Fascinated about human behavior and mind but do not like maths? Do hurry and get the stereotypical phrase of ‘no science, no maths’ out of your thoughts! It’s true you may not encounter the typical 3 sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics together in a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, but as a liberal arts and science field, students need to take a foundation course in biology- one of the fundamentals to understanding human behavior is understanding the structure of human mind and body. That said, why do we need maths in Psychology? Psychology requires research to support the theories in the field. Every techniques learned and used have gone through extensive research by experts in the field to create evidence-based strategies. Prior to beginning designing and running the research plan, students would need to understand the foundation of statistics to analyze and interpret data computed from research. With that, students will take on a few statistics classes throughout their undergraduate degree. No courses are simple in nature including Psychology, all studies require long efforts of commitment and passion to fully understand course materials and ultimately excel. Schedule a consultation with our education counselors to see if this course is the right fit for you!
With a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, graduates can enter into the workforce as human resource executives, sales and marketing, mental health receptionists, preschool educator, services counseling, to name a few. Graduates can further their studies to work in specialized mental health field such as mental health counselors, special needs educator/therapists, clinical psychologists, industrial-organizational psychologist and more. If you are unsure which career you would like to pursue prior or during the course of your studies, you can take on a minor together with your major in order areas to provide you a larger career options when you graduate. For instance, you can major in Psychology and minor in Communication.
On the other hand, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology requires students to have a foundation in sciences subjects of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics alongside statistics subjects. Students interested in pursuing a career in Psychiatry will earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology to further their studies in the medical field of mental health.
Some courses you can expect in a Psychology program-
- Social psychology- a study of how human behvaior is influenced by social context. For instance, imagine yourself in a group of five, four of them would like to have pizza for lunch, but you would not like to. However, ultimately you would still go along with pizza. This decision can be based on many contexts, for instance, the other four could be your supervisors and you do not want to jeopardize the dynamics of the relationship. Social psychology will help students understand why and how our behavior changes in the presence and behaviours of others.
- Biopsychology/Neuropsychology- a study of how the brain influences human behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. For instance, you will encounter terms such as neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in this course. Biopsychology will help you understand how these chemicals in our brain influences our behavior and what would happen if there was a chemical imbalance.
- Abnormal Psychology- a study of unusual patterns of behavior and emotions. Students will understand the multitude of mental health disorders in Psychology and how to explain such behaviors.