Additional Courses or Supporting Courses and Related Areas in the Common Requirements for the Major.
General Education
Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.
The keystone symbol appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.
Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)
- Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
- Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits
Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)
- Arts (GA): 3 credits
- Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
- Humanities (GH): 3 credits
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
- Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits
Integrative Studies
- Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits
Exploration
- GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
- GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits
University Degree Requirements
First Year Engagement
All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.
Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.
First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.
Cultures Requirement
6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements
- United States Cultures: 3 credits
- International Cultures: 3 credits
Writing Across the Curriculum
3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.
Total Minimum Credits
A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.
Quality of Work
Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.
Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition
The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.
Program Learning Objectives
- Career-Related Skills:
- Demonstrate knowledge of professional options and required training for careers in the major subfields of psychology.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify personally-relevant career options to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings.
- Communication Skills:
- Communicate effectively (in writing and/or orally) the results of a project or internship.
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively extract central points and summarize psychological research literature and to write in the format of psychological research.
- Content Knowledge:
- Demonstrate knowledge of major psychological concepts, theories, and empirical findings.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply psychological concepts and theories to research and real life situations.
- Diversity and Ethical Considerations:
- Show evidence of knowledge and appreciation for cultural diversity and relativity in human experience and for the complexity of human behavior and interactions.
- Demonstrate knowledge, and the application of, basic principles of scientific and professional ethics.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to ethical concerns and professionalism (including cultural considerations) in settings where applications of psychology and/or psychological research occur.
- Research Skills:
- Differentiate among the research methods used in psychology and apply the designs in evaluation or development of a research study.
- Demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret quantitative psychological data using statistics, graphs, and data tables.
- Use technology for studying concepts and conducting research.
- Thinking Skills:
- Use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
- Demonstrate critical thinking in the analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of information in the scientific literature to distinguish the scientific literature from other sources.
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
Erie
Shariffah Sheik Dawood, Ph.D.
Chair, Psychology Department
107 Turnbull
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6790
srs42@psu.edu
Suggested Academic Plan
The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2024-25 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.
Psychology, B.S. at Erie Campus
The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| First Year Seminar | 1 | General Education | 3 |
| ENGL15 or 30H† | 3 | General Education* | 3 |
| PSYCH100 | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| General Education | 1.5 | ||
| 14.5 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Biology Bases of Behavior Selection* | 3 | Diversity Selection | 3 |
| Clinical\Applied Selection | 3 | PSYCH200 or STAT 200 | 4 |
| General Education | 3 | Psychology in the Workplace or Human Factors and Design or Science Selection** | 3 |
| CAS100†‡ | 3 | General Education | 1.5 |
| General Education | 3 | ENGL202A or 202C†‡ | 3 |
| 15 | 14.5 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PSYCH301W* | 4 | PSYCH406W* | 4 |
| 400-Level Psychology Selection | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| Psychology in the Workplace Selection or Human Factors and Design Selection or Science Selection ** | 3 | Cognitive/learning selection** | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 400- Level Psychology Selection | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| PSYCH489* | 1 | ||
| 16 | 17 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| 400-Level Psychology Selection | 3 | PSYCH494* | 3 |
| Psychology in the Workplace Selection or Science Selection or Human Factor and Design Selection | 3 | Psychology in the Workplace Selection or Science Selection or Human Factor and Design Selection** | 3 |
| Psychology in the Workplace Selection or Science Selection or Human Factor and Design Selection** | 3 | Psychology in the Workplace Selection or Science Selection or Human Factor and Design Selection** | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 122 | |||
- *
Course requires a grade of C or better for the major
- ‡
Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education
- #
Course is an Entrance to Major requirement
- †
Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement
University Requirements and General Education Notes:
US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).
W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.
General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.
Additional Notes
*Choose from the following categories of courses:
Biological Bases of Behavior (choose from PSYCH 253, 260, 261, 269, 425, 439, 441, 461, 462, 464, 475, 478)
Social/Developmental (choose from PSYCH 212, 221, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 420, 421, 423, 424)
Cognitive/Learning (choose from PSYCH 253, 256, 261, 268, 413, 426, 427, 439, 452, 453, 456, 461)
Clinical/Applied (choose from EDPSY 14, HDFS 311, 315, PSYCH 238, 244, 270, 281, 370, 404, 408, 414, 419, 438, 443, 470, 471, 481, 482, 484, 485)
Diversity (choose from PSYCH 230, 231, 232, 422, 432, 479)
**Choose from the following three tracks:
Psychology in the Workplace Option: Students must take PSYCH 281 and 15 credits of Business-related courses. 6 credits may be selected from PSYCH 282, 484 or 485.
Science Option: Students must take PSYCH 253, 260A or 261 and 15 credits of science-related courses. 6 credits may be selected from PSYCH 253, 260A or 261 if not used to fulfill the first requirement.
Human Factors/Design Option: Students must take PSYCH 244, 444 and PSYCH 253 or 256. In addition, students must take 9 credits of Psychology, Engineering and Business-related courses.
Academic Advising Notes: The course series listed above is only one of many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The number of electives required varies per student. Please be sure to consult with an adviser about your intended plan.
Career Paths
The B.S. in Psychology takes a quantitative approach and offers three options for specialization: General Science for students interested in health-related careers or neuroscience, Psychology in the Workplace for human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing careers, and Human Factors and Design, which applies psychological concepts to the design and safety of products and services. All psychology students design and conduct a capstone research project and may participate in outreach and mentoring through Penn State Behrend’s Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research, and Evaluation, its Prevention of Aggression Resource Center, and its Early Learning Center.
Careers
Penn State Behrend’s B.S. in Psychology degree provides you with a strong skill set that is particularly valued in the mental health and social services fields, education, social work, medicine, business, law, and basic and applied research. Recent graduates are working as research associates, industrial organizational psychologists, human resource managers, data analysts, counselors, caseworkers, therapeutic support staff, developmental psychologists, elementary and special education teachers, school counselors, and clinical psychologists.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Psychology graduates have earned master’s and doctoral degrees in fields such as psychology, business, human factors, law, education, medicine, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Some of the schools they have attended include Penn State, Washington University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Pittsburgh, and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Additionally, Penn State Behrend offers a Master of Arts degree in Applied Clinical Psychology that includes optional preparation for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES
Professional Resources
Contact
Erie
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
170 Irvin Kochel Center
4951 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6108
HSSOffice@psu.edu
https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences
