Bachelor of Science in Psychology

Program Description/Overview

This program stresses an understanding and appreciation of societal interdependence, integrated health, and well-being as well as the development of a multicultural and global perspective. While emphasizing the transdisciplinary nature of learning, the program maintains the integrity and quality of a comprehensive psychology curriculum. This program includes a common core curriculum across behavioral health disciplines and strives to prepare students to enter the workforce and or to matriculate into a graduate program.

This program consists of 48 units of lower division general education courses, 12 units of lower division pre-requisite courses, and 60 units of upper division program courses.

Advisory Board

National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), CEO Cathryn Nacario, San Diego Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT), Director Dr. Mark Marvin, San Diego Police Department (SDPD), Chief Nisleit; San Diego Probation Department (SDP), Chief Littlejohn.

Program Learning Outcomes/Goals

Our learning outcomes reflect our standards and those of the American Psychological Association:

1. Demonstrate understanding and a capacity to apply key theoretical orientations, major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
2. Demonstrate the ability to devise and conduct meaningful, viable research utilizing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed designs.
3. Demonstrate orally and in writing the ability to discern, analyze and evaluate information utilizing sound logic.
4. Apply psychological theories and scientific principles learned in the classroom to real-world settings.
5. Value empirical evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a science.
6. Demonstrate technological literacy and synthesize information gained through using computer search engines, accessing university library websites, and running computer programs.
7. Demonstrate the ability to communicate both written and orally with appropriate language for the intended audience.
8. Recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of socio-cultural and international diversity.
9. Develop insight into their own and others’ behavior and mental processes and apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.
10. Pursue realistic ideas about how to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings that meet personal goals and societal needs.

Student Learning Goals

In conjunction with American Psychological Association (APA) competency benchmarks in Professional Psychology, and our Law Enforcement and Behavioral Health Partners:

1. Students will develop social (e.g., cultural competence, interpersonal), emotional (e.g., stress management and wellness), and cognitive skills (e.g., decision making and judgement) necessary to maintain very effective job performance.
2. Students will become the next generation of industry thought leaders to be at the forefront of Behavioral Health and Community Relations.
3. Students will build personal resilience and skills to enhance emotional regulation.
4. Students will learn how to promote wellness and work-life balance.
5. Students will develop capacity to recognize early warning signs and indications among peers and community members of behavioral health variations.
6. Students will acquire leadership skills that will provide them with enhanced opportunities for positive organizational development.

Training Model

This program offers comprehensive, trauma informed, ecologically focused and challenging courses taught from a transdisciplinary perspective. Using adult learning theory of andragogy (methods used to teach adults), students integrate their learning with past experiences and gain new insights, skills, and hands-on experiences with collaborative coursework, field placements, and research projects. With a focus on putting science into service, we encourage faculty supervised research development by having students participate in the writing, publication, and presentation of research in academic and community settings.

Professional Behavior Expectations/Ethical Guidelines

This program provides students a fundamental understanding and appreciation of societal interdependence as well as the development of multicultural and global perspectives. Considerable emphasize on the interdisciplinary nature of learning, trauma informed, and ecological perspectives are reinforced. The program maintains high standards of integrity, ethical grounding, and quality of a comprehensive and global curriculum.

Our core values driven by the APA ethical guidelines embrace an interdisciplinary approach toward providing students with the knowledge and skills they will need to apply their education and the ever-changing and complex real-world situations. Our core values are:

1. Facilitating integrative learning
2. Infusing transdisciplinary training
3. Planting the seeds of life-long learning
4. Establishing and maintaining sociocultural competencies
5. Advancing critical thinking skills
6. Providing opportunities for personal and social responsibility and growth
7. Incorporating the scientific method in understanding the interconnected complexities surrounding human conditions
8. Address social determinants of health
9. Develop and maintain wellbeing strategies
10. Imbuing trauma informed, ecological frameworks and integrated care into services and practices

Internship, Practicum, and/or Dissertation Information

An important component of this program is its nine-unit capstone sequence where students gain considerable practical training in two field placements (6 units). Students also gain research experience in their senior thesis course (3 units).

Credit Units

Total Credit Units: 120

Total Core Credit Units: 111

Total Elective Credit Units: 9

Total Concentration Credit Units: N/A

Prerequisite Courses

The courses below are prerequisites for the major:

• PSY20000 - Abnormal Functioning (3 units)  
• PSY20010 - Physiology Psychology (3 units)  
• PSY20020 - Introduction to Statistics (3 units)  
• PSY20040 - Introduction to Social Psychology (3 units)  

Elective Requirements

All students in this program complete interdisciplinary electives as part of the program requirement. The intention is for the students to learn and practice together across traditional disciplinary or professional boundaries when understanding and addressing challenging societal, community and individual issues.

Interdisciplinary areas of study include:

1. Clinical
2. Couple and Family Therapy
3. Criminal Justice Systems
4. Forensic

Coursework for each area are listed below.

Curriculum Plan

Recognizing the complexities within the field of Behavioral Health and Integrated Care, this program has incorporated into the curriculum several critical components needed for integration of knowledge into practice: trauma informed practices, an ecological framework, transdisciplinary approach, rigorous standards of academia, and evidenced-informed practices both in content and andragogy (e.g. interactive and self-directed methods rather than didactic seminars). Therefore, all upper division courses and some identified interdisciplinary courses are formatted as required two-course sequences (i.e., concurrent requisite). In each required two-course sequence, the two courses that must be taken together as described below. Registration in one of the two courses must happen in conjunction with the other course every time and in sequential terms. The corequisites, when applicable, are listed in the course descriptions. 

Additionally, students must pass PSY30000 - Introduction to Professional Practice (3 units)  in order to continue with the program.