College of Arts and Sciences
Psychology Program Information
(PSYC)
Box 70649
Phone: (423) 439-4424
Web Address: www.etsu.edu/cas/psychology
The primary goals of the Department of Psychology are to encourage and support the scientific investigation of behavior and mental processes. The department’s undergraduate curriculum provides general and intensive courses of study within psychology, with concentrations in general psychology, behavioral neuroscience, cognitive science, clinical psychological science, and child psychological science. All programs of study provide a well-rounded education within psychology, both for students interested in pursuing post-baccalaureate employment in psychological and human service related professions, and for students interested in pursuing postgraduate study in psychology and related fields.
In addition to the requirements listed, a student majoring in psychology must complete requirements for the General Education Core and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements for the B.A. or B.S., listed in this catalog under the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are expected to read the catalog to determine requirements for the degree they are seeking. Students are responsible for knowing the program requirements.
Advising
Students with 0-89 earned credit hours:
Contact the Center for Advisement and Student Excellence (CASE) to schedule an appointment with your advisor. Visit the CASE website (http://www.etsu.edu/cas/case/) or call (423) 439-5602.
Students with 90 or more earned credit hours:
Contact Dr. Andrew Sellers [sellers@etsu.edu; (423) 439-4476] for advising.
Transfer Students
Transfer students majoring in psychology should contact the chair of the department for advising as soon as possible. This will ensure that the student’s previous work will be coordinated efficiently with ETSU requirements.
Graduate Study-The Department of Psychology offers a Ph.D. in psychology with concentrations in clinical psychology and experimental psychology. Further information on graduate programs is provided in the Graduate Catalog.
For general information about the department or courses, contact Dr. Wallace Dixon, Chair [dixonw@etsu.edu; (423) 439-6656].
General Program Information
To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements established by ETSU, by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels outlined in the following list:
University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120
College of Arts and Sciences B.A. Degree Requirements
Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Some requirements must be taken in addition to the General Education Core, whereas others specify which courses from the General Education Core must be taken.
Foreign Languages | Completion of a foreign language course numbered 2020 or above with a grade of C- or better * ** |
| |
Mathematics | Specified General Education Core: MATH 1530 or MATH 1910 |
| |
Non-U.S. History | 3 credit hours |
* | International Students whose native language is not English, and whose admission to ETSU requires them to take a standardized test of English as a foreign language (e.g., TOEFL), may substitute scores that meet the admission requirements for the foreign language requirement. |
** | Consult the Literature and Language Department’s placement policy listed at www.etsu.edu/cas/litlang/documents/foreignlanguagerequirement.pdf and in the listing for Foreign Languages in this catalog. |
TBR General Education Requirements: 41 - 42 Credit Hours
Listed below are the categories and courses specified under TBR General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a TBR General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major, only those courses are listed under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
Communication
9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.
Written Composition
Complete both of the following:
Oral Communication
Complete one of the following:
Humanities and Fine Arts
9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.
Literature
Complete one of the following:
Fine Arts
Complete one of the following:
Humanities Electives
Complete one of the following:
Note:
Other courses from this block are acceptable, but HIST 1110 and HIST 1120 satisfy the non-US history requirement in the B.A. degree.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
6 credits, consisting of two of the following:
Note:
Other courses from this block are acceptable, but PSYC 1310 will satisfy an elective for the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement and is a requirement of the Psychology core curriculum.
History
6 credits, consisting of both of the following:
Natural Sciences
8 credits, consisting of two of the following (some require labs which are listed directly after the lecture):
(Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences must select 8 credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science. Please see listing in College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements for options.)
Mathematics
Students will enroll in the appropriate general education math course during their first calendar year of enrollment at ETSU. Students required to complete learning support in mathematics must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of MATH 1530 during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading or writing. Students needing learning support in reading or writing in addition to learning support in math should enroll in MATH 1530-Lxx immediately upon completing their other learning support requirements. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/
Complete one of the following:
Cognitive Science Concentration
A course listed as an option in the core requirements and as an elective for a concentration may be counted in both areas; however, the credits are only counted once toward degree requirements.
Psychology Core Requirements for All Psychology Concentrations: 32 Credit Hours
The following courses are required in this program of study. Some can also be used to fulfill certain General Education requirements. If students take other general education courses, they must still satisfy these requirements in the major. No grade of C- or below will be accepted in psychology major courses that begin with the PSYC prefix.
And must take the following zero credit course six times:
Total Core Psychology Hours: 32 Credit Hours
Core Allied Requirements for All Psychology Concentrations: 9-10 Credit Hours
Note:
* May count toward general education requirements.
Total for Core Allied Hours: 9-10 credits
Cognitive Science Concentration: 34 Credit Hours
Additional Allied Requirements for Cognitive Science:
Take one of the following:
Take four of the following courses: **
Note:
* May count toward general education requirements or electives
** Other courses may be accepted with the approval of the Department of Psychology chair.
General Education: 41-42 Credit Hours
Psychology Core: 32 Credit Hours
Cognitive Science Concentration: 34 Credit Hours
Allied Health Core: 9-10 Credit Hours
Minor Requirements: 0-24 Credit Hours
Psychology majors are also required to complete a minor in another discipline. Students completing the following concentrations will automatically complete the coursework sufficient for the indicated mior:
Concentration | Minor |
Behavioral Neuroscience | Biological Sciences |
Cognitive Science | Philosophy |
Clinical Psychology | Sociology |
Child Psychological Science | Early Childhood Development |
Electives: 0-4 Credit Hours