Are you curious about people? Turn your curiosity into a career. Learn why we behave the way we do, how we learn, how we manage conflict, and how our emotions function. Learn how to influence behavior as you lay the foundation for a career in people-oriented professions like counseling, market research, laboratory work, social services, or teaching.
Prepare for a wide variety of career options helping others. Ask us about completing work toward a bachelor of science degree in psychology in just three years.
Internships
Gain experience and confidence working with people through internships and practicums. Opportunities include community health and counseling, child development, behavior modification/autism treatment, social work, hospital chaplaincy, and more.
Research
Engage with professionals in the field. Attend and present at research conferences like the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), ILLOWA, and others.
Why GU
Faith perspective. Science does not fully explain or measure the human experience. Explore the mysteries of consciousness and behavior with professors and peers who acknowledge human nature as God-designed.
Career preparation. Cap off your studies by developing a personal vocational mission statement, presenting a portfolio of related work, and preparing for job interviews.
Psi Chi. Join the psychology honor society to take part in events and networking with peers, faculty, and guest speakers.
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Success Stories
I decided to come to GU because I love the community here. I was surrounded by great people that really invested in me and always pushed me to be greater than I formerly was.
-Johnny Milabu
Psychology, BS Course Requirements
Visit the Online Catalog for an explanation of graduation requirements.
Psychology, BS Courses
This course introduces psychology as a science and emphasizes the interaction of social, cognitive, emotional, motivational, and organizational approaches to understanding human behavior. All students participate in a service learning experience in which they apply course concepts in real world situations and organizations. Discussions within this class include Christian perspectives on current issues in human behavior, cognition, and motivation.
This course introduces students to common social and behavioral science research methods used in psychological experimentation. Students will learn to design and conduct basic experiments, use the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for data analysis, and develop valuable writing and presentation skills.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101 and PSYC 202.
This course will examine a range of topics at the intersection of culture and psychology, and will empower students to recognize and analyze how culture informs our outlook and behavior. Students will learn to critically examine their own outlook and behaviors, as well as those of others, in order to enact positive changes. Knowledge gained in this course can be applied to enhance students personal relationships and to increase their effectiveness in professions that deal with a culturally diverse public. Meets the general education global foundations requirement.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
This course introduces students to the major schools of theory in the field of Personality Psychology. Research on the physiological processes that underlie the phenomenon of personality with also be addressed. Students discuss the assumptions of each orientation; each student clarifies his or her own value system and foundation in faith with respect to the theories covered. A comprehensive model of personality is created by students. Meets the general education upper divisions writing intensive requirement.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
The history of psychology is traced from origins in Western philosophy to its present position among the sciences. Students develop a firm grasp of the major contributors to psychology and the key schools of thought within the field of psychology. Meets the general education upper division writing intensive requirement.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
This course explores theological and ethical issues in the field of Psychology and facilitates students' professional development and career planning. Students refine vocational goals, apply Christian principles to their vocational calling, and prepare to transition to the next phase of their lives.
Course content focuses upon basic concepts and operations in descriptive and inferential statistics. The areas of study will include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, correlation and regression analysis, parametric (t-tests and ANOVA) and non-parametric (chi-square) tests of significance. A basic introduction to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software is provided. Cross listed with SCWK 202. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Course content focuses upon basic concepts and operations in descriptive and inferential statistics. The areas of study will include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, correlation and regression analysis, parametric (t-tests and ANOVA) and non-parametric (chi-square) tests of significance. A basic introduction to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software is provided. Cross listed with PSYC 202. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement. (Offered every semester.)
This course examines human life from the prenatal period to adolescence. Theoretical and empirical investigations explore the process of development and influences of parenting, peer group, environment enrichment or impoverishment and culturally shaped social resources.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course examines the transitional years of human development from puberty to early adulthood. Emphasis is on developmental tasks and choices through which adolescents ask the big questions about life, and develop their identity and sense of self-efficacy.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course investigates the spiritual, mental, physical, social, and professional aspects of adult life. The course provides resources for becoming more successful citizens of an aging and changing information society, and presents an overview of adult development theory and what it means to age successfully.
This course will acquaint students with the major themes, theories and theorists in the field of human lifespan developmental psychology. Lifespan development is the scientific study of human development from conception to death. This course focuses on biological, cognitive, social, emotional, cultural, and religious aspects of human development, and aims to help students gain an understanding of human development across the lifespan.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course examines human life from the prenatal period to adolescence. Theoretical and empirical investigations explore the process of development and influences of parenting, peer group, environment enrichment or impoverishment and culturally shaped social resources.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course examines the transitional years of human development from puberty to early adulthood. Emphasis is on developmental tasks and choices through which adolescents ask the big questions about life, and develop their identity and sense of self-efficacy.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course investigates the spiritual, mental, physical, social, and professional aspects of adult life. The course provides resources for becoming more successful citizens of an aging and changing information society, and presents an overview of adult development theory and what it means to age successfully.
This course will acquaint students with the major themes, theories and theorists in the field of human lifespan developmental psychology. Lifespan development is the scientific study of human development from conception to death. This course focuses on biological, cognitive, social, emotional, cultural, and religious aspects of human development, and aims to help students gain an understanding of human development across the lifespan.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course examines leadership and group behavior in organizational settings. Featured topics include group development, group dynamics, morale, motivation, decision-making, leadership skills and style, and use of power within organizational settings. Cross listed wuth BUSN 240. (Offered fall semester of odd calendar years.)
Group Dynamics is designed to provide students with the ability to evaluate, coordinate, and manage groups within an organizational setting. In order to assist students in the acquisition and practice of these skills, the course incorporates theory and practical application into the classroom setting. Students are encouraged to critically question and evaluate new concepts based on their professional experience.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
A study of intimate relationships, marriage, family and contributing support systems. Includes historical overview and contemporary presentations. Emphasis is placed on multifactor understanding of relational/family health. Combines theoretical perspectives from sociology, psychology, anthropology and theology. Parenting, financial pressures, intra-family communication and family formation are examined.
Prerequisites: SOCI 101, 112, or PSYC 101. (Offered spring semester.)
This course presents an introduction to Social Psychology by exploring theories and research related to social perceptions, social influence, and social relations. Major topics to be covered in the course include, but are not limited to, social influence processes, interpersonal attraction, group behavior, aggression, conformity, and attitude formation and change. Students will further explore these topics by designing and conducting a social psychological research project. Cross listed with SOC304.
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 202, and PSYC 210. Cross-Listed as: SOCI 304.
Major theories, concepts, issues, and research methodologies in the study of the psychology of religion are examined in this course. Classic and contemporary views of religious experience are examined, as well as the relationship between current psychodynamic theories and the experience of faith.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
This course explores current "best practices" in clinical service within related fields of health science. Students explore quality management criteria, parameters of patient satisfaction, employee management, and community/agency communication patterns that support excellence in patient care. Familiarity with reporting structures for health service facilities within the student's own state will be included in topics of discussion for this course.
Current theories of psychological counseling and the techniques commonly used in therapy are the basis for this course. Students engage in structured peer-counseling in order to practice beginning counseling skills and to develop a personal counseling style. Special emphasis is given to examining how faith and values influence the theory and practice of counseling.
Prerequisite: PSYC 310
This course will explore the multiple dimensions of grief by familiarizing students with dynamics of loss, bereavement, and normal and atypical/pathological grief. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the dynamics and process of loss and grief, as well as theories of recovery including the role of spirituality (ie., faith), and on developing some basic counseling skills for dealing with grief and loss.
Prerequisite: PSYC 315 or SCWK 310.
In this course students will be introduced to the field of Health Psychology through an exploration of the physiological basis of energy regulation through diet, exercise, and lifestyle management. Contemporary research on self-regulation and motivated cognition, research from neuropsychology, positive psychology, and emerging trends in biophysical information processing are included in the projects students undertake to map their own self-regulatory health behaviors.
Theoretical and empirical findings in the fields of motivation and emotion are integrated with recent physiological findings in these areas. The psychological and physiological processes involved in sleep, hunger, thirst, arousal, hormonal balance, response to stressful conditions, etc. are included in the course. To improve their lives, students develop their own self-selected personal motivational plans which are grounded in empirical research.
Prerequisite: PSYC 210
Theoretical perspectives covered in this course include psychology, anthropology, economics, marketing, and sociology. Students examine how consumers move through decision processes from awareness to trial and brand loyalty. The course emphasizes the forming of a consumer profile that describes the typical person who purchases a product or service, with particular emphasis on the psychographic and demographic characteristics of the consumer. Cross listed with MRKT 332.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course will cover basic skills of working with individuals who require interventions because of a mental health diagnosis. Students will become familiar with mental health diagnoses as they exist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association; issues regarding clients who are prescribed psychotropic medications to treat those diagnoses; and roles of social workers and counselors in providing services to those clients and their families. Cross-listed with SCWK 340.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or SCWK 205.
This course introduces abnormal behavior and addresses the different perspectives regarding what constitutes 'abnormality.' Causes, developmental courses, treatments, and outcomes of the major categories of mental disorders are studied from epidemiological, clinical, and phenomenological perspectives.
Prerequisite: PSYC 310
This course is designed to give advanced students formal research and professional development experience. In this course students revise or augment research projects begun in other courses, formalize their projects into either poster or paper symposium format, and present their finished projects at scholarly conferences. This course may be repeated one time for a total of two credits.
Prrerequisite: PSYC 202 and 210. (Offered every semester.)
Cognitive processing, working memory, long term memory, encoding, retrieval, and schema theory are the focus of this course. Classical and operant conditioning, shaping, and extinction are studied in the context of their current uses in facilitating improved cognitive performance.
Prerequisite: PSYC 210
PSY 405 Practicum One to Four Credits (per semester)
In the fields of psychology, undergraduate practicum courses provide students with an exposure to the contexts and organizations in which psychology services are offered to the public. Behavioral health facilities, country mental health agencies, substance abuse treatment facilities, shelters, teen centers, and early childhood intervention units are among the facilities selected by psychology students. Forty hours of practicum service for each hour of credit is required. This course may be taken in two separate semesters.
Students are introduced to neuropsychological processes within the areas of psychopharmacology, vision, audition, olfaction, movement, learning, depressive and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and substance abuse.
Prerequisite: PSYC 202, 210. BIOL 245 recommended.
Group Dynamics is designed to provide students with the ability to evaluate, coordinate, and manage groups within an organizational setting. In order to assist students in the acquisition and practice of these skills, the course incorporates theory and practical application into the classroom setting. Students are encouraged to critically question and evaluate new concepts based on their professional experience.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
A study of intimate relationships, marriage, family and contributing support systems. Includes historical overview and contemporary presentations. Emphasis is placed on multifactor understanding of relational/family health. Combines theoretical perspectives from sociology, psychology, anthropology and theology. Parenting, financial pressures, intra-family communication and family formation are examined.
Prerequisites: SOCI 101, 112, or PSYC 101. (Offered spring semester.)
This course presents an introduction to Social Psychology by exploring theories and research related to social perceptions, social influence, and social relations. Major topics to be covered in the course include, but are not limited to, social influence processes, interpersonal attraction, group behavior, aggression, conformity, and attitude formation and change. Students will further explore these topics by designing and conducting a social psychological research project. Cross listed with SOC304.
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 202, and PSYC 210. Cross-Listed as: SOCI 304.
Major theories, concepts, issues, and research methodologies in the study of the psychology of religion are examined in this course. Classic and contemporary views of religious experience are examined, as well as the relationship between current psychodynamic theories and the experience of faith.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101
This course explores current "best practices" in clinical service within related fields of health science. Students explore quality management criteria, parameters of patient satisfaction, employee management, and community/agency communication patterns that support excellence in patient care. Familiarity with reporting structures for health service facilities within the student's own state will be included in topics of discussion for this course.
Current theories of psychological counseling and the techniques commonly used in therapy are the basis for this course. Students engage in structured peer-counseling in order to practice beginning counseling skills and to develop a personal counseling style. Special emphasis is given to examining how faith and values influence the theory and practice of counseling.
Prerequisite: PSYC 310
This course will explore the multiple dimensions of grief by familiarizing students with dynamics of loss, bereavement, and normal and atypical/pathological grief. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the dynamics and process of loss and grief, as well as theories of recovery including the role of spirituality (ie., faith), and on developing some basic counseling skills for dealing with grief and loss.
Prerequisite: PSYC 315 or SCWK 310.
In this course students will be introduced to the field of Health Psychology through an exploration of the physiological basis of energy regulation through diet, exercise, and lifestyle management. Contemporary research on self-regulation and motivated cognition, research from neuropsychology, positive psychology, and emerging trends in biophysical information processing are included in the projects students undertake to map their own self-regulatory health behaviors.
Theoretical and empirical findings in the fields of motivation and emotion are integrated with recent physiological findings in these areas. The psychological and physiological processes involved in sleep, hunger, thirst, arousal, hormonal balance, response to stressful conditions, etc. are included in the course. To improve their lives, students develop their own self-selected personal motivational plans which are grounded in empirical research.
Prerequisite: PSYC 210
Theoretical perspectives covered in this course include psychology, anthropology, economics, marketing, and sociology. Students examine how consumers move through decision processes from awareness to trial and brand loyalty. The course emphasizes the forming of a consumer profile that describes the typical person who purchases a product or service, with particular emphasis on the psychographic and demographic characteristics of the consumer. Cross listed with MRKT 332.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course will cover basic skills of working with individuals who require interventions because of a mental health diagnosis. Students will become familiar with mental health diagnoses as they exist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association; issues regarding clients who are prescribed psychotropic medications to treat those diagnoses; and roles of social workers and counselors in providing services to those clients and their families. Cross-listed with SCWK 340.
Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or SCWK 205.
This course introduces abnormal behavior and addresses the different perspectives regarding what constitutes 'abnormality.' Causes, developmental courses, treatments, and outcomes of the major categories of mental disorders are studied from epidemiological, clinical, and phenomenological perspectives.
Prerequisite: PSYC 310
This course is designed to give advanced students formal research and professional development experience. In this course students revise or augment research projects begun in other courses, formalize their projects into either poster or paper symposium format, and present their finished projects at scholarly conferences. This course may be repeated one time for a total of two credits.
Prrerequisite: PSYC 202 and 210. (Offered every semester.)
Cognitive processing, working memory, long term memory, encoding, retrieval, and schema theory are the focus of this course. Classical and operant conditioning, shaping, and extinction are studied in the context of their current uses in facilitating improved cognitive performance.
Prerequisite: PSYC 210
PSY 405 Practicum One to Four Credits (per semester)
In the fields of psychology, undergraduate practicum courses provide students with an exposure to the contexts and organizations in which psychology services are offered to the public. Behavioral health facilities, country mental health agencies, substance abuse treatment facilities, shelters, teen centers, and early childhood intervention units are among the facilities selected by psychology students. Forty hours of practicum service for each hour of credit is required. This course may be taken in two separate semesters.
Students are introduced to neuropsychological processes within the areas of psychopharmacology, vision, audition, olfaction, movement, learning, depressive and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and substance abuse.
Prerequisite: PSYC 202, 210. BIOL 245 recommended.
