Program Overview

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Psychology Bachelor of Science Degree

Overview

The Psychology Bachelor of Science degree provides a scientific study of the brain paired with a focus on observing, experimenting, and analyzing the mind to understand what drives human behavior.

Why Pursue a BS in Psychology at RIT?

• Five Dynamic Tracks: Choose two of the following interdisciplinary tracks: biopsychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, visual perception.
• Hands-On Experience: Gain real-world, paid career experience through a co-op that will ultimately set you apart from the competition.
• Opportunity for Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree: Earn a BS in Psychology paired with an MS in Artificial Intelligence, Experimental Psychology, or Sustainable Systems in as little as five years.

Psychology Degree Plan of Study

Majoring in psychology at RIT is unique and encompasses four key elements: a choice of upper-level interdisciplinary tracks, a solid grounding in experimental methodology and statistics, the capstone sequence of courses, and a required cooperative education, internship, or research experience.

Psychology BS Interdisciplinary Tracks

• Biopsychology
• Clinical psychology
• Cognitive psychology
• Social psychology
• Visual perception

Careers in Psychology

The unique requirements of the psychology BS ensure that you are well-prepared for advanced study in psychology or a related field, employment in industry or in human service agencies, or other career opportunities.

RIT’s Pre-Law Program

Law schools welcome applications from students majoring in a wide range of academic programs. RIT’s pre-law program will help you navigate the admission process for law school, explore a range of legal careers, and guide you through course selection to ensure you build the skills and competencies required of competitive law school applicants.

Furthering Your Career in Psychology

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

• Psychology BS/Artificial Intelligence MS
• Psychology BS/Experimental Psychology MS
• Psychology BS/Sustainable Systems MS
• +1 MBA

3+3 Accelerated BS/JD Programs

RIT has partnered with Syracuse University’s College of Law and University at Buffalo School of Law to offer accelerated 3+3 BS/JD options for highly capable students.

RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs

4+1 programs enable you to earn your bachelor’s degree at RIT and a master’s degree in education at one of our partner universities.

Curriculum for Psychology BS

First Year

• PSYC-101: Introduction to Psychology
• STAT-145: Introduction to Statistics I
• STAT-146: Introduction to Statistics II
• YOPS-10: RIT 365: RIT Connections
• General Education – Artistic Perspective
• General Education – Ethical Perspective
• General Education – First-Year Writing (WI)
• General Education – Elective
• Open Elective
• Psychology Breadth Course
• Psychology Pre-track Course

Second Year

• BIOG-101: Explorations in Cellular Biology and Evolution
• BIOG-103: Explorations in Cell Biology & Evolution Lab
• BIOG-102: Explorations in Animal and Plant Anatomy and Physiology
• BIOG-104: Explorations in Animal & Plant Anatomy & Physiology Lab
• PSYC-250: Research Methods I (WI-PR)
• PSYC-251: Research Methods II (WI-PR)
• General Education – Global Perspective
• General Education – Social Perspective
• General Education – Elective
• Psychology Breadth Course
• Psychology Pre-track Courses

Third Year

• PSYC-301: Junior Seminar in Psychology
• PSYC-501: Senior Capstone Proposal
• General Education – Electives
• General Education – Immersions 1, 2, 3
• Psychology Breadth Course
• Psychology Track Courses

Fourth Year

• PSYC-502: Seminar in Psychology
• PSYC-510: Senior Project in Psychology
• General Education – Electives
• Open Electives
• Psychology Track Course

Pre-Track Courses

• PSYC-221: Psychological Disorders
• PSYC-222: Biopsychology
• PSYC-223: Cognitive Psychology
• PSYC-224: Perception
• PSYC-225: Social Psychology
• PSYC-226: Developmental Psychology

Breadth Courses

• PSYC-231: Death and Dying
• PSYC-234: Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• PSYC-235: Learning and Behavior
• PSYC-236: Personality
• PSYC-237: Psychology of Women
• PSYC-238: Psychology of Religion
• PSYC-239: Positive Psychology
• PSYC-240: Human Sexuality
• PSYC-241: Health Psychology
• PSYC-242: Cultural Psychology
• PSYC-300: Topics in Psychology
• PSYC-302: Foundational Counseling Skills
• PSYC-313: Forensic Psychology

Tracks

Biopsychology

• PSYC-410: Psychophysiology
• PSYC-411: Psychopharmacology
• PSYC-412: Biological Bases of Mental Disorders

Clinical Psychology

• PSYC-420: Clinical Psychology
• PSYC-421: Psychological Testing
• PSYC-422: Psychotherapy

Cognitive Psychology

• PSYC-430: Memory and Attention
• PSYC-431: Language and Thought
• PSYC-432: Decision Making, Judgment, and Problem Solving

Developmental Psychology

• PSYC-460: Developmental Psychopathology
• PSYC-461: Social and Emotional Development
• PSYC-462: Cognitive and Perceptual Development

Social Psychology

• PSYC-440: Interpersonal Relationships
• PSYC-441: Group Processes
• PSYC-442: Attitudes and Social Cognition

Visual Perception

• PSYC-450: Visual System & Psychophysics
• PSYC-451: Color, Form & Object Perception
• PSYC-452: Depth, Motion & Space Perception

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Psychology, BS degree/Experimental Psychology (Thesis Track), MS degree

• PSYC-640: Graduate Statistics
• PSYC-751: Graduate Research Seminar
• PSYC-752: Thesis Proposal
• PSYC-753: Thesis

Psychology, BS degree/Experimental Psychology (Non-Thesis Track), MS degree

• PSYC-640: Graduate Statistics
• PSYC-751: Graduate Research Seminar
• PSYC-754: Graduate Psychology Capstone

Psychology, BS degree/Artificial Intelligence, MS degree

• IDAI-610: Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence
• IDAI-620: Mathematical Methods for Artificial Intelligence
• IDAI-700: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
• IDAI-710: Fundamentals of Machine Learning
• IDAI-720: Research Methods for Artificial Intelligence
• IDAI-780: Capstone Project

Psychology, BS degree/Sustainable Systems, MS degree

• ISUS-702: Fundamentals of Sustainability Science
• ISUS-706: Economics of Sustainable Systems
• ISUS-806: Risk Analysis
• ISUS-704: Industrial Ecology
• ISUS-808: Multicriteria Sustainable Systems
• PUBL-810: Technology, Policy, and Sustainability

Admissions and Financial Aid

First-Year Admission

• 4 years of English with a strong performance is expected.
• 3 years of social studies and/or history with a strong performance is expected.
• 3 years of math is required and must include algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/trigonometry.
• 2-3 years of science.

Transfer Admission

• A minimum of college algebra is required.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

• 100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.

Faculty

• Joseph Baschnagel
• Caroline DeLong

Research

Faculty in the department of psychology focus their research on a wide variety of topics across the discipline.

Facilities

• Child Study Center and Social Development Lab
• Family Health and Justice Lab, a CPSI CoLAB
• Comparative Cognition and Perception Lab

Events

• Donuts with the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts

Related News

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• Fall semester brings plentiful opportunities for international exchanges
• RIT undergraduate student team qualifies for First Nations High Power Rocket Launch

Contact

• Heather Roth
• Assistant Director of Recruitment and Retention Outreach
• Dean’s Office
• College of Liberal Arts
• 585‑475‑5456
• hrroth@rit.edu