Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes and is traditionally a popular field of study. By the very nature of the profession, psychology is a service vocation. This fits well with Waldorf’s mission of preparing students for “lives of service.” A Bachelor’s degree in psychology prepares students to be well-rounded, educated individuals as it reflects many of the goals of a liberal arts education by providing a knowledge base, thinking skills, analytical reasoning, interpersonal skills, and ethical values. Psychology majors are prepared to pursue graduate and professional programs in psychology, where they could further specialize in a variety of areas in psychology including clinical, experimental, developmental, social, cognitive, human factors, sports, industrial/organizational, health, and forensics. They are also prepared for further education in areas such as medicine, law, social work, nursing, and ministry.
Some psychology majors directly enter the job market in positions related to psychology, including case managers, childcare workers, corrections or parole officers, mental health technicians, political campaign workers, public relations specialists, and social services workers. Others with Bachelor’s degrees find positions in jobs that at first glance do not seem directly related to psychology, such as advertising agents, college admissions officers, congressional aides, customer service representatives, human resources workers, law enforcement officers, insurance agents, marketing researchers, restaurant managers, public relations experts, and loan officers.
Given the vast array of career opportunities, students may find that psychology is a good complement to a number of other majors or minors offered at Waldorf, such as business, communications, criminal justice, education, wellness, humanities, history-political science, English, and theatre.
This program is available on campus only.
Degree Requirements
Review the complete list of core requirements for this program.
Psychology Major Requirements - 46.5 credits
For the major, students must complete the following:
- All of the psychology general foundation courses (16.5 credits)
- Select from the options in the content area foundation courses (12 credits)
- Take an additional 18 credits of psychology credits
| Prefix | Number | Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTH | 201 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| PSY | 100 | Orientation to Psychology | .5 |
| PSY | 111 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY | 360 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| PSY | 361 | Advanced Research Methods | 4 |
| PSY | 401 | Senior Capstone | 2 |
| Prefix | Number | Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1: Lifespan Development | |||
| PSY | 144 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| Area 2: Social Psychology | |||
| PSY | 222 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY | 232 | Close Relationships | 3 |
| Area 3: Cognitive Psychology | |||
| PSY | 311 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PSY | 310 | Principles of Learning | 3 |
| Area 4: Biological Psychology | |||
| PSY | 330 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| PSY | 332 | Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| Area 5: Individual Differences | |||
| PSY | 320 | Theories of Personality | 3 |
| PSY | 322 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
*The minimum of one course from four of the areas is required for II. Additional courses taken from this list are applied as PSY Electives (III).
| Prefix | Number | Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSY | N/A | Psychology Electives* | 18 |
*Students may choose to take up to 6 credits total of PSY 495 (internship) and/or PSY 496 (Research Practicum) to apply as PSY Electives.
Note: Students who declared psychology as their major prior to the 2015-2016 Waldorf Catalog are subject to the major requirements specified in the active catalog the semester they declared.
Psychology Minor - 22 Credits
For the minor, students must complete General Psychology, Introduction to Research Methods, Elementary Statistics, and 12 additional credits of psychology electives.
| Prefix | Number | Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTH | 201 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| PSY | 111 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY | 360 | Introduction to Statistics and Research Methods | 3 |
| PSY | N/A | Psychology Electives | 12 |
Suggested Curriculum
Semester I: 16 credits
- PSY 111: General Psychology, (3 cr.)
- English 120: Comp I, (3 cr.)
- PHIL 111: Critical Inquiry (3 cr.)
- General Electives, (6 cr.)
- HUM 110: Freshman Seminar (.5 cr.)
- Phy. Ed. Elective (.5 cr.)
Semester II: 16 credits
- Religion 103: Intro to Bib Lit (3 cr.)
- English 121: Comp II, (3 cr.)
- HUM 120: Artistic Expression (3 cr.)
- PHY 144: Human Growth & Dev. (3 cr.)
- General Elective, (3 cr.)
- Phy. Ed. Elective, (.5 cr.)
- PSY 100: Psychology Orientation (.5 cr)
Semester III: 16 credits
- Science Core Course (4 cr.)
- History Core Course (3 cr.)
- ENG 250: Exploring Lit., (3 cr.)
- Social Psychology Option (3 cr.)
- SPE111: Essence of Public Speaking (3 cr.)
Semester IV: 17 credits
- MTH 201: Statistics (4 cr.)
- Psychology Elective, (3 cr.)
- Religion Core Course, (3 cr.)
- Wellness 101: Concepts of Wellness (1 cr.)
- General Electives (6 cr.)
Semester V: 15 credits
- PSY 360: Intro to Research Methods (3 cr.)
- PSY 311: Cognitive Psychology Option (3 cr.)
- Individual Differences Option (3 cr.)
- General Electives (6 cr.)
Semester VI: 15 credits
- PSY 361: Advance Research Methods (4 cr.)
- Global Core Course (3 cr.)
- PSY 495: Internship (3 cr.)
- Psychology Electives (6 cr.)
Semester VII: 15 credits
- Biological Psychology Optoin (3 cr.)
- Psychology Elective (6 cr.)
- General Electives (6 cr.)
Semester VIII: 14 credits
- PSY 401: Senior Capstone (2 cr.)
- Senior Religion Core Course (3 cr.)
- Psychology Elective (3 cr.)
- General Elective (6 cr.)