B.A.,
Psychology
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
What You'll Do
Those who choose to study Psychology are often curious about why people behave the way they do. They may want to help people solve problems, be very motivated to understand the human brain and how it relates to behavior, or want to understand the similarities between people and non-human animals. Psychology majors learn how to design and conduct research and evaluate its results.
In the B.A. in Psychology at IUP, you’ll choose at least one course from each of six core areas of study and at least two electives. Some of the classes you may choose include Child Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Social Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Conditioning and Learning, Psychology of Women, Drugs and Behavior, Forensic Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
You'll also be required to choose a minor or concentration in another discipline. Psychology allows you complete freedom to choose any minor concentration that best suits your interests or furthers your career plans. Most of our present majors complete minors in Biology, Child Development and Family relations, Educational Psychology, and Sociology.
What You'll Become
In order to directly function as a counselor, psychologist, school psychologist, or therapist, some type of graduate training is needed. However, graduates with bachelor’s degrees have developed competencies in oral and written communication, understand human relationships and human diversity, and have research skills that position them well to seek work as market and survey researchers, human resource specialists, program evaluators, children and youth case managers, crisis management workers, mental health workers, and many other forms of employment that require people skills.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social workers is expected to increase by 22 percent from 2006 to 2016. Job growth for mental health and substance abuse social workers and counselors could reach 30–34 percent during the decade covered by the forecast, the report adds. Jobs for counselors are expected to increase by 21 percent, according to the report, although this growth is expected to vary by specialty. Employment of psychologists, who generally hold graduate degrees, is expected to increase by 15 percent from 2006 to 2016, the report adds.
