Psychology: Bachelor of Applied Arts (also: Honours)

Description

The Applied BA degree program is geared towards helping students gain the skills and experience necessary to be job-skills ready. The BAA also emphasizes research skills, and gives students a bit of the grad school experience and skills, without going to graduate school. The program is more rigorous and challenging than the more flexible BA, but includes courses hand-picked by faculty and employers to target hard and soft job skills. The BAA is ideally suited for students interested in workplace expertise, tests and measurements, and UX design.

Lower-level students establish a foundation of knowledge in psychology, before concentrating on applications of psychology to modern community and workplace settings for their upper-level work. Required courses provide students with general, transferable workplace skills (e.g., Interpersonal Relations), as well as specific knowledge and skills used in a variety of public and private sector jobs such as program evaluation and technical writing. Electives provide further training in additional areas selected by the student.

Students also participate in a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment. This practicum placement will assist students in gaining workplace experience and in meeting potential future employers.

Those interested in further study and graduate school or who prefer more extensive research experience may augment their knowledge and skills by taking the research-focused Honours program in Psychology. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department.

Career Opportunities

The Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology was developed in consultation with employers throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. These employers indicated that graduates of the BAA (Psychology) program are qualified for positions such as program evaluators, research analysts, project consultants, user experience designers, human resources advisors, and health planning consultants. Past graduates have found employment in such areas as health research, human resources, market research, psychological testing and crisis services, product usability research, autism intervention, education, and corrections. Graduates of the BAA (Psychology) with Honours have gone on to graduate studies in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Gerontology, Education, School Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Public Policy, to name only a few areas. Students in the program should consult with an Arts Degree Advisor to select courses best suited to their career objectives.

Admission Requirements

The Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, apply to this program.

Declaration Requirements

Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

In good academic standing with the University
Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
- 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
- 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area

Curricular Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts Framework in addition to the requirements specified below.

1000 and 2000 Level

All of:
	PSYC 1100	Introduction to Psychology: Basic Processes	3 credits
	PSYC 1200	Introduction to Psychology: Areas and Applications	3 credits
	PSYC 2300	Applied Statistics	3 credits
	PSYC 2315	Brain and Behaviour	3 credits
	PSYC 2330	Social Psychology	3 credits
	PSYC 2385	Cognition	3 credits
	PSYC 2400	Experimental Psychology: Research Methodology	3 credits

3000 and 4000 Level

All of:
	CMNS 3100	Technical Report Writing	3 credits
	PSYC 3200	Industrial and Organizational Psychology	3 credits
	PSYC 3300*	Applied Statistics II	3 credits
	PSYC 3400*	Applied Research I	3 credits
	PSYC 3600	Health Psychology	3 credits
	PSYC 4000	Practicum	3 credits
	PSYC 4100	Tests and Measurement	3 credits
	PSYC 4200	Human Factors: Technology and Behaviour	3 credits
	PSYC 4400	Research Methods II: Qualitative Methodologies	3 credits
	PSYC 4500	Interpersonal Relations II	3 credits
	PSYC 4700	Culture and Psychology	3 credits

Note: * PSYC 3300 & 3400 are prerequisites for applying for the Honours program.

Honours

In addition to the 120 credits required for the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology, students pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology Honours degree must complete a further 12 credits consisting of the following:

	PSYC 5000	Honours Thesis I	6 credits
	PSYC 5010	Honours Thesis II	6 credits

Enrolment in Psychology Honours courses requires the permission of the Psychology Honours committee. In order to be considered for Honours courses, students are expected to achieve and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and to obtain a 'B+' grade in PSYC 3300 and 3400. Students must also obtain endorsement from a faculty member who will serve as their thesis advisor, and be recommended by the Psychology Honours committee.

Please see kpu.ca/arts/psychology/honours for further information regarding application deadlines and anticipated course schedules.

Students may receive either the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology degree or the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology Honours degree, but not both.