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Bachelor of Arts

This major is available on the Aurora campus and the Woodstock Center locations.

This major is offered in the traditional and AU Online format.

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. A bachelor of arts degree in psychology can prepare students for a variety of career options, including careers in the human services, business management, personnel, counseling, behavioral instruction, or as a family worker and youth advocate. The major is also an excellent preparation for graduate study in a variety of areas including psychology, business, education, social work, and law. As a psychology major, students will study human behavior from a lifespan developmental perspective including both abnormal and normal behavior as it is affected by the learning process, personality development, motivation, the cultural environment, and interaction with others.

This dynamic field has long been one of the most popular areas of study for Aurora University students. Because of the flexible program requirements and the opportunity to develop individual interests, the psychology major is often teamed with criminal justice, sociology, social work, recreation, political science, business, or communication in a student’s pursuit of a double major or a minor. Independent study and internship opportunities are readily available. Aurora University students have worked in local hospitals, social service agencies, group homes, schools, as well as in various businesses, state institutions and government offices.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
PSY-1100	General Psychology	4
PSY-3380	Brain and Behavior	4
PSY-3410	Career Exploration in Psychology	4
PSY-3500	Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences	4
PSY-3520	Research Methods in Psychology	4
PSY-4700	Contemporary Issues in Psychology	4
Group A
Select 8 semester hours of the following:		8
PSY-2300	Learning and Motivation
PSY-3350	Child and Adolescent Development
or PSY-3360	Adult Development and Aging
PSY-3400	Cognitive Psychology
PSY-3450	Social Psychology
Group B
Select 4 semester hours of the following:		4
PSY-2340	Personality
PSY-3470	Industrial/Organizational Psychology
PSY-3660	Psychological Disorders
PSY-3700	Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Selected Courses
Select 4 semester hours of the following: 1		4
PSY-3210	Applied Behavior Analysis
PSY-3460	Exceptional Individual
PSY-3810-9	Selected Topics in Psychology
PSY-4810-9	Selected Topics in Psychology
PSY-3940	Psychology Internship
PSY-4940	Psychology Internship
PSY-4200	Sensation and Perception
PSY-4520	Psychological Assessment
SOC-3430	Issues in the Study of Gender and Sexuality
Total Credits		40

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Students may also select another four semester hour course from Group A or B list.

Students seeking professional preparation for the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification or additional coursework in forensic psychology should consult the Supplemental Course Listing section for guidance in major and free elective course selection.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
2. Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
   • At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
   • Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
   • Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
3. Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
   • Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
   • ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
   • IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
   • IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
   • Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
   • Distribution Requirements
     Students will complete one approved course¹ from each of the following categories:
     • Artistic Literacy
     • Cultural Literacy
     • Human Inquiry
     • Scientific Inquiry

In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course¹ from the following category:

• Discovery and Reflection

¹

Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses  for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:

• An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
• Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.

Learning Outcomes