At a Glance

(BS) Bachelor of Science
120 Total Credits
General Education Credits 39
Program Credits 48
Elective Credits 33

The Psychology Bachelor of Science in Psychology program is designed to give students a strong foundation in the primary principles of psychology. All students take a core curriculum of social, developmental, abnormal, personality, and biological psychology courses. Beyond these core courses, our curriculum is designed to be flexible, allowing students to focus on specific areas of interest, such as child, clinical, forensic, school, or research psychology. Our faculty provide individual mentorship to help students shape their degree path around their specific goals and interests. Psychology is a diverse and evolving field, and our goal is to provide students with the support and foundational experiences to be prepared for careers and/or graduate work after graduation.

  • Students will describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology: development, social, abnormal, personality, biopsychology
  • Students will pursue specific interests through available open electives available within major
  • Students will demonstrate ability to apply the scientific method in a psychological context 
  • Students will be able to develop a thesis and support it with empirical literature
  • All students will have mentorship in developing interests/goals and choosing courses to support interests/goals
  • Flexible curriculum allows student the opportunities to pursue multiple minors. Popular minors for psychology majors include Human Services, Pre-Law, Criminal Justice, Pre-Art Therapy, and Sociology.
  • Over half of Cazenovia College psychology seniors present their senior capstone research at a regional academic conference.
  • Cazenovia College has an active Psychology Club, which organizes events and volunteer experiences on and off campus, including an annual trip to the Eastern Psychological Association Conference.
  • Cazenovia College offers students the opportunity to earn a dual degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice.
Psychology is a diverse field. Our students find employment after graduation in a wide range of careers including case workers, youth support professionals, in-patient cognitive or behavioral disability support service providers, domestic violence advocates, law enforcement agents, and AmeriCorp community support workers. Additionally, our students are accepted to graduate programs in areas such as, Mental Health Counseling, Social Work, School Psychology, Art Therapy, Clinical Psychology, and Law School.
All students in the Psychology Program can participate in supervised internships. These internships provide students with valuable hands-on experience working in their chosen fields. Students can work at a variety of locations, depending on their specific goals. Students who are interested in internships should contact their advisors for help with placement.
Steps to internship placement:
During the semester BEFORE you plan to do your internship
·      Contact the program director and indicate your interest in doing an in internship
·      Indicate your areas of interest (populations, age groups, future career plans)
·      Indicate the semester you plan to complete the internship
·      Provide program director with your resume
o  If you do not have a resume, contact Career Services to create one. You will need a resume to apply to internship sites.
·      Meet with the program director to select potential sites
·      Program director contacts site
·      Student schedules an interview
·      Student contacts program director regarding outcome of interview
·      In not placed, begin process with another choice
Interview
You will be interviewed by your potential site for your internship placement. Please take this interview seriously and dress as if you were applying for a job. Please bring your resume to give to your interviewer and bring your information about the internship including the hours needed and the timeframe so that you can answer questions with accurate information.
Timeline
You must meet with your advisor and/or the program director to discuss your internship BEFORE you register. Because the Psychology program does not require an internship there is no Psychology Internship course. If you enroll in another program’s internship without permission from the Psychology program director, you will be dropped from the course. The majority of your internship hours must be completed during the semester you are register for the internship course. Plan to complete your internship by the end of the semester, although alternative arrangements can be made.
Internship Hours
You must complete at least 150 hours over the semester for a 6 credit internship, 75 hours for a 3 credit internship. These hours do not include travel time or breaks.
Summer Internships
Summer internships are available and recommended. This can allow you to pursue an internship in a different area. Keep in mind that summer tuition is not part of the financial aid package and Office of Extended Learning rates apply to summer internships.
Internship Course
Because our internship class typically runs as an independent study, the meeting times will be determined by the instructor when you sign up for the class. There are assignments that must be completed outside of your internship hours. Contact the program director for a sample syllabus.

   Course (Credits)        
   See Degree Requirements: General Education requirements (33)
   Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Information Literacy: 
      PS 377 Research Methods: Psychology (3)
   Senior Capstone: SB 499 Senior Capstone (3)
TOTAL GENERAL EDUCATION CREDITS - 39

Art & Sciences Courses 
   Course (Credits)        
   SB 110/130    Introduction to Anthropology or 
      Introduction to Sociology (3)
   HU 465 Ethical Issues in Organizations (3)
   SM 261 Statistics (3)
   PS 120 Introduction to Psychology (3)
   PS 225 Lifespan Developmental Psychology (3)
   PS 234 Social Psychology (3) 
   PS 323  Abnormal Psychology (3)
   PS 326  Theories of Personality (3)
   PS 327  Biopsychology (3)
   PS 498  History and Systems of Psychology (3)
   Two 300/400 level Psychology electives (6)
Total Arts & Sciences Program Credits - 36

Career Courses
   Course (Credits)     
   SB/HS/PS Two SB, SB/PS, or HS courses  (6)
   SB/HS/PS Two 300/400 level SB, SB/PS, or HS courses (6)
Total Career Program Credits - 12
TOTAL PROGRAM CREDITS - 48

Open Electives
   Course (Credits) 
   100-400 level (27)
   300/400 level (6)
Total Open Elective Credits - 33