Psychology – BS

Program Overview:

The study of psychology at The College of Saint Rose offers students the opportunity to develop a fundamental knowledge of the discipline of psychology as a science including its modes of inquiry and major schools of thought. As an integral part of a liberal arts education, emphasis is on the holistic appreciation of the human being through an understanding of the interactions among cognitive, social, emotional, and biological factors. In its eclectic emphasis, the Psychology program prepares students to pursue graduate study in a variety of fields such as psychology, business, counseling, social work, or women’s and gender studies. The major also prepares students to enter careers in human services, business and industry.

Program Contacts:

To email the Department Chair,  

Robert Flint, Psychology

Program Webpage:

Psychology, BS

Program Requirements:

Major in Psychology (52 credits)

Core Courses (22 credits)

Psychology as an empirical science (one must be a 4-credit lab course)

Choose from:

Psychology as a social-developmental science (6 credits)

choose from:

Psychology as an applied-clinical science (6 credits)

Choose from:

Psychology electives - any additional 11 credits in PSY.

Students in the Psychology major may wish to explore and emphasize particular areas of interest.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in every course required for the major. Except in special cases where a student receives written approval from the department chairperson based on a decision made by the members of the full-time psychology department faculty, no student may repeat a course offered by the psychology department more than once. Two failures of a core course will result in dismissal from the major. Majors may not take courses required for the major (except internships) on a pass/fail basis. Once having declared the Psychology major, students must satisfy all remaining core, distribution and other courses applicable to the major at The College of Saint Rose. The department does not allow students to replace courses offered by the department with Independent Studies.

Students wishing to complete internships must have junior or senior standing, a minimum cumulative Psychology GPA of 3.0 and a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0. In addition, students must obtain the consent of the Psychology department prior to registration for the internship.

The Department of Psychology is pleased to offer research honors to students who demonstrate excellence in academic and research activities. For the requirements of this program, please refer to the Research Honors section of this catalog

Concentrations Offered Within the Psychology Major

The Psychology Department offers concentrations in Health Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Clinical/Counseling Psychology, and Human Development. The concentrations are designed to allow Psychology majors to pursue specialized interests while completing foundational courses in the major. The concentrations allow students to focus on specific topics and may help to prepare students for entry-level careers or for graduate study in specific areas within psychology or related disciplines.

Health Psychology Concentration (26 credits)

The Health Psychology concentration is designed to provide students with an understanding of psychological factors involved in health. Most students who desire to pursue a career in health psychology will need to pursue a graduate degree. Thus, the following courses are designed to prepare students for further study in health psychology.

As an applied area of psychology, an understanding of health psychology draws upon many of the basic areas within psychology. The required courses below are designed to provide students with exposure to many of these basic areas. Additionally, students are encouraged to take many of the courses from the strongly recommended list as they also relate to health psychology.

Choose one of the following:

Strongly recommended courses for Health Psychology concentrators:

Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration (33 credits)

The Behavioral Neuroscience concentration is a multidisciplinary focus on the relationships between brain and behavior. Students will be required to successfully complete courses from the Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry departments. These courses will help students to develop a firm understanding of the neurobiology of the nervous system and its relationship to a wide variety of normal and abnormal behaviors. Successful completion of this concentration will prepare students for graduate study in psychology, neuroscience, or related disciplines.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Concentration (24 credits)

The Industrial/Organizational Psychology concentration is an interdisciplinary concentration that combines courses from psychology and business in order to prepare students for careers or graduate study in these areas. Students will be required to successfully complete a set of courses that focuses on understanding human behavior as it is applicable to individual and group environments. Both theoretical and practical understandings of these issues will be required, and students will develop an understanding of employer, employee, and consumer dynamics and how to empirically examine issues of relevance in these core groups. Successful completion of this concentration will prepare students for entry-level careers in business and human resources, and for graduate school in industrial and organizational psychology.

Strongly recommended courses for Industrial/Organizational concentrators:

Clinical/Counseling Concentration (31 credits)

The Clinical/Counseling concentration focuses on courses that relate to mental health. Therapeutic approaches and perspectives are emphasized. Successful completion of this concentration will prepare students for entry-level careers in human services and the helping professions, as well as graduate study in clinical or counseling psychology.

Strongly recommended for Clinical/Counseling concentrators:

Human Development Concentration (24 credits)

The Human Development concentration focuses on courses that relate to the life cycle. Multiple approaches to life-span development are emphasized. The concentration prepares students to pursue graduate study in developmental psychology and related fields, as well as enter careers in the helping professions and human services

School of Mathematics & Sciences Research Honors Concentration

In order to promote undergraduate research within The College of Saint Rose, the School of Mathematics & Sciences has created a research honors concentration program.

The School recognizes that what constitutes research may vary considerably across disciplines. The descriptions listed below represent the accepted definitions of research within the School of Mathematics & Sciences for individual departments currently offering research honors:

1. Empirical examination of one or more hypotheses using research protocols and experimental designs appropriate to the student’s discipline. (Criminal Justice, Behavior and Law, Physical and Biological Sciences, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology)
2. Robust exploratory examination of an advanced Computer Science topic (e.g. programming, design, analysis, simulation) following a traditional research trajectory and/or requiring implementation of a large-scale programming project. (Computer Science)
3. In depth critical or theoretical examination of the literature on an unresolved issue in the field. (Criminal Justice, Behavior and Law, Social Work, Sociology)
4. Qualitative examination using research protocols and designs appropriate to the student’s discipline. (Criminal Justice, Behavior and Law, Social Work, Sociology)
5. Qualitative or deconstructive research that challenges a discipline’s orthodoxy or grand narrative. (Social Work)

Procedural Details:

1. Students interested in pursuing research honors and who have achieved at least a B average at Saint Rose, must file an “Intent to Pursue Research Honors Concentration” document with the Dean of Mathematics & Sciences, accompanied by a letter of support from a faculty member within the major, and sign up for Research Honors Concentration Candidacy in Mathematics & Sciences for their major at the academic advising office. This concentration will appear on their academic progress report and academic transcript as “Research Honors in Mathematics and Sciences – Department of Psychology.”
2. Students must select a primary research advisor within their major who agrees to oversee the student’s progress toward Research Honors.
3. Students must complete the research requirements for honors established for their major as indicated in the course catalog, and maintain an average of B or higher in these traditionally graded courses.
4. At the time of graduation, students must have a minimum overall average of B and must meet or exceed the minimum GPA for research honors within their major as established by their department.
5. At the conclusion of the research honors requirements, students will submit a thesis in a format appropriate for a scholarly journal within their discipline. Copies of the final thesis will be kept on file in the School of Mathematics & Sciences and in the Neil Hellman Library.

Psychology

In addition to the general requirements for the research honors concentration described above, students pursuing research honors in the Department of Psychology must also meet the criteria described below.

1. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 in Psychology at the time of graduation.
2. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each of the required courses for research honors listed below:

   PSY 295 Research Methods and Statistics I

   PSY 299 Research Methods and Statistics II

   PSY 493 Independent Research I

   PSY 494 Independent Research II

   PSY 495 Directed Research (minimum of 3 credits)

   PSY 498 Senior Seminar: Research in Psychology 

PSY 497L/498L Senior Seminar Lab

Students interested in pursuing research honors should consult the Research Honors and Independent Research Guide which may be found online at the Department of Psychology web site. This manual contains a detailed list of the requirements for research honors as well as important documents and sample timelines for PSY 493 and PSY 494.

Internship/Field Experiences/Service:

Internships

Internship experience is particularly important for some of the more applied fields within Psychology such as clinical, counseling, forensic, and industrial/organizational psychology. In order to be eligible for an internship, the Department of Psychology requires students to have junior or senior level standing, an overall GPA of 3.0, and a Psychology GPA of 3.0. Once these requirements are met, students may arrange internships for 1 to 6 credit hours. Some of the internship sites where our students have been recently placed are listed below.

• Albany Medical College, Department of Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience
• Albany Medical College, Department of Psychiatry
• Albany Medical College, Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit
• Community Hospice of Albany County at St. Peter's Hospital
• East Greenbush Schools
• Ford Eddy Rehabilitation Facility
• Green County Long Term Care Facility
• Human Resource Associates
• New York State Police
• Orange Regional Medical Center
• Parsons Family Child Center
• Samaritans Suicide Prevention Hotline
• St. Anne's Institute
• St. Peter's Hospital Pediatrics Ward
• St. Peter's Hospital Alcohol Rehabilitation Center

Professional Accreditation:

The College of Saint Rose, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province, is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. All of its degrees and programs are registered and its professional programs fully approved by the Board of Regents through the New York State Education Department.

The College of Saint Rose is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000) The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. http://www.msche.org

Minor(s):

• Psychology Minor
• Business Administration Minor for Psychology Majors
• Public Health Minor

Complete minors listing

Admissions and Financial Aid Information:

The Undergraduate Admissions Office begins review of Freshman applications each fall in late September for the following Fall. Students are encouraged to submit a complete an application as early as November. The Admissions Team will return a decision on complete applications within just three weeks. The College awards academic scholarships at the same time.

What Makes an Application Complete

• Online or Paper application (fee waived for online applicants!)
• Official High School Transcripts
• Official Transcripts for any College Level Courses
• SAT or ACT scores  (See Test Optional FAQ's)
• Letter of Recommendation from a Counselor or Teacher
• Essay or Graded Paper
• Applicants may also apply via the Common Application Online.
• Art applicants are required to complete a portfolio review.

Admissions contact information (telephone number, admissions web pages)

Scholarships and Financial Aid

See Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid section for more information.

The Bottom Line

The total cost of The College of Saint Rose (including tuition, fees, room and board) is one of the lowest of any private college in the Northeast, and we still award more than $25 million in Saint Rose scholarships, grants and financial aid.

Take a look at our bottom line, and view a cost comparison with a four-year public institution.

More about Financial Aid

Financial Aid is defined as any grant, scholarship, loan, or employment opportunity given with the express purpose of assisting you with education-related expenses to make you education affordable. Financial Aid is awarded on the basis of student need and the availability of funds.

The Admission and Financial Aid teams have designed a Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid to help prospective students and families get to the bottom line and find that The College of Saint Rose is one of the lowest of any private college in the Northeast--while maintaining powerful academic opportunities.

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