Psychology

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. The psychology program at SUNY Poly provides a broad coverage of the different subfields within the discipline, including neuroscience, clinical psychology, lifespan development, social psychology, and cognition. With an emphasis on empirical research, our classes focus on how emerging studies in psychology improve basic knowledge and provide practical applications to everyday life and real-world situations. The program in psychology leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.

Psychology and Sociology Club
The Psychology and Sociology Club is open to all interested students. The club sponsors lectures and discussions on current topics in psychology, graduate school and relevant employment. Over the years the club also has raised tremendous sums of money for local charities with its annual dinner dance. This club is perennially voted the campus Academic Club of the Year.

Psi Chi Honor Society
Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, recognizes outstanding academic achievement and promotes active student involvement in the field of psychology. The SUNY Poly chapter of Psi Chi received its charter in 1984. A program in psychology must meet high standards in academic requirements and faculty qualifications in order to qualify for a Psi Chi charter. Students with outstanding academic records and demonstrated commitment to psychology are eligible for membership.

Since 1993, our Psi Chi chapter has held an annual lecture in which we invite a psychologist of national repute to campus to share his/ her research and expertise. Psi Chi members get an opportunity to meet eminent scholars in the field.

Degree Requirements Overview
To earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in psychology, a student must satisfactorily complete at least 124 semester hours of college-level work, distributed as follows:

  • SUNY General Education Requirements that all students must take regardless of the SUNY school they attend (30 credits);
  • SUNY Poly degree requirements, which specify a second natural science, one of which must include a laboratory, and Upper Division Writing (8 credits)
  • Psychology Program Requirements (39-44 credits).
  • The New York State Education Department (SED) requires a student earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree to attain no fewer than 90 credits of combined SUNY General Education and Liberal Arts/Science courses. There may be overlap between courses meeting both the SUNY General Education Requirements and the Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements, but a student may receive course credits only once even if multiple requirements are satisfied by a single course. The total number of combined credit hours must be no fewer than 90 credits.
  • Satisfactory completion of at least 30 semester hours of upper division college work.
  • No more than 30 semester hours in professional courses outside the arts and sciences.
  • Achievement of at least 2.00 cumulative quality point average in coursework taken at SUNY Poly.
  • A grade of C or higher required in all core courses (PSY 100, PSY 310, PSY 493) and statistics.

I. SUNY General Education Requirements (30 credits)

All SUNY students must satisfy the following requirements.

No fewer than 30 credits must be attained from the SUNY approved General Education Course List with the following provisions:

  • Mathematics (MAT 111 or equivalent)
  • Basic Communication (ENG 101 or equivalent)

At least five (5) out of the following eight (8) SUNY General Education categories:

    • Natural Science
    • Social Science
    • American History
    • Western Civilization
    • Other World Civilization
    • Humanities
    • The Arts
    • Foreign Language

NOTE: You may take more than one course in a given category to complete this 30 credit hour requirement, but you must also take courses in 5 of the 8 categories.

Specific SUNY Poly degree requirements for Psychology majors include:

  • Natural Sciences: Two courses, at least one of which must involve a lab; one course can satisfy the SUNY General Education Requirements (above).
  • Upper Division Writing (COM 308).
  • Social Science Electives (Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Sociology): three courses; one can satisfy the SUNY General Education Requirements (above)
  • Statistics (STA 100, or equivalent, with a minimum grade of C)

Psychology Program Requirements

II. Program Requirements (39-44 credits)

All Psychology majors, regardless of which track they choose, will be required to complete the following core courses:

A. Core Courses 

  • A grade of C or better is required of Psychology majors in these core courses.
  • PSY 100 Principles of Psychology
  • PSY 310 Research Methods
  • PSY 493 Senior Seminar

Intermediate Coursework (two classes from each cluster below)

Clinical-Developmental-Social Cluster:

  • PSY 220: Life-Span Development
  • PSY 222: Abnormal Psychology
  • PSY 242: Social Psychology
  • PSY 331: Psychology of Personality

Cognitive-Evolutionary-Neuroscience Cluster:

  • PSY 262: Learning and Motivation
  • PSY 270: Cognitive Psychology
  • PSY 280: Evolutionary Psychology
  • PSY 355: Behavioral Neuroscience

Elective Upper-Division Coursework (16 credits, with a minimum of 12 credits at 400-level)