Psychology Program Course Overview
As mentioned earlier, degree programs in psychology emphasize understanding of many different fields of study in order to improve the applicability of the field of psychology. Furthermore, as psychology degrees provide good knowledge for many career options post-graduation, it is beneficial to have experience beyond psychology when working toward a degree in psychology. Given the amount of material covered in psychology programs, here are several topics which are sure to be covered in psychology classes.
Theories in Psychology
Psychology theories form the basis for further training in the field of psychology. Fundamental psychological theories have been produced throughout history as a result of either writings by philosophers or studies conducted by academics. For example, a very famous theory (which is often disputed, however) is Abraham Maslow’s theory of a human hierarchy, often known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy”. This theory put forth that while all humans have different needs, all needs can be categorized into five specific categories, ranging from most to least important to human survival. Since the creation of Maslow’s Hierarchy, many studies since have used ideas from this theory in other applications of psychology.
Statistical and Research Methods
Since psychology is becoming increasingly driven through statistical research, many programs have been increasing the amount of statistics coursework they require for graduation. While most programs require one semester of statistics coursework, Bachelor of Science degrees may stress a year or even more of statistics coursework.
In addition to statistical methods, courses emphasizing effective writing are becoming increasingly popular among today’s psychology programs. Since presenting academic research in journals requires a writing style which is argumentative yet inclusive, it is necessary to expect to take courses which develop your skills as a writer in addition to a competent researcher.
Biological Sciences
Many recent developments in psychology have resulted from the usage of biology or chemistry in studying the brain and nervous system. Since research in the field of psychology has incorporated many aspects of laboratory work in biology and chemistry, it will be helpful to gain knowledge in these fields during your undergraduate coursework to be able to work in pertinent fields in the future.
An example of the incorporation of biological sciences has been the use of magnetic resonance imaging devices, or MRIs, in clinical psychology. One of the main benefits of MRI scans is that it is able to differentiate between hard and soft tissue in human bodies. A major breakthrough resulting from this has been the ability to diagnose brain tumors, which historically have affected human behavior by disturbing a part of the brain.
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