Undergrad Program (BS Curriculum) - OU Department of Psychology

B.S. Curriculum

The Department of Psychology offers the B.S. degree in Psychology. The program of study that culminates in a Bachelor of Science is designed to provide additional training and experience in research beyond the B.A. degree to those students who want greater mastery in basic science and experimental methodology. Students who seek the B.S. degree program often do so to strengthen their academic skills and record to better prepare them for graduate studies. Acceptance into the B.S. degree program requires an application (obtained from the Psychology Department office) and a faculty sponsor.

The employment outlook for individuals with an education in psychology depends on the type of degree that the person receives. For doctoral-level psychologists, employment opportunities have flourished during the past decade. Some of the positions that Ph.D.s in Psychology fill are professors, therapists, clinical psychologists, researchers, and consultants. People with a master's degree in psychology work in a variety of settings including schools, businesses, mental health care centers, and community colleges. Graduates who do not pursue the Ph.D. after receiving their master's often obtain jobs in teaching, research, or service with some limitations that exist without the doctoral degree. Teachers at the master's level usually work in community colleges rather than four-year colleges and universities. Although a bachelor's degree in psychology will not prepare you to become a professional psychologist, an undergraduate major can graduate with both a strong liberal arts education and adequate preparation for entry-level employment in one of many career paths.

The following are some of the fields that graduates with bachelor's degrees in psychology have entered: administration and management, business and industry, casework, child care, employment interviewing, health services, marketing and public relations, personnel, probation and parole, psychiatric assisting, research or laboratory assisting, sales, teaching, technical writing. Students pursuing the bachelor's degree as a terminal degree are encouraged to seek academic counseling on an intensive level with a faculty adviser, and to consult closely with the University's job placement service.