About the Program
The B.S. degree in Psychological Science is designed for students interested in a more traditional path in psychology that is geared towards research-focused graduate studies and careers that would emphasize more advanced research training.
B.S. Honors in Psychology
Departmental honors are for students who are performing exceptionally well in their courses. The honors designation is an adjunct to the Psychological Science B.S. degree with an added emphasis on independent work, and requires that students conduct a comprehensive original research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. To be considered, students must have at least 24 credit hours in psychology from Buffalo State with a minimum GPA of 3.5, and a minimum GPA of 3.25 in all courses taken at Buffalo State. In addition to the required courses in the B.S. degree program, honors designation requires students to complete PSY 496 and PSY 498 (Honors Thesis I and II respectively). A 45-credit-hour sequence of psychology courses is required for a B.S. honors degree. Students should see their adviser no later than their junior year for more information about the honors option.
About the Psychology Department
A238 Buckham Hall
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 878-6215
Fax: (716) 878-6228
https://psychology.buffalostate.edu/
Admission Requirements
The student must complete PSY 350 Statistics in Psychological Research with a grade of B- or higher.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
1. demonstrate an understanding of the major historical schools of thought and approaches in psychology.
2. demonstrate mastery of APA technical report writing.
3. be prepared for careers related to psychology or graduate studies.
4. be able to select and critically evaluate existing literature in a given topic area of psychology.
5. demonstrate the ability to generate a scientific hypothesis in a given area of psychology.
6. demonstrate the rudimentary skills to design and implement research to test scientific hypotheses.
7. be able to apply appropriate statistical techniques for a given research design.
8. demonstrate the ability to apply valid conclusions based on topic area, hypothesis, review of literature, and study outcomes.
Program Requirements
General Education 23 Requirements
33 credit hours 33
Psychology Major Requirements (42 credit hours)
Required Courses (18 credit hours)
PSY 101 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 3
PSY 350 STATISTICS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 3
PSY 450 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS 3
PSY 471 HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY 3
PSY 472 SEMINAR ON PSYCHOLOGY 3
Select one from the following:
PSY 458 ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 488 INTERNSHIP (3-15)
PSY 495 SPECIAL PROJECT (1-3)
PSY 499 INDEPENDENT STUDY (3-12)
The prerequisite for all 300-level courses is PSY 101 with a grade of C or better unless otherwise noted.
Students must select one course from each of the following groups.
Biological/Cognitive Psychology
Select one of the following by advisement: 3
PSY 304 LEARNING: THEORY AND RESEARCH
PSY 308 SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
PSY 321 COMPARATIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
PSY 330 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER OF LANGUAGE
PSY 333 BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
PSY 340 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Clinical Psychology
Select one of the following by advisement: 3
PSY 392 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
PSY 393 ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 1
Applied Psychology and Diversity
Select one of the following by advisement: 3
PSY 365 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE
PSY 367 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
PSY 370 ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY I
PSY 375 FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 376 HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 381 PSYCHOLOGY OF CULTURE
PSY 383 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
PSY 387 PSYCHOLOGY OF GENDER
PSY 388 PSYCHOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING
Social/Personality Psychology
Select one of the following by advisement: 3
PSY 311 PERSONALITY: THEORY AND RESEARCH
PSY 325 SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Developmental Psychology
Select one of the following by advisement: 3
PSY 301 PERSPECTIVES ON CHILD ABUSE AND ADVOCACY
PSY 327 ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING I
PSY 355 LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 356 CHILD DEVELOPMENT
PSY 357 ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT DEVELOPMENT
Advanced Electives
Select three additional courses by advisement. At least two of these must be at the 400-level. 9
All College Electives
45 credit hours 45
Total Credit Hours 120
1
Prerequisite: PSY 101 Grade of C and 3 additional hours of psychology.