The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree is intended for those students who will seek employment at the baccalaureate level or enrollment in a wide variety of master’s or doctoral programs. These programs may be research-oriented (e.g., social, developmental, industrial/organizational and some areas of clinical psychology) or more applied in nature (e.g., counseling, social work, organizational behavior, business administration, school psychology, guidance counseling, law). The student may not earn both a B.S. and a B.A. in Psychology.
Mission
Psychology has become one of the most popular majors for undergraduate students at UT. The mission of the program is to give students the tools necessary to think scientifically about human behavior, appreciate the diversity of behavior and experience and pursue a variety of postgrad career options.
Topics of Study
All psychology majors complete a set of foundation courses (17 credit hours) that teach the history and breadth of the field. Students also take 20 credits of required courses from the various emphasis areas including cognitive, social, clinical or organizational, developmental and biopsychology plus an additional eight hours of psychology courses. The range of courses and topics includes:
- Abnormal Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Psychology of Child Development
- Industrial Psychology
- Behavior Modification
- Health Psychology
- Social Psychology
- The Cognition of Game Playing
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Psychology of Personal Relationships
- Psychopharmacology
- Consumer Psychology
- Bilingualism, Biculturalism and Cognition
The B.A. requires a minimum of 45 credits in psychology classes plus MAT 160 (four credits).
Student organizations
- The Psychology Club focuses on increasing awareness about psychology, unifying students who have an interest in the field of psychology and assisting with academic development through study groups.
- Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. The UT campus chapter hosts educational and social events throughout the year.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Psychology students can benefit greatly from working in their specific areas of interest. For qualified students, internships are available with local organizations and businesses. Students can also work with faculty on research projects or to prepare a senior thesis in preparation for graduate school. A master’s or doctoral degree and a license (clinical, counseling or school psychology) are required of most psychologists.
Past internships have included opportunities with:
- Florida Institute of Mental Health
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Glazer Children's Museum
- Project Return
- Prudential
- Pepin Academies
- Tampa General Hospital
- The Spring
Job opportunities with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Psychology:
- Education (teachers, career advisors)
- Health Care (hospitals, physician’s offices and outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers)
- Government agencies (correctional facilities, law enforcement)
- Businesses (advertising, marketing, or human resources professional, human factors engineer, quality assurance tester)
- Human Services (case management, child life specialist, community organizer)
An undergraduate degree in psychology from UT provides students with skills employers seek including communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, research and time management skills.
Our undergraduate degree also prepares students to pursue graduate degrees in psychology (Master’s, Psy.D., Ph.D.) or other related fields.