Psychology, Applied (Bachelor of Arts)

In addition to the 60 credits of first and second year coursework in the Associate of Arts, students must complete an additional 60 credits (120 total) of University Transfer coursework. A minimum of thirty (30) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level in Psychology, and a minimum of fourty five (45) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level. Program requirements are as follows:

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

One of:

One of:

Elective Courses:

Elective Courses:

Applied Areas of Specialization:

Applied Theory and Research

This specialization provides an opportunity for students to study a broad base of psychological theories and learn how they are applied across a variety of fields. Students who are likely going to continue their academic career in a graduate level psychology program may be interested in this specialization within the Honours Degree.

Five (5) of the following courses (at least 1 course from each of the 4 categories below)

A: Personality/Social/Forensic/Health Psychology (PSYC 3304, PSYC 3314, PSYC 3331, PSYC 3340, PSYC 3361)

B: Developmental/Gender (PSYC 3120, PSYC 3320, PSYC 3321, PSYC 3322)

C: Cognition/Biological Psychology (PSYC 3315, PSYC 3341, PSYC 3365, PSYC 3370, PSYC 3385)

D: Clinical/Counsellilng/Forensic Psychology (PSYC 3342, PSYC 3375, PSYC 4360, PSYC 4373, PSYC 4375)

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – Applied Theory and Research specialization.

Year 3

 Year 4

Disability and Applied Behavior Analysis Specialization

If you are interested in education, health or human services, or if you want to specialize in the rewarding and challenging area of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the concise, flexible and timely Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis (DABA) advanced certificate is for you. The courses within this 15 credit specialization are a required step for behaviour consultants and other professionals towards becoming Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) ® Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA). The courses are also approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and the Teacher Qualification Service.

DABA courses run as a cohort and are only offered in the specified semesters. Although you can complete other required and elective courses for the BA in Applied Psychology starting in the 2013 Fall semester, the first DABA courses will start in Fall 2014.

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – DABA specialization.

Year 3

Year 4

Year 4

Those completing this specialization within the BA Applied Psychology Degree will not be eligible to enroll in the Disability and Applied Behavior analysis Advanced Certificate as the coursework is equivalent.

Those completing this specialization within the BA Applied Psychology Degree will not be eligible to enroll in the Disability and Applied Behavior analysis Advanced Certificate as the coursework is equivalent.

Forensic / Criminology Specialization

Students interested in both psychology and criminology may choose to specialize in the area of forensic psychology. This specialization will focus on psychology as it applies to the legal system, which may include a focus on courts, corrections, police, cognitive and social aspects of behaviour, mental health law, victimology, and policy work.

Required (Mandatory) Course:

Elective Courses

Any four(4) University transferrable courses from Criminology, with at least 6 credits at the 3000-4000 level. Upper level choices include, but are not limited to the following (please be aware of pre-requisites).

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – Forensic/Criminology specialization.

NOTE: It is recommended to take CRIM 1100, CRIM 1150 and CRIM 1160 in your first 2 years. If not, two of them can be taken as part of your specializaiton and the other as a 1000-4000 Level Elective.

Year 3

Year 4

Leadership and Management Specialization

Students interested in combining psychology with business, leadership and/or marketing would be interested in this specialization.

Fifteen (15) University Transferrable credits required. A minimum of twelve (12) credits from the Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration, with at least six (6) credits at the 3000-4000 level. Possible courses include, but are not limted to the following (please be aware of pre-requisites):

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – Leadership and Management specialization.

Year 3

Year 4

Pre-Counselling Specialization

Counselling psychology typically focuses on therapeutic practices that facilitate social, educational, occupational, health, emotional and developmental functioning. Many counsellors have a Masters degree in a field such as counselling psychology or educational psychology, which allows them to register as a Clinical Counselor in most provinces. Our Pre-Counselling specialization will provide students with introductory courses in the discipline of counselling as well as the pre-requisite courses needed to enter into most graduate programs in counselling psychology.

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

Elective Courses (choice of 2):

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – Pre-Counselling specialization.

NOTE: PSYC 2341 (Abnormal Psychology) and PSYC 2207 (An Introduction to Educational Psychology) are strongly recommended in first 2 years.

Year 3

Year 4

*If choosing this course, it is recommended to take PSYC 3320 in a prior semester.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Specialization

Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) approaches include programs, services and practices with well-documented effectiveness in facilitating the recovery of persons living with serious mental illness, substance use problems or concurrent disorders. PSR approaches focus on programs and services in the major life domains of employment, education, leisure, wellness, housing, family and peer support. PSR approaches are enhanced in their effectiveness by other treatment approaches and practices, including cognitive retraining, cognitive behaviour therapies and motivational interviewing.

Students who complete the set of PSR courses, including the practicum will have the knowledge and skills to conduct strengths based PSR assessments and to prepare and implement psychosocial rehabilitation plans in community mental health and substance use programs. Upon completion of this specialization, you will be eligible to write the Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners (CPRP) exam, which is recognized throughout Canada and the US.

PSR courses generally run as a cohort and are only offered in specified semesters.
Although you can complete other required and elective courses for the BA in Applied Psychology starting in the 2013 Fall semester, the first PSR courses will start in Fall, 2014.

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

*PSYC 5005 will be accepted in lieu of PSYC 3390 – Applications of Psychological Knowledge (but you must take another 3000-4000 PSYC elective in its place.

Below is an example of a course plan for the third and fourth year of the BA in Applied Psychology – PSR specialization.

NOTE: PSYC 2341 (Abnormal Psychology) is a pre-requisite for PSR courses.

Year 3

Year 4

Year 4

Those completing this specialization within the BA Applied Psychology Degree will not be eligible to enroll in the Graduate Diploma in Psychosocial Rehabilitation as the coursework is equivalent.