For students intrigued by the workings of the mind, MTSU offers three programs leading
to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Psychology is the most popular major for students
with a variety of career goals and interests. The second program is Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The department also offers an online psychology degree in conjunction with the University
College.
For complete curriculum details, click on the REQUIREMENTS tab above.
All new psychology students (freshman, transfer, change of major) must apply for candidacy before being fully accepted into a major.
Psychology (B.S.)
The Psychology major is a great choice for students who are intrigued by the workings
of the mind and want to understand human behavior and mental processes. This is our
most popular major and is suitable for students who have a variety of career goals
and interests.
Leading to a Bachelor of Science degree, the undergraduate major in psychology is
a 38-hour program, consisting of 24 hours of required coursework and 12 hours of electives.
A minimum grade of C- is required for all core required coursework. Electives in psychology
and additional courses in the arts, sciences, humanities, and pre-professional curricula
should be chosen to correspond with interests and career goals.
Two 15-hour minors are required for this major. Students may choose a specialty minor
in psychology as one of their two minors. At least one of the two minors, however,
must be from a non-psychology field.
The department also offers Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees in five graduate programs:
Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Quantitative Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and a Pre-Specialist in Education: School Psychology. An Education Specialist (Ed.S)
degree is offered in School Psychology.
Undergraduates can earn a minor in one of five psychology fields: Psychology, Lifespan Development, Mental Health Services, Industrial-Organizational, and Neuroscience. The department participates in an interdisciplinary minor in Behavioral Research.
Psychology
PSY 1410 - General Psychology
3 credit hours
Prescribed prerequisite: READ 1000. Introductory survey course. Includes biological foundations, perception, principles of learning, intelligence, motivation, emotion, human development, personality, social psychology, behavior disorders, and psychotherapy.
PSY 1420 - Psychology of Adjustment
3 credit hours
Processes of human adjustment, adaptation, and environmental influences. Development of self-understanding, constructive management of emotion and stress, and healthy interpersonal relationships.
PSY 2000 - Seminar on Careers in Psychology
1 credit hour
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Required for admission to candidacy. Requirements needed for success in jobs or graduate school. Activities may include interest exploration, development of a career timeline, resume, and/or vita, and a final culminating project.
PSY 2180 - Thinking: Intelligence and Creativity
3 credit hours
Psychological approaches to the scientific study of intelligence, IQ, creativity, and creative genius.
PSY 2190 - Introduction to Biopsychology
3 credit hours
Introduction to the involvement of the brain in behavior. Topics related to anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, sensory and motor functions, intelligence, sleep and biological rhythms, emotion, and mental illness covered. No biology background required.
PSY 2210 - Psychology of Social Behavior
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410 recommended but not required. Systematic study of social behavior. Includes interaction between people, perception of others, interpersonal attraction, aggression, altruism, conformity, attitudes, and group behavior.
PSY 2300 - Developmental Psychology
3 credit hours
Broad survey of the biological and environmental factors influencing physical, cognitive, and social development from conception until death. Emphasis on current research and theory. Will not substitute for SOC 3151 or CDFS 3340.
PSY 3020 - Basic Statistics for Behavioral Science
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: 3 credit hours of college-level mathematics. Elementary descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications.
PSY 3030 - Laboratory in Psychology
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 3020. Basic Statistics.
PSY 3070 - Research Methods
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 3020. Corequisite: PSY 3071. Analysis of methodological issues in psychological research. Designed to teach skills in the formulation, execution, interpretation, and presentation of psychological investigations.
PSY 3071 - Research Methods Lab
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 3070.
PSY 3230 - Psychological Disorders
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Patterns of maladaptive behavior, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and antisocial behavior.
PSY 3240 - Psychological Disorders in Childhood
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Emotional and behavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence including autism spectrum disorder, depression, and child maltreatment.
PSY 3250 - Perspectives on Black Psychology
3 credit hours
Application of psychological principles to the personality development and behavior patterns of African Americans, in light of cultural heritage and contemporary events. Implications for assessment and counseling.
PSY 3320 - Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology
3 credit hours
Survey of the applications of psychology to business and Industry. Topics will include applied research methods, employee selection, performance appraisal, training, leadership, motivation, work environment, job design, safety, and work stress.
PSY 3590 - Personality
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Historical and contemporary personality theory and research, including the trait, cognitive, and motivational approaches. Topics include personality development, the unconscious, the self, goals, emotions, coping, disorders, and personality change.
PSY 3750 - Introduction to Clinical Psychology
3 credit hours
Reviews the historical background, roles, and responsibilities of clinical psychologists and differentiates their duties from other mental health professionals. Introduces assessment, clinical interventions, and specializations.
PSY 3990 - Research in Psychology
1 to 3 credit hours
Prerequisites: 6 hours of psychology recommended but not required; permission of instructor. Supervised research in current topics in psychology. Contact individual faculty members for research possibilities and requirements. May be repeated. (Students majoring in Psychology or the Pre-graduate School concentration may apply up to 6 hours of credit to the major. Students majoring in I/O Psychology may apply up to 4 hours of credit to the major. Students minoring in Psychology may apply up to 6 hours of credit to the minor.)
PSY 4010 - Laboratory in Psychology: Honors
1 credit hour
May be repeated. Supervised laboratory in an area of psychology related to a content course. The laboratory can only be taken during the semester the student is enrolled in the content course.
PSY 4030 - Psychology of Sensation and Perception
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410 or permission of instructor. Perceptual and physiological (sensory) mechanisms involved in vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Perceptual consequences of central nervous system events. Historical perspectives.
PSY 4040 - Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
3 credit hours
Information processing approach to the study of cognitive processes: attention, perception, memory, language, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.
PSY 4050 - Applied Psychopharmacology
3 credit hours
Reviews current information on major categories of psychoactive drugs used to treat mental disorders and drugs of abuse including mechanisms of action, therapeutic uses, and legal aspects.
PSY 4060 - Sport Psychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410 or consent of instructor. Application of psychological principles, motivational research, and social/psychological findings to the arena of sports. Theory and application of performance enhancement and teamwork in sports.
PSY 4070 - Advanced Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Grade of B- or higher in PSY 3020 or equivalent course. Course topics include multiple regression, factorial ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and categorical data analysis. Designed to prepare students for graduate-level statistics courses often required in master's and doctoral level programs, as well as for employment positions in business and government that require more advanced statistical training.
PSY 4080 - Advanced Research Methods
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Grade of B- or higher in PSY 3070 or equivalent training (POD) and PSY 4070. Design, conduct, analyze, and report psychological research. Advanced research conducted individually or in small groups. Offers preparation for graduate-level research required in master's and doctoral programs and for research applications in business and government settings.
PSY 4110 - Issues and Ethics in Mental Health Services
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: PSY 1410 and PSY 3230. Overview of mental health services that can be provided by the bachelor's graduate. Offers training necessary for entry-level positions in mental health agencies, emphasizing ethical guidelines and legal issues.
PSY 4120 - Psychology of Criminal Behavior
3 credit hours
Survey of theory and research pertaining to criminal behavior, covering topics such as mental illness and crime, criminal homicide, assault, and sex offenses.
PSY 4130 - Laboratory in Psychology
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 4030. Laboratory experiences in sensation and perception.
PSY 4140 - Laboratory in Psychology
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 4040 Laboratory experiences in cognitive psychology.
PSY 4150 - Laboratory in Psychology
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 4240. Laboratory experiences in behavioral neuroscience.
PSY 4180 - Laboratory in Psychology
1 credit hour
Corequisite: PSY 4480. Laboratory experiences in learning theories.
PSY 4190 - Child Development
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 2300 recommended but not required. Intensive research-based overview of child development from conception to adolescence. Includes cognitive, physical, and socioemotional development, as well as the contexts of child development.
PSY 4210 - Adolescent Development
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 2300 recommended but not required. Overview of cognitive, physical, and socioemotional development during adolescence, as well as the contexts of development.
PSY 4220 - Correctional Psychology
3 credit hours
Legal, law enforcement, delinquency, and criminal psychology, including psychological evaluation, classification, therapy, and rehabilitation. Special classifications. Field problems. Preventive implications.
PSY 4240 - Behavioral Neuroscience
3 credit hours
The role of the brain in those areas which are typically considered by psychology, such as sensory and motor functions, motivation, higher mental functions, and mental disorders.
PSY 4260 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 3020 with C- or better. Modern practices in test construction, selection, and application to a variety of situations such as schools, clinics, and businesses.
PSY 4270 - Personnel Selection and Placement
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 3320. Survey of a wide range of personnel selection and placement topics such as job analysis, selection, legal issues, test reliability, test validity, employment interviews, and other variables relating to applicant evaluation, placement, retention, and promotion.
PSY 4290 - Compensation System Design and Administration
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 3320. The role of compensation in human resources. Topics will include strategic choices, job evaluation, salary market data, incentives and pay for performance. Legal and international issues also considered.
PSY 4330 - Industrial and Organizational Training and Development
3 credit hours
Examines training and development methods for use in organizations. Includes learning, needs assessment, program development, different training methods, and program evaluation.
PSY 4340 - Human Factors Psychology
3 credit hours
The process of designing for human use. Considers individual differences, visual, auditory, and tactile displays, anthropometry, illumination, noise, humans in motion, and space and environmental studies.
PSY 4360 - Organizational Psychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410 or PSY 3320. Application of psychology to examine individual and group behavior in organizations; job design and organizational design and their effects upon work behavior; and organizational processes such as leadership, power, and decision-making.
PSY 4370 - Motivation and Work Attitudes
3 credit hours
Understanding and application of motivational theories, particularly in the workplace. Work attitude topics include job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational culture; effects on performance; measurement. Integrations with related topics such as conflict resolution.
PSY 4380 - Group Dynamics
3 credit hours
The functioning of groups. Includes development of group structure, group conflict, cohesion, social influence, leadership, group productivity, group decision making, and growth groups. Classroom activities are supplemented by group projects that may require some out of class meetings.
PSY 4390 - Persuasion
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Survey and analysis of theory and research on interpersonal influence. Applications of findings to various areas of human experience.
PSY 4400 - Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
3 credit hours
Introduces applied behavior analysis and the application of behavior change procedures to enact socially significant behavior change. Will include applications of behavior analysis to self-management, family, education, disability, correctional institutions, clinical settings, and industrial organizations.
PSY 4430 - Ethical Conduct in Behavior Analysis
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Ethical practice and professional roles of behavior analysts.
PSY 4440 - Social Psychology of Close Relationships
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Theoretical and empirical issues in the scientific study of adult, close relationships from a social psychological perspective: initial attraction, relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution. (Not a course in the broad area of marriage and the family: See CDFS 3320 - Family Relations and SOC 2500 - Marriage and Family.)
PSY 4460 - Psychology of Happiness and Well-Being
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410; PSY 2210 and PSY 3230 recommended. Introduces theories and research in psychology that examine topics relevant to the nature of happiness and psychological well-being. Topics covered will include happiness, life satisfaction, creativity, wellness, love, self-actualization, wisdom, as well as a number of others-topics recently discussed under the heading of "positive psychology."
PSY 4470 - Theories of Counseling
3 credit hours
Integration of the major theories of counseling and psychotherapy and their application.
PSY 4480 - Learning Theories
3 credit hours
Survey of research and major theories of learning with emphasis on classical and instrumental conditioning and related topics.
PSY 4490 - Operant Conditioning
3 credit hours
Philosophy of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism explored in his writings and those of his followers and critics. Current applications of behaviorism in all areas of psychology (child, marriage and family, animal conditioning, mental health, addictions, etc.) also examined.
PSY 4600 - Psychosexual Adjustment
3 credit hours
The integration of psychological, social, behavioral, and biological components of the human sexual experience. Examines research, sexual development, attitudes and behaviors, variances and dysfunctions, and strategies for intervention.
PSY 4610 - Adult Development and Aging
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410 and PSY 2300 recommended but not required. A survey of the research on adult development. Examines the physical, intellectual, social, vocational, and personality changes during the adult years.
PSY 4620 - Psychology of Women
3 credit hours
Examines the lives of girls and women in North America, including topics such as gender stereotypes, gender roles, work, relationships, sexuality, physical and mental health, violence against women, and women in later adulthood.
PSY 4630 - Death and Dying
3 credit hours
An experiential course covering the folklore of thanatology, the funeral industry, handling grief, counseling the bereaved, and the hospice concept. Objectives include an attempt to view death with equanimity and personal growth from confronting death.
PSY 4650 - Health Psychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. Focuses on the relationship between psychological factors and health and the application of psychological principles to the enhancement of health and prevention and treatment of illness.
PSY 4655 - Foundations of Mental Health Counseling
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: PSY 1410 and PSY 3230 or equivalent. History, roles, and duties of the professional mental health counselor. Managed care and third party reimbursement issues, administration and supervision of mental health services, and other salient issues relating to the role of the professional mental health counselor. Preparation for graduate-level training in mental health counseling.
PSY 4660 - Psychology Seminar Industrial-Social
1 credit hour
Representative and integrative study of scientific journals of field. May be taken for a total of three credits.
PSY 4670 - Psychology Seminar Clinical-Personality
1 credit hour
Representative and integrative study of scientific journals of field. May be taken for a total of three credits.
PSY 4680 - Psychology Seminar General-Experimental
1 credit hour
Representative and integrative study of scientific journals of field. May be taken for a total of three credits.
PSY 4700 - History and Systems of Psychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Upper-division status; PSY 1410 recommended but not required. A survey of the history of psychology and an intensive study of current systems of psychology.
PSY 4720 - Cross-Cultural Psychology
3 credit hours
Reviews the concept of culture and how this and other demographic factors influence issues in psychology and human experiences including thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
PSY 4730 - Internship: Industrial/Organizational
3 credit hours
Supervised practical experience utilizing psychological principles and tools in an established organization. Pass/Fail.
PSY 4740 - Apprenticeship-Child
1 to 3 credit hours
Supervised practical experience utilizing psychological principles and tools in an established organization.
PSY 4750 - Apprenticeship-Pre-Clinical
1 to 3 credit hours
Prerequisites: PSY 3230 and PSY 4110. Supervised practical experience utilizing psychological principles and tools in an established organization.
PSY 4760 - Apprenticeship-Adolescent
1 to 3 credit hours
Supervised practical experience utilizing psychological principles and tools in an established organization.
PSY 4780 - Human Neuropsychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 4240 or consent of instructor. Organization and function of specific brain areas and the behavioral deficits and changes resulting from focal and diffuse brain damage.
PSY 4810 - Teams in Organizations
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: For students in the Bridgestone program pursuing the Leading Teams certificate. Online course that examines factors contributing to effective work team performance in organizational settings. Includes conditions for team effectiveness, group structure, performance-related emergent cognitive states, group processes supporting team effectiveness, teamwork, organizational supports for teams, and team leadership.
PSY 4820 - Psychology of Language
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: PSY 1410. A cognitive approach to how people learn and use language to communicate. Covers basic and applied psycholinguistics (including language perception, language production, syntax, semantics, discourse comprehension, and language development).
PSY 4830 - Occupational Health Psychology
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: PSY 1410 and PSY 3020 or equivalent statistics course. Focuses on identifying and improving the key health, safety, and well-being issues that employees face.
