Degrees, Certificates, & Transfer Programs

Psychology 2020-2021

Psychology stands at the intersection of the biological sciences and the humanities because of its study of mental processes, cognition and behavior of individuals and social groups. To further understanding, psychology is involved in research with both animals and people. The psychologist is interested in how the brain and nervous system function, how perception evolves from sensation, how we learn and remember, and what it is that motivates us.

Psychology covers the total life span to learn more about how individuals function in family, community and society. To this end psychologists research what can go wrong in development and how it can be changed, and how to resolve organizational, personal, international, and family conflict. It is a dynamic field in which advanced research methods lead to new understandings of human behavior, which can be applied in practical situations in the lives of individuals.

Program Learning Outcomes:

-Students will be able to recognize the diversity of behavior of various populations and be able to explain, interpret, apply, and evaluate a broad base of concepts in the different fields of psychology.
-Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills and psychological theories to real-world situations, and to be able to apply research methodology and data analysis in the process of answering questions about human behavior.

Career Opportunities:

Psychology graduates find positions in a wide range of programs such as those dealing with a variety of aspects in communication and human behavior. Typical positions include personnel managers, industrial psychologists, psychiatric aides, probation officers, mental health workers, drug abuse counselors, employment counselors, and space program researchers. Advanced degrees enlarge opportunities for basic research, licensing as clinical psychologists or marriage and family counselors and as college and university instructors. Psychologists also work as consultants in government and industry, as well as in human resources, training, marketing and business management.

Units Required

Degree Requirements:

-English proficiency: ENGL 1A, 1AH, 1S & 1T, or equivalent.
-Mathematics proficiency: MATH 105, 180, or any MATH course approved for Foothill GE Area V, Communication & Analytical Thinking.
A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:
-Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
-Core courses (15 units)
-Support courses (20 units)

*Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

NOTE: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree.

Additional Information:

NOTE: Students having difficulty attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution.

Core Courses (15 units)

PSYC 1 General Psychology (5 units)
or PSYC 1H Honors General Psychology (5 units)
PSYC 7 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (5 units)
or SOC 7 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (5 units)
or MATH 10 Elementary Statistics (5 units)
PSYC 10 Research Methods & Designs (5 units)
or SOC 10 Research Methods & Designs (5 units)

Support Courses (20 units)

Select 12 units from the following:
PSYC 4 Introduction to Biopsychology (5 units)
PSYC 9 Positive Psychology (4 units)
PSYC 14 Child & Adolescent Development (4 units)
PSYC 21 Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences (4 units)
or WMN 21 Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences (4 units)
PSYC 22 Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination (4 units)
PSYC 25 Introduction to Abnormal Psychology (4 units)
PSYC 30 Social Psychology (4 units)
or SOC 30 Social Psychology (4 units)
PSYC 33 Introduction to Personality Psychology (4 units)
PSYC 39 Psychology of Sports (4 units)
PSYC 40 Human Development (5 units)
PSYC 49 Human Sexuality (4 units)

And 8 units* from the following:
ANTH 2A Cultural Anthropology (4 units)
or ANTH 2AH Honors Cultural Anthropology (4 units)
BIOL 14 Human Biology (5 units)
PHIL 4 Introduction to Philosophy (4 units)
PSYC 51 Applied Research Experience (1 unit)
PSYC 54H Honors Institute Seminar in Psychology (1 unit)
PSYC 70R Independent Study in Psychology (1 unit)
PSYC 71R Independent Study in Psychology (2 units)
PSYC 72R Independent Study in Psychology (3 units)
PSYC 73R Independent Study in Psychology (4 units)
SOC 1 Introduction to Sociology (5 units)
or SOC 1H Honors Introduction to Sociology (5 units)
SOC 28 Sociology of Gender (4 units)
SOC 40 Aspects of Marriage & Family (4 units)
SPED 2 Psychological Aspects of Disability (4 units)
WMN 5 Introduction to Women's Studies (4 units)

* Students may also use courses listed in the first section of support courses to fulfill the requirement for the second section of support courses.

Control Information:
2020-2021 | Status: Approved | Modified: 2020-04-27 14:05:17 | Dept Code: PSYC