Psychology B.A./B.S.

Mission Statement

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The field seeks to understand the biological, social, and cognitive underpinnings of behavior. In doing so, psychology examines nearly every facet of human experience, from memory, to helping behavior, to the nature of prejudice.

The Department of Psychology at Nevada State College is dedicated to providing students with rigorous academic preparation in the science of psychology. This preparation emphasizes an empirical approach to the study of psychology with a concerted focus on the use of research methodology and statistical analysis to solve problems. Psychology students will be introduced to the core areas of the field through a variety of active learning techniques and hands on experiences.

Ultimately, the psychology department aims to cultivate intellectually and emotionally well-rounded students with the knowledge and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in the workplace and in graduate school.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes represent the essential knowledge and abilities a student should acquire upon graduating from the psychology program at NSC. They largely reflect intellectual growth, but the prime components of these outcomes are the confidence and ability to address pertinent real-world problems, particularly through the application of sound quantitative reasoning skills (i.e., knowledge of research methods and statistics).

Critical Thinking

Students will be able to:

• Understand, assess, and apply the statistical analyses and research methodology used in the scientific study of psychological processes
• Use psychological principles and sound quantitative reasoning to analyze, predict, and solve problems associated with human behavior and mental processes

Content

Students will be able to:

• Understand and assess the fundamentals goals and theories of psychology as a science (i.e., to describe, understand, predict, and control behavior and mental processes)
• Apply knowledge from the major psychological disciplines (biological, cognitive, counseling, developmental, and social) to understand and evaluate human behavior and mental processes in their personal and occupational lives

Communication

Students will be able to:

• Understand and apply psychological principles relating to effective communication, including knowledge of attitudes, persuasion, and intergroup and interpersonal processes.
• Possess the ability to communicate psychological ideas and findings in APA-style research reports and presentations

Values

Students will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of factors affecting their role as productive citizens in society, and apply this knowledge to relevant issues such as prejudice, pro-social behavior, leadership, and biases in person perception

• Psychology B.A.
• Psychology B.S.