George Mason University

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Knowledge Base in Psychology

• Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology
• Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains
• Describe the application of psychology

Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking

• Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena
• Demonstrate psychological information literacy
• Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem-solving
• Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research
• Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry

Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World

• Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice
• Build and enhance interpersonal relationships
• Adopt values that build community at local, national, and global levels

Communication

• Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes
• Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes
• Interact effectively with others

Professional Development

• Apply psychological content and skills to career goals
• Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation
• Refine project-management skills
• Enhance teamwork capacity
• Develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation

Mason Psychology students study behavior as it relates to health and well-being, child and many students continue on to complete graduate degrees; however, a BA in psychology provides a gateway to a variety of career opportunities. Students who graduate from our programs go on to work in a wide range of fields and positions, including human resources, data analysis, user interface design, and social media and marketing.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: minimum 120

Students may choose to complete a concentration in clinical psychology, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology, human factors, and applied cognition, or work and organizational psychology. Courses required for a concentration may simultaneously satisfy other degree requirements. The concentrations in forensic psychology, human factors and applied cognition, and work and organizational psychology meet the applied psychology requirement.

Students who have limited technical skills are encouraged to take IT 104 Introduction to Computing (Mason Core).

Core Courses in the Major

Basic Courses in Psychology

Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 in these courses with a minimum grade of 1.67 (C-) in each one. Courses taken to fulfill these requirements may simultaneously satisfy a concentration.

Introductory Course

• PSYC 100 Basic Concepts in Psychology (Mason Core) 3

Foundational Courses

• PSYC 231 Social Psychology (Mason Core) 3
• PSYC 317 Cognitive Psychology 3

Select one option from the following: 3-6

Option 1:

• PSYC 211 Developmental Psychology (Mason Core)

Option 2:

Select two from the following:

• PSYC 313 Child Development
• PSYC 314 Adolescent Development
• PSYC 415 Psychological Factors in Aging

Research Methods Courses

• PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychology 4
• PSYC 301 Research Methods in Psychology 4

Biopsychology

Select one from the following: 3-6

• PSYC 372 Biopsychology
• PSYC 375 & PSYC 376 Brain and Sensory Processes and Brain and Behavior

Professional Development

Select one course from the following: 3

• PSYC 399 Psychology: College to Career
• PSYC 327 Psychology in the Community
• PSYC 427 Community Engagement for Social Change (Mason Core)
• PSYC 430 Clinical Practicum in Psychology
• PSYC 491 Psychology Honors II
• PSYC 492 RS: Psychology Honors III
• PSYC 461 Special Topics (with Undergraduate Associate Chair approval)

Total Credits 26-32

Applied Psychology Courses or Optional Concentration

Alternatively, students may earn a concentration in forensic psychology, human factors, and applied cognition, or work and organizational psychology to satisfy this requirement.

Applied Psychology

Students pursuing the BS without concentration complete two courses from the following with a minimum grade of C- in each: 6-7

• PSYC 320 Psychological Tests and Measurements
• PSYC 325 Abnormal Psychology
• PSYC 333 Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• PSYC 340 Human Factors Psychology
• PSYC 379 Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology (Mason Core)
• PSYC 381 Mental Illness and Criminal Justice
• PSYC 427 Community Engagement for Social Change (Mason Core)
• PSYC 430 Clinical Practicum in Psychology

Total Credits 6-7

Concentrations Meeting Applied Psychology Requirement

• Concentration in Forensic Psychology (FPSY): Students pursuing a BS with a concentration in forensic psychology take 15 credits. Students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the concentration.
• Concentration in Human Factors and Applied Cognition (HF: Students pursuing the BS with a concentration in human factors and applied cognition take 12-13 credits. Students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the concentration.
• Concentration in Work and Organizational Psychology (WKOP): Students pursuing the BS with concentration take 12-13 credits. Students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the concentration.

Students who successfully complete the Psychology Department Honors Program (PSYC 490 Psychology Honors I, PSYC 491 Psychology Honors II, and PSYC 492 RS: Psychology Honors III) with an honors thesis/project focused on I/O psychology may, with approval of their thesis committees and the associate chair for undergraduate studies, substitute the honors work for one course in the concentration.

Other Concentrations Available to Majors

• Concentration in Clinical Psychology (CLPY)
• Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience (CBNR)
• Concentration in Developmental Psychology (DVLP)
• Concentration in Educational Psychology (EPSY)
• Concentration in Health Psychology (HPSY)

Electives in the Major

Students complete the 37 required credits with electives in psychology (PSYC) with the following restrictions.

• A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 327 Psychology in the Community and PSYC 328 Psychology in the Community Laboratory may be applied to the required psychology credits.
• A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 260 Basic Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 350 Directed Reading and Research in Psychology, and PSYC 460 Independent Study in Psychology may be applied to required psychology credits.
• No more than 9 credits of PSYC 327 Psychology in the Community, PSYC 328 Psychology in the Community Laboratory, PSYC 260 Basic Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 350 Directed Reading and Research in Psychology, and PSYC 460 Independent Study in Psychology can be taken without written permission of the department chair.
• No more than 6 credits of D may be applied toward this requirement.

PSYC 465 Pioneering Ideas in Psychology is strongly recommended for all students who plan to attend graduate school in psychology.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in psychology may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing PSYC 301 Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 304 Principles of Learning, or PSYC 309 Sensation, Perception, and Information Processing. Students who receive transfer credit for a research methods course must take PSYC 304 Principles of Learning, or PSYC 309 Sensation, Perception, and Information Processing unless the transfer course has been approved as writing intensive.

Upper-Level Requirement

Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.

Additional Electives

Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

College Level Requirements for the BA Degree

In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).

• Philosophy or Religious Studies
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Foreign Language
• Non-Western Culture

Mason Core

Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

Foundation Requirements

• Written Communication (ENGH 101) 3
• Oral Communication 3
• Quantitative Reasoning 3
• Information Technology and Computing 3

Exploration Requirements

• Arts 3
• Global Understanding 3
• Literature 3
• Natural Science 7
• Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
• Western Civilization/World History 3

Integration Requirements

• Written Communications (ENGH 302) 3
• Writing-Intensive 3
• Synthesis/Capstone 3

Total Credits 40

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