Psychology Teaching, BS

Psychology Teaching Major:

Required Psychology Courses (27 credits), plus
Elective Psychology Courses (16 credits)

Requirements for a Teaching Major in Psychology broadly consist of 27 credits of specified psychology coursework and 16 credits of elective psychology coursework, for a total of 43 credits in psychology. Only 16 of these 43 psychology credits may be taken in lower-division courses. The remaining 27 credits must be received in 3000- or 4000-level psychology courses. At least 12 of the upper-division credits must have been earned in courses completed at USU. A minor in another field of study is also required. Prospective teachers must complete 35 credits of the Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) in the Secondary Education Program of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership. Required GPA for psychology courses is 3.0. Students must receive a grade of C- or better in all psychology courses (USU and transfer) in order to have them counted toward major requirements.

Skill Tracks for Undergraduate Majors in Psychology

The following skill tracks can be completed as part of a student’s major in Psychology. A skill track represents a cluster of courses that help provide more comprehensive knowledge and practical skill in particular areas. After admission as a major in Psychology, students may apply for admission to a skill track. Completing a skill track requires careful planning, so that skill track courses and all other required and elective courses for the major are fulfilled. Enrollment in a skill track is entirely optional for majors.

Behavior Analysis Skill Track

The following cluster of courses will provide psychology majors with a basic foundation in experimental and applied behavior analysis: PSY 1400 , PSY 1410 , PSY 3400 , PSY 4910 , PSY 5720 ; SPED 5010 , SPED 5050 ; BIOL 3010 ; and PHIL 4320  or PHIL 4900 .

Interpersonal Relationships Skill Track

The following cluster of courses will assist psychology majors in systematically developing a broad range of interpersonal relationship skills, such as listening, assertiveness, negotiation, conflict resolution, and anger management: PSY 1210 , PSY 3210 , PSY 3510 , PSY 4210 , PSY 4510 , PSY 5200 ; MGT 3710 .

Graduate School Preparation Track

The major in Psychology has been designed so that students take classes that will help them compete in applying for graduate school. Students completing the graduate school track need to become actively involved with faculty research, form an association with Psi Chi, and enroll in independent research and readings courses. It is recommended that students take at least one upper-division course in statistics from Psychology, FCHD, or Sociology.

Students who pursue the skills tracks in Psychology are encouraged to become involved with the faculty in independent research or applied experiences. Involvement in these experiences is associated with greater chances of successful graduate school admission and/or competitive post-baccalaureate employment, especially for students who pursue this involvement early in their undergraduate careers.

The faculty who teach courses satisfying the skills track requirements are committed to working closely with students to hone their experiences and accomplishments in research methodology and applied fields of psychology.

These faculty have a solid track record in mentoring students. Their students have achieved remarkable success in procuring funding to support student-initiated research projects via Utah State University’s competitive University Research Cooperative Opportunity (URCO) mechanism and the national honor society of psychology (Psi Chi).

Their students have been first authors or co-authors on numerous scholarly presentations at regional, national, and international conferences in psychology (e.g., Association of Behavior Analysis, American Psychological Association, European Conference of Developmental Psychology, International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Society for Research in Adolescence, and Society for Research in Human Development). Their students have competed successfully each year for awards that recognize their achievements. Together  with the faculty, the students have published in premier research journals in psychology (e.g., Developmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Clinical Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology, and Sex Roles) and books in psychology.

The Department of Psychology and Utah State University actively support students’ efforts by awarding matching funding to support the attendance of conferences at which they can present their accepted conference presentations.