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Patricia O’Neill, Chair oneillp@wcsu.edu Warner Hall 308 (203) 837-9383
Carol O’Connor, Department Secretary oconnorc@wcsu.edu Warner Hall 304, Midtown campus (203) 837-8470
Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Overview
Courses in the Psychology Department are designed to offer the psychology major a comprehensive education in the methods and content of the discipline of psychology while simultaneously providing some flexibility in course selections.
Students are given a broad overview of the field in their first course, Introduction to Psychology, and are required to complete a three-course sequence dealing with the methods and statistics used by psychologists. In addition to the required methods courses, students must satisfy a breadth requirement by taking at least one course from each of five major areas within psychology (cognitive, biological, developmental, social-personality, and clinical-counseling).
Lastly, in their junior or senior year, students are required to take an advanced seminar in a specific area or in research. An optional opportunity also exists for qualified students to graduate with the designation “psychology with distinction” by completing psychology honors courses, PSY 475 and PSY 476.
The department sponsors a chapter of the international psychology honor society, Psi Chi, and students majoring or minoring in psychology are eligible for membership. Each applicant must meet high standards of scholastic excellence to be selected as a member. Applications are made online at http://www.psichi.org/?page=become_member. Also available to all students enrolled in the university is membership in the Psychology Student Association. Students majoring in psychology are automatically members and may participate in all activities of the association.
Mission
The psychology program offers a comprehensive education in the methods and content of the discipline of psychology while remaining true to the liberal arts ideal. The program provides flexibility, so that students can expand their intellectual horizons, and structure, so that students can acquire the core ideas and skills of psychology.
Students graduate with skills in interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions, quantitative analysis skills for understanding social science data, and with exposure to a tiered writing experiencing emphasizing critical analysis and argument based on empirical evidence.
The department prepares our students to be productive members of a culturally diverse society embedded within a changing global environment.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of their studies, Psychology majors will be able to:
Degree Programs
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Minor Psychology
Description: The psychology program offers a comprehensive education in the methods and content of the discipline of psychology while remaining true to the liberal arts ideal.
Degree Requirements
All degrees at WCSU require 120 semester hours (SH). This includes major requirements, general education requirements, cognates (where applicable), and free electives. This structure provides room for minors, internships, and study abroad.
Required Courses in the Major: 39-42 SH.
General Education: All students must complete the General Education curriculum. General Education Requirements include both competency and breadth requirements. In some cases, major courses will satisfy competencies. These are indicated in the parentheses after the course title. For a complete description of the General Education program, follow this link. https://catalogs.wcsu.edu/ugrad2324/academic-programs-degrees/
Cognates: In some programs there are courses outside of the major that are required as pre-requisites or enhancements to the major course work. These courses may satisfy competencies and they will count toward the general education breadth requirement. If cognate courses are required, they are included in the list of courses required in the major.
Electives: All degrees require 120 semester hours. Elective credits are opportunities for minors, internships, study abroad, and just following general interests. We encourage all students to speak with their advisors about great opportunities for their elective courses.
Sample Four Year Plan: BA Psychology Four-year plans are suggestions. Plans change. Consult your advisor to adjust your plan.
* All Bachelor of Arts degrees at WCSU require that students complete a language at or above the elementary II level. Students who have completed three years of a foreign language at a minimum of a C average in high school have met this requirement. However, they must still complete at least one Intercultural Competency course. *Credits from a single course may be split among General Education Explorations and General Electives ** The Psychology Honors track (475/476) is optional and requires prior departmental approval. ***Courses in bold are major requirements.
Internship in Applied Psychology
Students with junior or senior standing and instructor’s permission may apply for PSY 306, the Internship in Applied Psychology. In this course, students obtain experience in the application of psychological principles in community settings. These settings include social service, mental health, medical, veteran’s services and educational agencies. Students collaborate with the course instructor in selecting their practicum site, and must obtain 120 hours of practicum experience in a semester, over a period of at least 10 weeks in a spring or fall semester.
Prerequisites are PSY 204, and either PSY 202 or PSY 203. Entry is competitive and places are limited to 15 students per semester.
Substance Use Disorder Counseling Courses
The psychology department offers four courses (PSY 392, PSY 393, PSY 394 and PSY 395) for a total of 16 semester hours in substance use counseling. These courses meet the academic requirements for Certification of Substance Abuse Counselors (CADC) as defined by the Connecticut Certification Board (CRB). Other requirements for certification are 6,000 hours of paid substance use counseling experience and a passing score on the national certification exam. Students should check the Connecticut Certification Board homepage at http://ccb-ing.org/ccb.html for the most up-to-date certification information.
Agencies That May Be Used for Student Placements in PSY 439: Community Psychology:
Arms Acres, Carmel, N.Y. Birth to Three Danbury CT Blue Sky mental health Danbury CT Connecticut Counseling Center Danbury CT Danbury Head Start, Danbury CT Department of Children and Families, Danbury CT Kennedy Center, sites in Trumbull, Newtown & Southbury Mid-Western Connecticut Council on Alcoholism (MCCA), Danbury CT Nurturing Families/Parents As Teachers Danbury CT Women’s Center, Danbury CT
Note: Students are required to have significant flexibility in their schedule to accommodate hours required by the required practicum experience in PSY 439.
Students cannot take both PSY 439 and PSY 306 (Internship) in the same semester.
Minor in Psychology
Eighteen semester hours of psychology courses including PSY 100 with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in those courses. At least nine credits towards the psychology minor must be taken at Western. Please see your advisor to review all program requirements.
Required Course (3 SH): PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
Five (5) approved electives (15 SH) Courses selected with the approval of psychology advisor
