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Psychology (BA/BS)

In accordance with the DBU mission statement, the undergraduate Psychology discipline seeks to provide Christ-centered quality higher education in the field of psychology and to encourage students to integrate the subject matter of psychology with the teachings of Christianity.

A major in Psychology provides the student with an overview of the field of psychology and an in-depth study of selected areas and subjects in this multi-faceted discipline. The Psychology curriculum features courses in both counseling and in more technical or research-oriented subjects. While the integration of psychology and Christianity is a vital concern in each class, a whole course also is devoted to this issue. Graduates with a major in Psychology are equipped for entry-level positions in business, education, industry, the mental health field, and other areas where a psychology background is either required or enhances the individual's qualifications for employment. They also are prepared for graduate work in psychology or counseling which can lead to professional careers in those fields.

Goals of the Psychology Major

  • Students will have an in-depth understanding of the nature and functioning of the human being from the viewpoint of psychological research and literature.

  • Students will have an understanding of psychology and its application to addressing problems and improving the human situation.

  • Students will be able to integrate the principles of psychology with those of Christianity.

  • Students will be prepared for entry-level positions in careers related to the field of psychology and/or for graduate work in the fields of psychology and counseling.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

courses

credit hours (ba)

credit hours (bS)

Developing A Christian Mind
DCM 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind

3

3

English

12

9

ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I

ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II

ENGL 2301 - World Literature I

and/or

ENGL 2302 - World Literature II

Fine Arts
FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts

3

3

Foreign Language
*Six hours at the 2000 level if adequate requisites are met

14*

0

Foundations for Excellence

1

1

FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence

is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours.

(AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.)

History

6

6

Choose two:

HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865

HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865

HIST 2301 - World Civilization I

HIST 2302 - World Civilization II

Kinesiology

2

2

KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living

and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.

Mathematics

3

3

(BA)

Choose one:

MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I


(BS)

Choose one:

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I

Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)

4

15

One laboratory science (BA)

or

15 credit hours of laboratory science (BS)

selected from two or more areas of Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics

Students taking Child Life Specialist Concentration must take the following courses:
BA – BIOL 2405 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BS – BIOL 2405 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
Plus 11 credit hours of laboratory science (selected from two or more areas of Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics.)

Social Science
POLS 2301 - American National Government

3

3

Religion

9

9

RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey

RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey

and

three additional credit hours depending on credit hours transferred at time of initial enrollment

TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS

60

54

Psychology Major

Core Courses

33

33

PSYC 1301 - General Psychology

PSYC 2301 - Statistics for the Social Sciences

PSYC 3303 - Psychology Internship I (S-L)

PSYC 3311 - Marriage and Family Systems

PSYC 4305 - Psychology of Abnormal Behavior

PSYC 4311 - Integration of Psychology and Christianity

PSYC 4316 - Human Growth and Development

"PSYC 4314 - Counseling Theories and Techniques

or

PSYC 4315 - Psychology of Personality"

PSYC 4317 - Research Methods

Plus 6 additional upper-level hours in psychology.*

Child Life Specialist Concentration must take the following courses to fulfill the 6 additional required upper-level hours:

PSYC 3332 - Development of Infants, Children, and Adolescents

PSYC 4333 - Psychology of Adolescence

CONCENTRATIONS: (Choose one 15-hour concentration from the following.)

General Psychology Concentration

15

15

Choose a combination of 15 upper-level hours from any psychology concentration below

or

15 hours of upper-level psychology courses.

Child Life Specialist (CLS) Concentration

15

15

BIOL 2302 - Medical Terminology for Health Professionals

BIOL 4307 - Bioethics

PSYC 4309 - Child Life Theory and Practice

PSYC 4321 - Dynamics of Therapeutic Play

SOCI 3330 - Death and Dying

Clinical Psychology Concentration

15

15

PSYC 3317 - Clinical Psychology

PSYC 3322 - Cognitive Psychology

Choose three courses from the following:

PSYC 3302 - Juvenile Delinquency

PSYC 3312 - Drug and Alcohol Problems

PSYC 3332 - Development of Infants, Children, and Adolescents

PSYC 4301 - Race and Ethnicity

PSYC 4313 - Group Psychology

PSYC 4332 - Crisis Intervention

PSYC 4333 - Psychology of Adolescence

Forensic Psychology Concentration

15

15

CRJS 4307 - Criminology

PSYC 3315 - Forensic Psychology

Choose any 3 of the following courses:

CRJS 4303 - Organization and Administration

CRJS 4308 - Corrections

PSYC 3302 - Juvenile Delinquency

PSYC 3312 - Drug and Alcohol Problems

PSYC 4332 - Crisis Intervention

SOCI 4330 - Victim/Victimization

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Concentration

15

15

MANA 3301 - Principles of Management

PSYC 4301 - Race and Ethnicity

Choose any three of the following courses:

MANA 3302 - Principles of Human Resource Management

MANA 3303 - Principles of Organizational Behavior

MANA 3306 - Management Communication

MANA 4301 - Operations and Quality Management

MANA 4341 - Negotiations in Management

MANA 4342 - Business Ethics

Electives

General Psychology Concentration

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

0

12

0

18

Child Life Specialist Concentration

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

3

9

3

15

Clinical Psychology Concentration

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

0

12

0

18

Forensic Psychology Concentration

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

0

12

0

18

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Concentration

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

0

12

0

18

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

120

120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required, including 42 upper-level credit hours.

Minimum GPA Required for Graduation from Dallas Baptist University: DBU requires a minimum institutional cumulative, major, and minor GPA of 2.0.

(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

MINOR IN PSYCHOLOGY

See information about the Psychology minor here.

ACCELERATED DEGREES AVAILABLE

DBU also offers Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program(s) for this degree available for qualifying undergraduate students. Refer to Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's Degree Program Requirements for additional information.

BA/BS in Psychology/MA in Professional Counseling

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.