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4 Year Psychology Program Descriptions

Abington

Psychological and Social Sciences

Explore the compexities of human behavior and the forces that drive it. How does human behavior influence society? How do social forces affect us as individuals? The Psychological and Social Sciences is an interdisciplinary degree program s designed for students who want to make an impact on individuals and society through a greater understanding of human behavior.

Faculty from Psychology, Sociology, and Human Development collaborate to offer courses across the social sciences. Choose from course clusters specializing in social psychology, organizational behavior and leadership, society and health, developmental studies, and counseling.

 

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Altoona

The Psychology Program at Penn State Altoona is a basic psychology major offering both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree.  The BS has options in Science and Business.  There are currently 4 full-time and 4 part-time adjunct faculty, and approximately 70 majors and 30 minors.

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Beaver

The Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology is a four-year program requiring 127 credits. It provides an attractive option for students who are interested in a liberal arts degree but wish to acquire practical skills for the job market as well. This degree is designed to provide a high-quality, relevant, integrated, skills-based program of instruction in the basic theory, methodology, and application of the discipline of psychology. In addition to intensive internship experiences, the program features active and collaborative classroom experiences that are applied in a setting related to the student's chosen concentration.

 

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Berks

The B.A. in Applied Psychology offered by Penn State Berks meets the needs of the majority of psychology students, providing them with a bachelor's degree with a major in Applied Psychology in the liberal arts tradition. The emphasis of this degree program will be on preparing students for direct employment in settings related to psychology. The program will also provide preparation for graduate study in psychology as well as other areas including business, human/social services, and law.

Students can choose from three different tracks within the major, allowing them to prepare for the career they want. The B.A. in Applied Psychology is a unique program of study, featuring non-traditional learning and intensive internship experiences. Graduates of this program can be expected to gain employment in a variety of fields related to the social and behavioral sciences or business.

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Erie, The Behrend College

The Psychology Program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College has 8 full-time faculty and around 100 undergraduate majors. The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are offered. The BS has options in Business and General Science. Minors are available in many areas, including a recently developed minor in Civic and Community Engagement. In addition we have a certificate program in Crime, Psychology, and Public Policy. In either major, students take a core, three-course methodology sequence where students design and carry out their own research project. Students then present their project at an on-campus or regional undergraduate psychology conference.

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Greater Allegheny

 A key way in which students learn and apply these skills is during the required 12 credits of internship experiences. This extensive internship is the major difference between the applied psychology major and other psychology programs. The B.A. in applied psychology prepares students for a variety of government, social service, research, business, and industry occupations, and is also suitable for students who are interested in graduate or professional school. Students can continue in their studies of psychology in graduate school, or in graduate or professional school in business, human services, law, or the social sciences.

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Harrisburg

The Psychology Program at Penn State Harrisburg, The Capital College has 10 full-time faculty and around 125 undergraduate majors. Only the Bachelor of Science degree is offered. The Psychology major emphasizes the scientific study of human behavior in areas such as cognition, development, learning, physiology, personality, and social processes. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a broad background in psychological theory and research and to develop the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to be good consumers of scientific information. The Psychology program exposes students to a number of areas of psychology but allows flexibility in the specific courses that are taken in each sub-area. Students are also required to obtain applied experience by completing an internship or by assisting faculty with their research. Elective credits can be used for additional internship or research experience.

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Hazleton

 The Applied Psychology major at Penn State Hazleton is designed for students who want to learn about human behavior, scientific research methods, and how psychological knowledge may be applied in real-world settings.  The Applied Psychology major emphasizes a strong background in current scientific knowledge and  research skills. During the third and fourth years, students complete off-campus internships in applied settings of their choice to put their knowledge and skills to work. The Applied Psychology major prepares students for  careers in clinical settings, social service agencies, research organizations, or businesses. Students may also go on to graduate or professional school in Psychology, Human Services, or Business.

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Lehigh Valley

Penn State Lehigh Valley offers the first two years of coursework in Psychology majors available at all Penn State locations, and it offers the baccalaureate degree in Applied Psychology (B.A. degree). The B.A. degree in Applied Psychology is a unique program of study of 127 credits, featuring non-traditional learning and intensive internship experiences taken in the junior and senior years. Students can choose from among three areas of concentration to prepare themselves for careers in Psychology or graduate school.

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New Kensington

Psychology is the study of thinking and behavior, and the Psychology Department at Penn State New Kensington offers a broad curriculum and the opportunity for hands-on involvement in research that will provide a basic foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills that can lead to success in a range of future endeavors.

Penn State New Kensington students can now earn a four-year degree in applied psychology. This 127-credit B. A. program combines the advantages of a liberal arts degree in psychology with the development of practical skills easily applied to a variety of government, social service, business, and industry occupations.

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Schuylkill

The Psychology major emphasizes the scientific study of human behavior in areas such as cognition, development, learning, physiology, personality, and social processes. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a broad background in psychological theory and research and to develop the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to be good consumers of scientific information. The Psychology program exposes students to a number of areas of psychology but allows flexibility in the specific courses that are taken in each sub-area. Students are also required to obtain applied experience by completing an internship or by assisting faculty with their research. Elective credits can be used for additional internship or research experience.

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University Park

University Park has a large, research-oriented Psychology Department, with more than 50 full-time faculty more than 120 Ph.D. students. The undergraduate major is also large, with 450-500 Bachelors degrees awarded each year. Both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are offered, and the BS degree has Business, Biological and Evolutionary Sciences, Neuroscience, and Quantitative Skills options. University Park also offers many options for minors and concurrent majors. Surveys of graduating seniors and alumni show that more than half of University Park majors go on to advanced degree programs (masters and doctorates) in Psychology and related fields. Some students also choose Psychology in preparation for law school, medical school, or other professional degrees.

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World Campus

We offer two bachelor's degree programs in psychology with courses offered completely online: The bachelor of arts in psychology is for professionals who want to pursue psychology with a focus on the social-services aspects of the field or are pursuing the bachelor's degree as a "stepping stone" toward a master's degree in psychology. The bachelor of science in psychology follows a business track, so professionals interested in psychology-driven aspects of business — such as human resources, management, leadership development, and marketing — will find this program attractive. Whether you're just beginning to explore psychology or are currently employed in a profession related to the field, these degrees can help you better understand the motivations of your co-workers, clients, and customers and prepare you for career advancement.

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