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PSYCHOLOGY AT BHSU

The Psychology major at Black Hills State University has a strong tradition of preparing students who excel in graduate programs and in their careers. Students study human behavior and the psychological, social, and biological processes that relate to that behavior. With a degree in Psychology from BHSU, students are successful in graduate school and in pursuing careers as psychologists, social workers, career counselors, personnel and labor relations specialists, market researchers, and data analysts.

Why earn a psychology degree from BHSU?

  • Apply psychological research firsthand by working closely with faculty in conducting cutting-edge research.
  • Study with highly qualified faculty who are experienced as instructors and trained in a variety of theoretical perspectives.
  • Participate in internships that allow you to actually work in the field with practicing psychologists.

As a psychology major at Black Hills State University, you will have the opportunity to assist faculty members in conducting psychological research in your area of study, as well as develop and conduct your own research, all while earning course credit. Our majors have presented research at numerous professional psychological conferences at the regional, national, and international levels and have also published research in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. These research experiences have helped our graduates get into numerous Master’s and Doctoral programs throughout the country and have also prepared students for jobs.

 

Required Core - 19 semester hours

  • 3 PSYC 101  General Psychology
  • 3 PSYC 202  The Psychology Major 
  • 3 PSYC 371  Statistics in Psychological Research 
  • 4 PSYC 373/L  Research Methods/Experimental Psychology AND 373L Lab 
  • 3 PSYC 451  Psychology of Abnormal Behavior 
  • 3 PSYC 489  Senior Capstone

4  Experimental Area - Select one of the following:

  • EXS 250/L Human Anatomy & Physiology/Lab
  • PSYC 301/L Sensation & Perception/Lab
  • PSYC 406/L Cognitive Psychology/Lab

3  Biological/Health Area – Select one of the following: 

  • PSYC 313 Biological Psychology
  • PSYC 417 Health Psychology
  • SOC 471 Medical Sociology

3  Developmental Area – Select one of the following:

  • PSYC 221 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • PSYC 325 Child & Adolescent Psychology
  • PSYC 425 Gerontological Psychology

3  Social-Personality Area – Select one of the following:

  • PSYC 441 Social Psychology 
  • PSYC 461 Theories of Personality

3  Clinical Application Area – Select one of the following:

  • PSYC 365 Contemporary Human Behavior 
  • PSYC 452 Psychology of Trauma 
  • PSYC 453 Introduction to Clinical Psychology

3  Diversity Area - Select one of the following

  • PSYC 266 Psychology of Women
  • PSYC 348 Psychology of Religion
  • PSYC 368 Psychology of Sexuality
  • PSYC 481 Psychology, Law, and Order
  • SOC 483 Sociology of Gender Roles

12  Required Electives - Take 12 credits of PSYC electives

Supportive Electives - Take 1 course from each group below. Courses must be different than those used to satisfy Gen Ed & Major requirements

  • 3  Social Science:  AIS/LAKL, ANTH, GEOG, HIST, POLS, CMST
  • 3  Arts & Humanities:  ART, ARTH, ENGL, FREN, GER, HUM, MCOM, PHIL, RUSS, SPAN, THEA

A minor is required with this major plus electives to total 120 hours, of which 36 hours must be 300-400 level courses.

Minor in Psychology - 21/22 hours - Take the following:

  • 3 PSYC 101 General Psychology
  • 6 PSYC Electives - Take any two courses from PSYC

3 Developmental Electives - Take one of the following:

  • 3 PSYC 221 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • 3 PSYC 325 Child & Adolescent Development
  • 3 PSYC 425 Gerontological Psychology

3 Experimental Electives - Take one course and corresponding lab if applicable.

  • 4 PSYC 301/L Sensation and Perception/Lab
  • 4 PSYC 302/L Principles of Learning & Memory/Lab
  • 3 PSYC 313 Biological Psychology
  • 4 PSYC 373/L Research Methods in Experimental Psychology/Lab
  • 3 PSYC 417 Health Psychology

6 Social-Personality Electives - Take two courses from the following:

  • 3 PSYC 365 Contemporary Human Behavior
  • 3 PSYC 441 Social Psychology
  • 3 PSYC 451 Psychology of Abnormal Behavior
  • 3 PSYC 461 Theories of Personality

*Current students, please refer to the DegreeWorks Dashboard in MyBHSU to confirm your major requirements.

Career Opportunities

There are employment opportunities in a variety of sectors:
» Animal Researcher
» Career Counselor
» Data Analyst
» Environmental Psychologist
» Forensic Psychologist
» Human Resources Specialist
» Human-Computer Interface Designer
» Market Researcher
» Social Worker
» Sports Psychologist
» Treatment Center Specialist
» User Experience Researcher

Student presents research to an audience.

BHSU RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

The Black Hills Research Symposium is an interdisciplinary conference to showcase undergraduate research activity in the Black Hills region. We invite submissions from undergraduate and graduate university students in the Black Hills to present posters or to give oral presentations describing completed scholarly work.

Contact Info

Emilia Flint
Emilia.Flint@bhsu.edu
Jonas Skywalk 215 Map
Phone: 605.642.6514

Chair of School of Behavioral Sciences
Black Hills State University
1200 University St. Unit 9004
Spearfish, SD, USA 57799-9004