Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Online Core Requirements | 44 | |
| Major Requirements | 30 | |
| Electives (12 credits of electives may be used for Master's Fast Track) | 46 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| COMM 2100 |
Interpersonal Communication
This course studies why communication breaks down in interpersonal relationships, focusing on such topics as perception, self-concept, non-verbals, listening, gender, self-disclosure, power, and conflict. Assignments lead students to a greater awareness of their strengths and weaknesses as communicators. | 3 |
| JPP 3030 |
Criminal Psychology
This course studies the psychological theories of crime causation and the impact of the use of psychology on the Legal System. Useful for law enforcement, legal, or counseling roles, students will gain an understanding of offender behavior and mental health. | 3 |
| PSY 1010 |
General Psychology
This course is an introductory survey course acquainting the student with the procedures, principles, theories, and vocabulary of psychology as a science. | 3 |
| PSY 2300 |
Life Span Development
This course covers changes throughout the life span from conception until death. Of primary importance are the changes that occur within the three domains of development—the physical, the cognitive, and the socio-emotional. | 3 |
| PSY 2710 |
Social Psychology in the Workplace
This course introduces students to the study of social psychology applied to the workplace. Students learn how an individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are affected by others. Topics include social psychology methods, understanding the self, cognition, social influence, groups and leadership, pro-social behavior, aggression and prejudice. | 3 |
| PSY 3100 | 3 | |
| PSY 3240 |
Introduction to Psychopathology
This course examines the complex factors that cause behavioral disorders, presents biological, psychological, and environmental influences, and demonstrates psychological, biological, and social approaches to the treatment of abnormal behaviors. | 3 |
| PSY 3500 |
Experimental Psychology
This course provides practice in a variety of research methods and includes design of experiments, techniques for data collection, control of experimental events, and data analysis. Individual laboratory projects and preparation of scientific reports are required. | 3 |
| PSY 4210 | 3 | |
| PSY 4650 | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
MS Counseling Fast Track for Applied Psychology Majors
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MS Counseling Fast Track for Applied Psychology majors (optional-will replace 12 elective credits) | 12 | |
| MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling | ||
COUN 5000 |
Counseling Theories and Issues
This course provides both the historical and current perspectives of various theories of counseling, as well as introducing the student to the profession of counseling. The ethics of working as a counselor is a primary underpinning of the field. Both American Counseling Association (ACA) and American School Counseling Association (ASCA) ethical guidelines for counseling, as well as legal concerns, are discussed and integrated into all assignments. This course also introduces the student to specific requirements of the graduate program. The portfolio requirement for school counselors, APA writing style are also reviewed. | |
COUN 5010 |
Professional Ethics
This course deals with philosophical issues affecting practice. Special attention is given to ethics and the nature of humankind. Professional ethical behavior and adherence to ethical standards is a foundational cornerstone to the profession of counseling. Issues such as confidentiality, malpractice, the law, and the counselor as witness will be discussed. Both the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) codes of ethics will be the primary foci of the course. | |
COUN 5040 |
Social Cultural Foundations in Counseling
Social/Cultural Foundations in Counseling is an exploration of various cultures and their impact on human behavior. The focus of the course is on the powerful impact that cultural background may have on the mental health field, and on how biases may affect therapeutic relationships. Current issues and therapeutic techniques are addressed keeping in mind our multicultural society. | |
COUN 5100 |
Consultation Strategies
This course is designed to provide an overview of the consultation process and insight into the various roles that consultants may play. Theoretical approaches and principles of consultation, planned change, and organizational development will be discussed as well as counselors as consultants within the organization and within the community. | |
MSW Fast Track for Applied Psychology Majors
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSW Fast Track for Applied Psychology majors (optional-will replace 12 elective credits) | 12 | |
SW 5000 |
Advanced Human Behavior in Social Environment
This course examines human development from birth to death through the systemic lens of the family and larger society. It examines the development of relationships and their effect on individual development. Utilizing a systemic perspective, students will learn how diversity, culture, changes in family patterns and life-styles, and expanding life expectations have impacted individuals, families, and the larger society. | |
SW 5450 |
Psychopathology in Social Work
This course provides a general introduction to the fields of clinical social work. Specifically, this course will acquaint students with the epidemiology, classification, and etiology, of the major forms of mental illness identified in the DSM 5. It is the primary aim of this course to develop the student’s diagnostic skills in clinical settings. Specific attention is paid to the ethical and social work value-related problems associated with diagnosing and labeling clients with a psychiatric disorder, and issues of race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disabilities or illness, age and national origin as they influence the manifestations of behaviors that may be diagnosed as mental illness or affect the presentation of mental illness. Case studies and videos will be used to ensure that students have an effective working knowledge of: (a) the biological and psychosocial bases of the major mental disorders; (b) the behavioral symptomatology that characterizes them; and (c) their classification according to the American Psychiatric Association system of classification of mental illness and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD). | |
SW 5650 |
Drugs, Society and Human Behavior
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the effects of drugs on the brain and how drugs affect cognition, personality, and behavior. Students will learn how drugs get into the body/brain and how they exert their psychoactive effects. The course will cover the role of drugs throughout history and in today's society; the biological actions of drugs and the influence on society and behavior; and drug treatments and prevention. | |
SW 5200 |
Social Policy & Advocacy
This course helps students develop a framework for understanding social problems and social welfare policies so they may function as informed and competent practitioners in providing social services, and as committed participants in efforts to achieve change in social policies and programs.
The course examines the current structure of social welfare programs in the United States, their historical evolution, and the role ideological, political, economic, and social forces have played in the development of the social welfare system and its present character. In particular, the course examines the ways in which discrimination and oppression have affected the structure of social welfare policies and the impact of those policies on the poor, minorities, women, the disabled, and other populations-at-risk. To facilitate understanding of the social welfare system, students will learn approaches to social policy analysis. The course explores the political process in the United States and how involvement in this process can advance the goals of the profession of social work. The historical development of the profession of social work and its role within the social welfare system is another focus of study. Students will examine the values and ethics of the profession, such as self-determination and respect for individuals and human diversity, in the context of the development and implementation of social policy. The course looks at how social policy and the institutions that implement that policy can be made more responsive to the needs of people.
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