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Psychology at Kent State Stark

Psychology - B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program applies the science of understanding and explaining thoughts, emotions and behavior to solving real-world problems, preparing you for graduate study or a wide range of career opportunities. With experienced faculty, hands-on learning opportunities and access to cutting-edge research facilities, you will gain the skills and knowledge needed to make an impact in the field.

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Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Students in the Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at 5X社区 apply the science of understanding and explaining thoughts, emotions and behavior to solving real-world problems. 

Program Information for Psychology - B.A.

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology prepares students to apply the science of understanding and explaining thoughts, emotions and behavior to solving real-world problems. Topics include stress, biological influences on behavior, growth and development of children and diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Elective courses may be used to specialize in a number of areas of psychology and gain hands-on experience in research labs. The degree prepares students for graduate school and employment in a range of fields, including clinical, applied and experimental areas of psychology and related fields such as education, law, human resources and health care.

The Psychology major includes the following optional concentrations:

  • The Child Psychology concentration is designed for students who are interested specifically in children and adolescents. Topics include child development, psychological disorders of childhood and adolescence, children's cognitive processes, personality development and child-related research experience. The concentration prepares students for graduate study and employment in a range of fields, including counseling for children, clinical psychology, school psychology and school counseling, and employment in settings such as child development centers and related agencies.
  • The Counseling Careers concentration is designed to prepare students for employment in a range of fields and master's-level study in all fields of counseling and clinical psychology. Topics include human adjustment, stress and coping, human development, personality, psychological disorders, treatment and intervention techniques, psychometrics, psychopharmacology and clinical or counseling-related research experience.

Students interested in other career paths within psychology may pursue the major without a concentration.

Students who wish to pursue the Ph.D. degree in or will want to plan their coursework and hands-on activities (research and internships) carefully to increase their chances of admission to the Ph.D. degree.

Admissions for Psychology - B.A.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Describe the basic theoretical perspectives, principles, concepts, empirical findings and historical trends of psychology.
  2. Understand and use fundamental data analysis techniques.
  3. Understand and apply basic research methods/tools in psychology and evaluate the adequacy of research designs.
  4. Write effectively in the discipline.
  5. Recognize, understand and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.

Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
PSYC 11762GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
PSYC 21621QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I 13
PSYC 31574RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) 3
Social/Personality Course
PSYC 31282PERSONALITY 3
or PSYC 31532 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Cognitive Psychology Course
PSYC 31141PERCEPTION 3
or PSYC 40445 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
or PSYC 40446 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning Course 2
PSYC 41043BASIC LEARNING PROCESSES 3
or PSYC 41363 BIOPSYCHOLOGY
Writing-Intensive Elective, choose from the following: 31-3
PSYC 41573
LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH: SOCIAL/CLINICAL (WIC)
PSYC 41574
LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH: COGNITIVE/LEARNING (WIC)
PSYC 41901
WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC)
PSYC 41980
RESEARCH WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY (WIC)
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below)10-16
43
6
3
46-9
40-3
6-7
3
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours)42
Additional Requirements or Concentrations
Choose from the following:18
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

Students in a double major with either Sociology or Criminology and Justice Studies may substitute SOC 32220 and SOC 32221 for PSYC 21621.

2

These courses are more advanced and recommended for juniors and seniors.

3

On the Kent Campus, students take PSYC 41980 — or one of the lab courses (PSYC 41573 or PSYC 41574) when offered — all of which have a pre/corequisite of PSYC 31574. Students on a regional campus should take PSYC 41901 and contact the course's instructor for further instructions; this course is often paired with an upper-division psychology course as a corequisite. That course cannot be any of the following: PSYC 31498, PSYC 41496PSYC 41573, PSYC 41574 or PSYC 41993. A minimum C grade must be earned in one course to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

4

If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.

Additional Requirements for Students Not Declaring a Concentration

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
Developmental Course
PSYC 20651CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
or PSYC 30651 ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
or PSYC 30656 PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING
Clinical/Counseling Course
PSYC 21211PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS) 3
or PSYC 40111 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
19
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
3
Minimum Total Credit Hours:18
1

A maximum 6 credit hours of PSYC 31498, PSYC 41492 and PSYC 41496 combined may be applied toward major requirements in psychology.

Child Psychology Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
PSYC 20651CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
Clinical/Counseling Course
PSYC 21211PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS) 3
or PSYC 40111 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:12
PSYC 30651
ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 30652
SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
PSYC 30655
CHILDREN'S THINKING
PSYC 40112
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
PSYC 40382
PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 41395
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 1
Minimum Total Credit Hours:18
1

A maximum 9 credit hours of PSYC 41395 may be applied toward concentration requirements.

Counseling Careers Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
PSYC 21211PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS) 3
PSYC 40111PSYCHOPATHOLOGY 3
PSYC 40231PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT 3
PSYC 40383INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 3
Developmental Course
PSYC 20651CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
or PSYC 30651 ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
or PSYC 30656 PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING
Concentration Elective, choose from the following:3
PSYC 30111
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 30651
ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 30655
CHILDREN'S THINKING
PSYC 40112
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
PSYC 40382
PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 41364
DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
PSYC 41581
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 41595
SPECIAL TOPICS IN COUNSELING CAREERS
Minimum Total Credit Hours:18

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.000 2.000

Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree* in the College of Sciences and Humanities must complete the following:

  1. Elementary I and II of any language (or equivalent) and
  2. One of the following options:
    1. Intermediate I and II of the same language
    2. Elementary I and II of a second language
    3. Any combination of two courses from the following list:
      1. Intermediate I of the same language
      2. One to two college-level course(s) completed outside the United States
      3. Courses: ARAB 21401, ASL 19401, CHIN 25421, MCLS 10001, MCLS 20001, MCLS 20091, MCLS 21417, MCLS 21420, MCLS 22217, MCLS 28403, MCLS 28404

*The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies is exempt from the foreign language requirement until fall 2028 due to its previous longstanding academic placement in the College of Communication and Information, which does not have a foreign language requirement.

All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer courses. This may be accomplished in one of three ways:

  1. Passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level
  2. Receiving credit through one of the offered by 5X社区
  3. Demonstrating comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language

Certain programs may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need a particular language proficiency.

Roadmaps

Roadmaps

Psychology Major (No Concentration)

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
!PSYC 11762 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
Clinical/Counseling or Developmental Course 3
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Three
PSYC 21621 QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
American Civic Literacy Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Four
PSYC 31574 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) 3
Clinical/Counseling or Developmental Course 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Five
Social/Personality Course 3
Psychology (PSYC) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
Writing-Intensive Elective 1-3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Six
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Electives 8
 Credit Hours14
Semester Seven
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
Psychology (PSYC) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
Psychology (PSYC) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
General Electives 12
 Credit Hours15
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120

Child Psychology Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
!PSYC 11762 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
PSYC 20651 CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Three
PSYC 21621 QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
American Civic Literacy Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Four
PSYC 31574 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) 3
Clinical/Counseling or Social/Personality Course 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Five
Clinical/Counseling or Social/Personality Course 3
Concentration Elective 3
Writing-Intensive Elective 1-3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Electives 5
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
Concentration Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Electives 6
 Credit Hours15
Semester Seven
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
Concentration Elective 3
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
Concentration Elective 3
General Electives 12
 Credit Hours15
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120

Counseling Careers Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
!PSYC 11762 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
PSYC 21211
or PSYC 40111
PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS)
or PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
3
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Composition 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Three
PSYC 21211
or PSYC 40111
PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS)
or PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
3
PSYC 21621 QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
American Civic Literacy Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Four
PSYC 31574 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (ELR) 3
Developmental or Social/Personality Course 3
Foreign Language and/or General Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Five
Developmental or Social/Personality Course 3
Writing-Intensive Elective 1-3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Electives 8
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
PSYC 40383 INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 3
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
Concentration Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Seven
PSYC 40231 PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT 3
Behavioral Neuroscience/Learning or Cognitive Psychology Course 3
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
General Electives 15
 Credit Hours15
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120

Program Delivery

  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Ashtabula Campus
    • East Liverpool Campus
    • Geauga Campus
    • Kent Campus
    • Salem Campus
    • Stark Campus
    • Trumbull Campus
    • Tuscarawas Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Psychology - B.A.

Those who complete the Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at 5X社区 can benefit from specialized career opportunities in the psychology field.

Clinical and counseling psychologists

11.2%

much faster than the average

76,300

number of jobs

$95,830

potential earnings

Human resources specialists

6.2%

faster than the average

944,300

number of jobs

$72,910

potential earnings

Industrial-organizational psychologists

6.3%

faster than the average

5,600

number of jobs

$109,840

potential earnings

Market research analysts and marketing specialists

6.7%

faster than the average

941,700

number of jobs

$76,950

potential earnings

Marriage and family therapists

12.6%

much faster than the average

77,800

number of jobs

$63,780

potential earnings

Psychologists, all other

4.3%

about as fast as the average

55,300

number of jobs

$117,580

potential earnings

Psychology teachers, postsecondary

3.6%

about as fast as the average

52,500

number of jobs

$80,330

potential earnings

School psychologists

0.7%

little or no change

67,200

number of jobs

$86,930

potential earnings

Social science research assistants

4.4%

about as fast as the average

40,600

number of jobs

$58,040

potential earnings

Survey researchers

-5.2%

decline

8,800

number of jobs

$63,380

potential earnings

Therapists, all other

11.5%

much faster than the average

56,100

number of jobs

$65,010

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.