Psychology

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology online program helps students build a foundation of basic psychological principles and present them in a Christian orientation together with current research findings. At Bushnell University, we view psychology as an exciting journey into the study of one of God’s greatest creations. The emphasis of the psychology major is to equip students with a strong foundation in psychological science.

Students in the Psychology online program will study the scientific study of biological, social, and psychological factors; apply psychology to everyday experiences; learn to read, think, and write critically; and consider psychological science from a Christian perspective.

With six starts a year and 24/7 access to your courses, you are able to maintain balance in your life and stay in control of your busy schedule.

• Courses start every 8 weeks
• Prior college, law enforcement, military training, and more may be accepted for credit towards your degree
• Convenient online delivery or can be combined with limited face-to-face courses one night a week in our small classroom setting
• Benefit from highly qualified faculty

Learning Objectives

Graduates of this program will:

1. Demonstrate a working knowledge base of psychology.
2. Demonstrate scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills.
3. Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological explanations and practices and adopt values that build community in a diverse world.
4. Demonstrate effective communication skills in a variety of formats.
5. Apply psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits.
6. Apply Christian faith to an understanding of psychological science.

Career Opportunities

Potential jobs with a bachelor’s degree in psychology include:

• Correctional treatment specialist
• Child-care worker
• Parole and probation officer
• Social and human service assistant
• Gerontology aide
• Research and grant writer
• Research assistant
• Public relations specialist

Potential careers with a graduate degree, licensure, and/or credentials include:

• Applied behavioral analysis
• Counseling
• Clinical psychology
• Social work
• Sport psychology
• Forensic psychology

Courses Within the Major

Statistical  Applications

This course presents an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics used in collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data as it relates to business or health care applications.

Human Development

This course investigates human development from conception through death. Topics include physical, cognitive, perceptual language, social, and moral development across the lifespan.

Psychology of Learning

This course is a survey of learning theories and applications to everyday experiences. Topics include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning.

Social Psychology

This course is a study of the social behavior of individuals and groups. Topics include conformity, social influence, conflict, justice, altruism, aggression, prejudice, and attitudes.

Research Methods

This course is an introduction to basic research design. Topics include ethical guidelines, experimental design, correlational design, sample selection, questionnaire construction, reliability and validity of measurements, and internal and external validity. Students design a research study, write an IRB proposal, and present findings in an APA-style research paper.

Cognition

A course about mental processes including perception, attention, memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision-making, and language.

Theories of Personality

A survey of historical and contemporary theories on personality. Major theoretical approaches include psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, dispositional, social, and humanistic-existential.

Biological Psychology

This course is designed to introduce students to neuroanatomy, brain mechanisms, and the physiological bases of behavior related to sensory systems, movement, sleep, learning, memory, and psychological disorders.

Abnormal Psychology

Psychopathology is examined from a biopsychosocial perspective. Students are introduced to the DSM-IV-TR. Topics include etiology, symptoms, and treatment of depressive, anxiety, somatoform, and dissociative disorders, as well as schizophrenia, substance-related and age-related disorders, and personality disorders.

Advanced Research Methods

Advanced study of research design, statistical analysis, and SPSS. Students will design a study (survey or questionnaire-based for online course), collect and analyze data, write an APA-style research paper, and prepare a poster presentation to faculty, staff, and students.

Senior Capstone

Students develop a written paper and oral presentation that reflects an area of interest and integrates a significant amount of their previous coursework. Limited to senior psychology majors.

Special Topics

Course topics/descriptions will vary.

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the nature of addiction, including progressive stages and the accompanying “system of denial,” the impact of chemical dependency/behavioral addiction on individual users, families and communities, and to explore prevention and intervention strategies and treatment resources.

Psychology of Religion

An introduction to empirical approaches in the study of religion from the psychological perspective that includes studying the developmental, psychobiological, and cultural influences that affect beliefs and behaviors. Further, the roles of religion in psychopathology and well-being will be discussed. The course will be taught using a scientific foundation to understand religion.

Introduction to Counseling Skills

This course is designed to introduce basic interviewing skills to students who anticipate future work in Christian ministry, teaching, counseling, or other related fields. While this course involves students’ practice of basic listening, empathy, and rapport-building skills, it is not intended to prepare students for clinical practice.

Internship

Internships provide students an opportunity to apply their classroom learning and gain practical experience in a counseling or social service agency in the community. Students are supervised by professionals in the field and average nine hours per week at their chosen site. Students should consult with their advisor during the semester prior to registration of internship credits.

All courses are subject to change.