Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science
Psychological Science
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior how individuals think, feel, and behave. Graduates will have a strong background in scientific thinking and be able to apply psychological research and principles to the study of contemporary problems in a variety of fields.
Students in the psychological science program will develop an understanding of:
- How people perceive and process information and how they use that information to make decisions
- Psychological theories in a variety of fields including social, cognitive, clinical, industrial-organizational, development, and neuroscience
- How to apply psychological theories to real-world problems
- How to design research studies, analyze results, and communicate results to different audiences
A flexible curriculum allows the degree to be customized according to interests. Students can elect to specialize in clinical/behavioral health, culture and diversity, industrial/organizational, and rehabilitation services. Students will work with a faculty mentor to craft a program of study that supports their interests and career goals. Options for pre-medicine and honors law are available.
Students are encouraged to complete a capstone project designed to integrate and apply the concepts and skills learned throughout the curriculum. The capstone will be an individually tailored project defined in collaboration with a faculty adviser which will typically involve either a field placement or research component.
The psychological science degree will prepare graduates for a wide range of professions in business and industry, community organizations, and health services. The program will also prepare graduates to be competitive for a wide range of graduate training programs in psychology at the masters and doctoral levels. In addition, many students will find psychological science highly beneficial as a pre-professional major for advanced studies in medicine, dentistry, law, business, or public administration.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological Science Requirements | (30-31) | |
| PSYC 100 | Introduction to the Profession | 2-3 |
| or LCHS 100 | Introduction to the Professions | |
| PSYC 204 | Research Methods in Behavioral Science | 4 |
| PSYC 221 | Introduction to Psychological Science | 3 |
| PSYC 301 | Industrial Psychology | 3 |
| or PSYC 303 | Introduction to Psychopathology | |
| PSYC 310 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 320 | Applied Correlation and Regression | 3 |
| or PSYC 409 | Psychological Testing | |
| Choose four of the following upper-level psychological science courses | 12 | |
| Human Motivation and Emotion | 3 | |
| Neural and Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 | |
| Learning Theory | 3 | |
| Cognitive Science | 3 | |
| Child Development | 3 | |
| Adult Development | 3 | |
| Senior Capstone Project I | 3 | |
| Psychology Electives | (15) | |
| Choose 15 credit hours of psychology courses at 300- or 400-level 1,2 | 15 | |
| Mathematics Requirements | (7) | |
| At least three credit hours of MATH 122 or above | 3 | |
| PSYC 203 | Undergraduate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
| Computer Science Requirement | (2) | |
| CS 105 | Introduction to Computer Programming | 2 |
| or CS 110 | Computing Principles | |
| Natural Sciences Requirements | (10-11) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section D | 10-11 | |
| Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements | (21) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, sections B and C | 21 | |
| Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) | (6) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section E | 6 | |
| Free Electives | (27-29) | |
| Select 27-29 credit hours 2 | 27-29 | |
Minimum degree credits required: 120
- 1
15 credit hours of psychology electives are required (chosen from any psychology course at the 300- or 400-level that is not part of the required core courses), or 15 credit hours in a specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
- 2
A maximum of three credit hours of PSYC 497 can be earned in any given semester. A maximum of six credit hours of PSYC 497 can be applied as psychology electives. Additional PSYC 497 credit hours may be applied as free electives.
Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science Curriculum
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 100 or LCHS 100 | 3 | PSYC 301 or 303 | 3 |
| PSYC 221 | 3 | Science Elective | 3 |
| Humanities 200-level Course | 3 | Science Lab Elective | 1 |
| Science Elective | 3 | Social Sciences Elective | 3 |
| Science Lab Elective | 1 | Humanities or Social Sciences Elective | 3 |
| Mathematics Elective1 | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 203 | 4 | PSYC 204 | 4 |
| PSYC 310 | 3 | Social Sciences Elective (300+) | 3 |
| Science Elective | 3 | Social Sciences Elective (300+) | 3 |
| Humanities Elective (300+) | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Humanities Elective (300+) | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Year 3 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 320 or 409 | 3 | Upper-level psychology course2 | 3 |
| Upper-level Psychology course2 | 3 | Psychology Elective3 | 3 |
| Psychology Elective3 | 3 | CS 105 or 110 | 2 |
| Free Elective | 3 | IPRO Elective I | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | ||
| 12 | 14 | ||
| Year 4 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| Upper-level psychology course2 | 3 | Psychology Elective3 | 3 |
| Upper-level psychology course2 | 3 | Psychology Elective3 | 3 |
| Psychology Elective3 | 3 | IPRO Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credit Hours: 120 | |||
- 1
At least three credit hours of MATH 122 or above.
- 2
Students must complete 4 out of 8 upper-level psychology electives: PSYC 312, PSYC 414, PSYC 423, PSYC 426, PSYC 435, PSYC 436, PSYC 485. For PSYC 485, the capstone project must be approved by capstone faculty mentor.
- 3
15 credit hours of psychology electives are required (chosen from any psychology course at the 300- or 400-level that is not part of the required core courses), or 15 credit hours in a specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
Psychological Science Specializations
Clinical/Behavioral Health Psychology
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 303 | Introduction to Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSYC 330 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Clinical Psychology: Assessment and Treatment | 3 | |
| Child Development | 3 | |
| Adult Development | 3 | |
| Child and Adolescent Disorders | 3 | |
| Behavior Change Principles and Practice | 3 | |
Culture and Diversity
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select five courses from the following: | 15 | |
| Prejudice and Stigma | 3 | |
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | 3 | |
| Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions | 3 | |
| Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | 3 | |
| Global Chicago | 3 | |
| Social Inequality | 3 | |
| Problems of Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Religious States | 3 | |
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 301 | Industrial Psychology | 3 |
| Select four courses from the following: | 12 | |
| Applied Correlation and Regression | 3 | |
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | 3 | |
| Psychological Testing | 3 | |
| Development and Evaluation of Training in Organizations | 3 | |
| Groups and Leadership at Work | 3 | |
Rehabilitation
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 410 | Introduction to Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 411 | Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions | 3 |
| PSYC 412 | Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 583 | Rehabilitation Engineering Technology I: Survey of Interdisciplinary Application of RET | 3 |
| PSYC 590 | Psychiatric Rehabilitation | 3 |
