Course variations

Course summary

This program is designed to highlight social psychology as a product of both parent disciplines, through a single sequence of 12 courses that emphasize the approaches and concerns psychology and sociology have in common and are drawn about equally from the two departments. In addition, the course sequence focuses on how social psychology can be applied to help understand and deal with a variety of social problems and issues. The joint major is expected to be of particular interest to students who: plan to enter helping professions such as social work or counseling, that call for a great deal of social-psychological expertise, are interested in studying ethnic or minority relations, are interested in studying medical sociology, community mental health, or other aspects of health care delivery, are interested in studying organizational training and development, are planning graduate study in social psychology.

Program modules

The program modules are as follows: Course Requirements: PSY 100/101 - Introduction to Psychology; SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology; PSY 330 - Social Psychology or SOC 281 Society and the Individual; SOC 341 - Sociological Theory; SOC L351 - Methods of Sociological Research; PSY 201 - Intro to Behavioral Research or PSY 270 or SOC 350 – Statistics; Psychology, Group A. One of the following courses: PSY 350 - Learning and Memory; PSY 355 - Perception; PSY 360 - Behavioral Neuroscience; Psychology, Group B. One of the following courses: PSY 300 - Personality; PSY 315 - Abnormal Psychology; PSY 341 - Infancy and Child Development; Psychology Directed List: Two of the following courses: PSY 333 - Group Dynamics; PSY 335 - Social Attitudes and Public Opinion; PSY 337 - Communication and Society; PSY 338 - Community Psychology; PSY 339 - Psychology and the Law; PSY 415 - Psychological Trauma: Individual and Society; PSY 434 - Social Perception; PSY 430 - Internship in Psychology (6 credits); PSY 477 - Experimental Methods: Social; PSY 441 - The Family and the Child: A Psychological View; Sociology Directed List: Two of the following courses: SOC 300 - Communication and Opinion; SOC 310 - Socialization; SOC 316 - Family Violence in America; SOC 342 - Aging and Society; SOC 362 - Juvenile Delinquency; SOC 382 - Sociology of Gender; SOC 384 - Medical Sociology; SOC 386 - Sociology of Mental Health and Illness; SOC 460 - Internship in Urban Social Service (6 credits).

Entry requirement for international students

Students should have completed four years of English, three years of college preparatory mathematics (algebra II is a minimum requirement), two years of the same foreign language, three years of science (including two with a laboratory component), two years of social science including one course in U.S. history, and two electives from the above areas, arts and humanities, or computer science. In addition, they must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550-600 on the paper test, 213-250 on the computer-based test, or 79-80 on the TOEFL IBT test, IELTS score of 6.0 or better and SAT or ACT scores are also required. Non-native speakers with a SAT-I verbal score of 400 or higher do not need to take the TOEFL.

Qualification

Major

Awarding body

University Of Massachusetts Boston

Department name

College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology

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