Program Learning Outcomes

B.A. Program Learning Outcomes

• 1. Knowledge Base of Psychology

  • Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

• 2. Research Methods in Psychology

  • Students will be able to design, implement, and communicate basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretations.

• 3. Critical Thinking Skills

  • Students will be able to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and a scientific approach to address issues related to behavior and mental processes.

• 4. Applications of Psychology

  • Students will be able to apply psychological principles to individual, interpersonal, group, and societal issues.

• 5. Values in Psychology

  • Students will value empirical evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and recognize their role and responsibility as a member of society.

B.S. Program Learning Outcomes

• 1. Knowledge Base of Psychology

  • Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

• 2. Research Methods in Psychology

  • 2.1 Students will be able to design, implement, and communicate basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretations.

    2.2 Students will be able to design, implement, and communicate advanced research methods in two or more focused domains within psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretations within each domain.

• 3. Critical Thinking Skills

  • Students will be able to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and a scientific approach to address issues related to behavior and mental processes.

• 4. Applications of Psychology

  • Students will be able to apply psychological principles to individual, interpersonal, group, and societal issues.

• 5. Values in Psychology

  • Students will value empirical evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and recognize their role and responsibility as a member of society.

M.A. in Research and Experimental Psychology

• 1. Advanced Knowledge Base in Research and Experimental Psychology

  • Students completing the Research and Experimental Psychology MA program will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge of the major theoretical perspectives and research methods across areas of experimental psychology (e.g., Developmental, Social, Cognitive, and Physiological).

• 2. Research Skills and Scholarship

  • Graduates of our program will possess an advanced level of competence in research methods, statistical techniques, and technical writing skills. Students completing the Research and Experimental Psychology MA program are required to complete a thesis. The thesis will demonstrate: 

    1) creative problem-solving in the design, implementation of empirical research.

    2) project management skills in the implementation of empirical research.

    3) advanced competency in the statistical analysis and interpretation of empirical research findings.

    4) communication (oral and written) of research findings at a professional level.

• 3. Career Enhancement

  • Students completing the Research and Experimental Psychology MA program will achieve career enhancement through placement in a doctoral program or acceptance of a position requiring a master’s in psychology in the public or private sector.

M.S. in Clinical Psychology

• 1. Interventions and evidence-based applications

  • 1.1 Students will be able to apply, compare, and contrast a variety of psychotherapy theories and implement at least one chosen theory or intervention with clinical case material

    1.2 Students will be able to evaluate, select, and implement empirically supported clinical interventions for clinical case material and clients 

• 2. Communication and case presentation

  • 2.1 Students will be able to integrate and communicate clinical case material

    2.2 Students will be able to synthesize contextual and cultural variables into their understanding of and presentation of client materials

    2.3 Students will effectively respond to queries about clinical material and engage in discussions about their clients with supervisors and peers

    2.4 Students will be able to analyze cases other than those they are treating, applying theories, principles, and relevant empirical findings to those cases

• 3. Competent Assessment and Evaluation

  • 3.1 Students will be able to evaluate, select, and implement different assessment devices and strategies for assessing client outcomes and processes of change over the course of treatment including nomothetic and idiographic approaches

• 4. Professional clinical practice

  • 4.1 Students will demonstrate competency consistent with professional standards of practice in areas including, but not limited to, psychotherapy theory, service delivery, ethics, assessment, research methods, family/couples therapy, cultural diversity and humility, risk management and safety planning, psychopharmacology, and issues relevant to adult and child clinical populations. 

• 5. Preparation and meeting professional licensing requirements

  • 5.1 Students will demonstrate fulfillment of coursework and other pre-degree licensing requirements outlined by the Board of Behavioral Sciences 

M.S. in Industrial/Organization (I/O) Psychology

• Goal 1: Students of the program will acquire a base of knowledge about the principles of psychology as they are applied to industrial and organizational settings.

  • Objective 1a: Students will learn core psychological competencies including:

    1. History of I/O Psychology and its integration into the broader discipline

    2. Related fields of psychology (i.e. social psychology, personality psychology, psychometrics, motivation, learning theory).

    Objective 1b: Students will learn core I/O competencies including:

    1. Ethical, legal and professional issues

    2. Measurement of individual differences

    3. Criterion theory and development

    4. Job and task analysis

    5. Employee selection

    6. Performance appraisal and feedback

    7. Training and development

    8. Work motivation

    9. Attitude theory

    10.Organization theory

    11. Organizational development.

    Objective 1c: Students will learn data collection and analysis skills including:

    1. Research methods (i.e. methods, procedures, and techniques used to conduct empirical research in I/O psychology)

    2. Statistical methods (i.e. techniques used in the analysis of data generated by empirical research).

• Goal 2: Students of the program will acquire a base of knowledge about the practice of I/O psychology by applying the concepts of I/O psychology to the functioning of organizations.

  • Objective 2a: Students will perform professional activities related to I/O Psychology including, but not limited to:

    1. Administering employee surveys

    2. Evaluating organizational interventions

    3. Conducting job analyses

    4. Creating selection tests

    5. Developing performance management systems

Footnotes: 1 Adapted from "Report on Undergraduate Psychology Major Learning Goals and Outcomes [pdf]", Task Force on Undergraduate Psychology Major Competencies, APA, 2002