D’Youville University offers a dynamic and flexible B.A. program in psychology, available on-campus and online. This program provides students with a strong foundation of psychological knowledge that is valuable in any career requiring critical thinking and thoughtful understanding. In addition, the curriculum is designed to provide the student with ongoing guidance in the establishment and attainment of professional goals. The student will be well prepared to gain employment or admission to graduate programs in psychology or related fields. For students interested in becoming Substance Abuse Counselors upon graduation with a bachelor's degree, our online Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Program is designed to foster new industry-leading quality standards in SUDS professional development.
All psychology majors complete the Nuts and Bolts cluster of courses. These courses are the defining features of a major in the social sciences and include an introduction to the field of psychology, statistics and research methods.
To complete the Nuts and Bolts cluster, traditional psychology majors take a two-course sequence of professions seminars, internships and senior seminars. Students choose internship placements that are consistent with their goals and interests and approved by the Internship Coordinator. Students will spend a minimum of approximately 15 hours per week in internship-related activities. In the co-requisite senior seminar, students discuss issues pertaining to their internship experiences and professional development (e.g., ethics, supervision, cultural competency, applying to graduate school) that culminates in the development of a senior paper. The senior experience is designed to enhance the student's studies in psychology, career development and preparation for graduate study or vocational placement.
To complete the Nuts and Bolts courses, online Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor pathway students take two semesters of Practicum experience and two semesters of Internship experience. These placements will provide both direct and indirect hours of work experience certification. Collaboration with an extensive network of public and private treatment facilities will enable students to further enhance their knowledge and skills while also improving the overall health of the communities in which they work.
In addition to these Nuts and Bolts courses, traditional psychology majors are required to complete four courses each from two additional course clusters. These clusters are organized as specific areas of interest within the field of psychology. This curriculum design allows students the freedom to create their own pathway through the major that supports their professional goals. Students interested in a broader education in psychology can create their own course cluster by taking one psychology course from each of four course clusters. Students choosing the online Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor pathway complete eight required courses in the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor cluster. Course clusters include:
Development of the Person
Behavioral and Mental Health
Brain and Body
Personality
Personal Growth
Law, the Person, and Society
Media, the Person, and Society
Work, the Person, and Society
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Course Cluster
In addition to traditional on-campus enrollment in the B.A. in Psychology, students have the alternative to apply for and enroll in the online B.A. in Psychology Program. Students in the online B.A. in Psychology Program have the same requirements as those in the traditional on-campus Psychology Program, including access to the required Nuts and Bolts courses in online format. Those in the online program will complete their psychology elective course offerings in build your own and Behavioral and Mental Health cluster or the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor cluster.
Psychology Minor
The psychology minor is designed to enhance a student’s academic experience and to provide background for those planning to pursue careers in any field that involves dealing with people. Students wishing to minor in psychology must complete 15 credits. Students are required to complete General Psychology (PSY-101), two of the following courses: Lifespan Development (PSY-203), Physiological Psychology (PSY-204), Social Psychology (PSY-205), Abnormal Psychology (PSY-206), Cognitive Psychology (PSY-207), Personality (PSY-208); and two additional three-credit psychology electives at any level.
Academic Standards
Academic regulations for psychology are in addition to general university policies for all part-time and full-time students. Part-time and full-time students must meet all the academic regulations listed below.
- Grade and G.P.A. requirements
- Psychology major academic requirements:
- Students must maintain a semester and cumulative average of a minimum of 2.0.
- Students must maintain a minimum grade of C in courses required for the major. Such courses include the Nuts & Bolts foundation courses (SOS courses and PSY 101).
- Students who fail to meet these requirements are placed on program probation for one semester.
- Students are permitted to repeat a course once. Permission to repeat a course must be obtained from the faculty in that course on a space-available basis.
- Psychology elective academic requirements
- Students in the major must achieve a C or better in psychology cluster elective cluster courses that are applied to requirements in the major.
- Students in the major earning less than a C in psychology cluster elective courses may:
- Not apply those courses with less than a C to the major requirements
- Choose to repeat the course when it is next offered in order to obtain a C or better
- Choose to take a different elective to apply towards the cluster requirements in the major. In such circumstances, the student cannot apply the elective course graded below C towards the cluster in the major but may be able to apply it towards the general education elective requirements if they achieved a passing grade in the course.
- Probationary standing:
- Students who are placed on program probation have the following limitations and conditions:
- Students will be limited to no more than 13 credit hours per semester.
- Students must schedule and attend a meeting with their academic mentor within the first 3 weeks of the semester while on academic probation. The purpose of this meeting is to establish a collaborative remediation plan.
- Students will be placed on academic probation for one full-time semester, during which time they must fulfill the conditions of probation and achieve the grade and GPA requirements for the major. Students who do not fulfill the conditions of probation or achieve the grade and GPA requirements for the major may have their probationary standing extended one semester. After two consecutive semesters on probation, students that have not fulfilled the conditions of probation or achieved the grade and GPA requirements for the major may be required to take a leave of absence or may be dismissed from the program. Probation may be permitted to continue beyond two semesters only under extraordinary circumstances.
- Students on academic probation must have the permission of the social sciences internship coordinator to be eligible to register for Internship I (SOS 401)/Senior Seminar I (SOS 402) or Internship II (SOS 403)/Senior Seminar II (SOS 404). In order to obtain this permission, students must demonstrate the ability to meet academic and professional standards of the program required for the internship experience.
- Previously dismissed students who re-apply and are re-accepted into the program will be placed on program probation for their returning first full-time semester.
Admission Requirements
Freshman Admission
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- A high school average of at least 80 percent
Transfer Admission
Students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.00. Transfer credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis to assess adaptability to curriculum requirements.
