Psychology, Applied (Bachelor of Arts)

Graduation Requirements For Students Completing By Summer 2023:

• In addition to the 60 credits of first and second year coursework comprising the program admission requirements, students must complete an additional 60 credits (120 total) of University Transfer coursework.
• A University Transferable course is course that transfer to one of the research universities - SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC, or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide. 
• A minimum of thirty (30) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level in Psychology, and a minimum of forty five (45) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level. Program requirements are as follows:
• At least 40% (48 credits) of all course work and 21 credits of Upper Level Psychology course work must be completed at Douglas College.
• Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: ten (10) years

Graduation Requirements For Students Completing After Summer 2023:

• In addition to the 60 credits of first and second year coursework comprising the program admission requirements, students must complete an additional 60 credits (120 total) of University Transfer coursework.
• A University Transferable course is course that transfer to one of the research universities - SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC, or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide. 
• A minimum of thirty (30) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level in Psychology, and a minimum of forty five (45) credits must be at the 3000-4000 level. 
• At least 40% (48 credits) of all course work and 21 credits of Upper Level Psychology course work must be completed at Douglas College.
• A minimum program GPA of 2.00 is required.
• Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: ten (10) years

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

One of:

One of:

Elective Courses:

Area of Concentration:

*Students completing the 18 credit DABA concentration will complete three credits less of upper or lower level University Transfer electives.

Applied Areas of Concentration:

Applied Theory and Research

This concentration 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 concentration within the Honours Degree.

Five (5) of the following courses (courses must come from at least 4 of the categories below)

A: Personality/Social/Forensic/Health Psychology (PSYC 3304, PSYC 3314, PSYC 3331, PSYC 3340, PSYC 3361, PSYC 3906)

B: Developmental/Gender (PSYC 3120, PSYC 3320, PSYC 3321, PSYC 3322, PSYC 3342, PSYC 3905)

C: Cognitive/Biological Psychology (PSYC 3305, PSYC 3315, PSYC 3341, PSYC 3365, PSYC 3370, PSYC 3385, PSYC 3902, PSYC 3904)

D: Clinical/Counselling Psychology (PSYC 3333, PSYC 3375, PSYC 3903, PSYC 4370, PSYC 4371, PSYC 4373, PSYC 4375)

E: Quantitative/Analytical/Critical (PSYC 3301, PSYC 3339, PSYC 3901, PSYC 4360)

Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis Concentration

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) Concentration is for you. The courses within this 18 credit concentration are verified by the Association of Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) and approved by the Teacher Qualification Service (TQS). These approvals make the credential highly attractive to professionals aspiring to become Board Certified Assistant Behaviour Analysts (BCaBA) and/or K-to-12 teachers working toward a higher pay level and specialized knowledge base.

DABA courses run as a cohort and are only offered in the specified semesters. These courses in this concentration must be completed in one academic year. Some courses are online, some hybrid, and some in-person. Students must take all DABA program courses offered in a semester unless they have approved transfer credit.

Please see the Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis program page for program/course requirements.

Those completing this concentration within the BA Applied Psychology Degree will not be eligible to graduate with the Disability and Applied Behaviour analysis Advanced Certificate as the coursework is equivalent.

Forensic / Criminology Concentration

Students interested in both psychology and criminology may choose to specialize in the area of forensic psychology. This concentration 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 Transferable courses from Criminology, with at least 6 credits at the 3000-4000 level. 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 concentration and the other as a 1000-4000 Level Elective.

Leadership and Management Concentration

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

Fifteen (15) University Transferable 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. Recommend SOSC 2140, SOSC 3140.

Pre-Counselling Concentration

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 Counsellor in most provinces. Our Pre-Counselling concentration 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):

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

 Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Concentration

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 concentration, 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 (Fall, Winter and Summer).

Required (Mandatory) Courses:

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

NOTE: It is highly recommended that students complete PSYC 3390 Applications of Psychological Knowledge
(Service Learning & Research) prior to PSYC 5005 Seminar and Practicum in Psychosocial Rehabilitation.

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