UG.BA.PSYCH - Bachelor of Arts - Psychology

Human psychology is the result of biological, developmental, emotional, cognitive, and social processes. Psychologists study these processes through the application of the scientific method and apply their findings to better understand human behavior.

While lecture and reading assignments are part of every course, faculty in the department encourage students to be active participants in learning through laboratory and case study projects. The four junior/senior capstone courses are practicums emphasizing the integration and application of theory and concepts, ethics, oral and written communication, and research methodology.

Cal Lutheran’s Psychology Department has a chapter of Psi Chi, an international honor society for psychology majors, and each year several of our students receive support to present their research projects at regional and national conferences.

The bachelor’s degree in psychology is excellent preparation for graduate work in psychology, law and business. With a bachelor’s degree, employment opportunities can be found in psychiatric rehabilitation programs, as research assistants and in the business world. Those with master’s degrees may work in clinics and institutions, teach at a two-year college or work as school psychologists and counselors. For some clinical and research work, a doctorate is required.

Emphasis Area Options

Because psychology may be applied to a wide range of human endeavors, students may add an emphasis area to the B.A. or B.S. to increase their marketability at graduation. Students select courses from an approved list of interdisciplinary courses to complete one of the following emphasis areas: Behavioral/Clinical Applications, Business/Organizational Applications, Family and Child Development, Health and Wellness Applications, Law and Criminal Behavior Applications, Psychobiology, Sports Psychology Applications.