Calendar
  • Athabasca University
  • Calendar
  • Undergraduate Calendar
  • Program regulations
  • Degrees
  • Bachelor of Arts, Psychology Major
  • Home
  • Undergraduate Calendar
    • 2022-2023 Undergraduate Calendar
    • General information
      • General information
      • Glossary
      • Important dates
      • Student identification cards
      • Legal notes and regulations
    • Admission, registration, and evaluation
      • Admission
      • Admission status
      • Part-time/full-time students
      • Enrolment status
      • Program information
      • English language proficiency
      • Registration
      • Course procedures
      • Grouped study courses
      • Challenge for credit
      • Evaluations and transfer credit
      • Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
      • Letter of Permission
      • Graduation
    • Program regulations
      • Programs
      • Degrees
        • Degree subjects
        • Arts degrees
        • Commerce degrees
        • General Studies degrees
        • Health Administration degrees
        • Human Resources and Labour Relations degrees
        • Management degrees
        • Nursing degrees
        • Professional arts degrees
        • Science degrees
      • University certificates
        • List of university certificates
      • University Diploma in Arts
      • English Language Proficiency Program
      • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Inclusive Education
      • Archived program regulations
    • Examinations and grades
      • Exams and grades
      • Requesting your exam
      • Preparing for your exam
      • Writing your exam
      • Proposing new invigilators
      • Unwritten/multiple exams
      • Supplemental exams
      • Grouped study examinations
      • Transcript requests
      • Marks and grades
    • Fees and refunds
      • Fees, refunds, and financial assistance
      • Fee summary
      • Canadian student fees
      • Canadian senior student fees
      • Non-Canadian student fees
      • Students living outside Canada
      • Students living outside Canada (enrolled prior to July 27, 2017)
      • Academic related fees
      • Estimated program fees
      • Challenge for credit fees
      • Students' Union and Alumni Relations fees
      • Other fees
      • Courses with no course material fees
      • Refunds
      • Delinquent accounts
      • Financial assistance
      • Receipts and T2202
      • Methods of payment
  • Graduate Calendar
    • 2022-2023 Graduate Calendar
    • Faculty of Business
      • Overview
      • Master of Business Administration
      • Doctor of Business Administration
      • Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Management
      • Graduate Diploma in Management
    • Faculty of Health Disciplines
      • Overview
      • Master of Counselling
      • Graduate Diploma in Counselling
      • Post-Master's Certificate in Counselling
      • Master of Health Studies
      • Master of Nursing – Generalist
      • Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner
      • Post-Master's Diploma – Nurse Practitioner
    • Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
      • Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
      • Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies
      • Graduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting
      • Graduate Diploma in Heritage Resources Management
      • Master of Education in Open, Digital, and Distance Education*
      • Doctor of Education (EdD) in Distance Education
      • Graduate Diploma in Distance Education Technology
      • Graduate Diploma in Instructional Design
      • Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design
      • Graduate Certificate in Technology-Based Learning
    • Faculty of Science and Technology
      • Overview
      • Master of Science in Information Systems
      • Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics
      • Graduate Certificate in Information Technology Management
      • Graduate Certificate in Information Security
      • Graduate Diploma in Architecture
      • Graduate Diploma in Architecture
    • Additional Information
      • Additional information
      • Glossary
      • English language proficiency requirements
      • Graduate policies and procedures
      • Resources
      • Student Code of Conduct and Right to Appeals
      • Legal notes and regulations

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology Major

Regulations effective September 1, 2022.

The mission of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) is to strengthen your critical and creative thinking by offering a broad range of social, political, and cultural programs of study. A liberal arts education from Athabasca University is designed to broaden your perspective on local and global affairs, encourage community and social involvement, and prepare you for lifelong learning and occupational diversity.

The Bachelor of Arts (4-year) provides students with a broad, flexible education that allows them to develop, understand, and disseminate knowledge, to think critically, and to build on these abilities. In addition, the four-year degree fully prepares students for most graduate programs. Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with a Major are expected to have gained sufficient analytical and critical thinking skills to be able to engage in independent research in their chosen major. Athabasca University does not offer an Honours BA.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (3-year) program who wish to transfer to the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program must complete a new Undergraduate General Application Form. Previous education will be reassessed and students will be notified of the results.

Psychology Major

Athabasca University’s Psychology program is designed to develop or expand your knowledge of the broad field of psychology. Both the concentration and major degree programs will provide grounding in foundational courses central to psychology as a science. Students who complete the degree will gain useful skills and knowledge that are applicable to general employment across a number of fields, such as business, management, government research, program evaluation, human services, and law, as well as graduate studies in psychology and related disciplines.

Planning your program

Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.

Counselling Services offers an assessment website, "Mapping Your Future: Your Career and Athabasca University."

Athabasca University has developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating. 

Program requirements

Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.

Although you may change majors, a major must be selected when you enrol in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program.

You are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in your program. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.

The degree conversion provision is available to Athabasca University students who have been awarded a three-year AU degree and wish to convert to a four-year degree. For more information about this regulation, please review the Undergraduate Degree Conversion From Three- to Four-Year Program Policy

Students must meet the following English writing skills requirement:

  • hold credit in ENGL 255 (Students are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in their program.);
    or
  • have a grade of B- (70 per cent) or better in an Athabasca University English course above the preparatory (100) level;
    or
  • receive credit for an English course in which a grade of B- or better was achieved.

Students in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program, as either a first or second undergraduate degree, generally have the option to combine two majors if they wish. Students who undertake double majors must fulfill all requirements for both majors. Depending upon the majors chosen, this may greatly restrict course selection (particularly in the second undergraduate degree program) or require the completion of more than 120 credits. Students considering enrolling in double majors should consult with an Athabasca University advisor for assistance in selecting their programs and courses.

You may change majors at any time. You will be placed in the current regulations. If you wish to remain in the regulations that were in effect at the time of your original enrolment, contact Admissions and Evaluations Services. Please reference the appropriate Calendar, e.g., 2012-2013 regulations. To request a change of major, complete and submit a new Undergraduate General Application Form. No fees are required.

In the Bachelor of Arts (4-year), students have the option of taking a minor in addition to their major. Although students must declare a major when they become BA (4-year) program students, they may declare a minor at any point in their studies. A BA minor comprises 30 credits distinct from the major in a related discipline in the Humanities or Social Sciences offered at Athabasca University. At least 15 of the 30 minor credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. If they choose a minor, students must still complete all requirements of the major. No course can be used to complete requirements for both the major and the minor. The minor will be recorded on the transcript. Available BA minors are:

  • Anthropology
  • Canadian Studies
  • English
  • French
  • Global Studies
  • Heritage Resources Management
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Inclusive Education
  • Labour Studies
  • Philosophy
  • Political Economy
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Sociology
  • Women’s and Gender Studies

Program structure

Program structure
Total credits in the program 120
Minimum credits required
At the senior (300 or 400) level
(including 18 credits at the 400 level)		 75
In the major (compulsory)
* may be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major		 45*
Minimum senior-level credits in major (including a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 level) 30
Arts (Humanities and social sciences) 96
  • Humanities, a minimum of
  • Social science, minimum of
 18
18
Science 6
Residency requirement. A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University. 30
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. 24
Minor (optional)
Minimum credits in the minor
(including a minimum of 15 credits at the 300 and 400 level)		 30
Students may not apply a course to both the major and the minor.
Maximum credits allowed
In any one discipline 60
Applied studies 18
At the preparatory level 6
At junior level in any one discipline 15
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits 9

Additional Psychology Major requirements

Requirements in addition to the general program requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with Major:

45 credits in designated Psychology Major courses including 30 senior (300 or 400) level credits in designated Psychology Major courses, including 12, 400-level credits. The senior-level courses in the required core are included as part of these 30 credits.

Required courses

(15 credits)

required core courses
An introductory statistics course selected from one of the following: (3)
MATH 215
or
MATH 216
or
SOCI 301		 Introduction to Statistics
or
Computer-Oriented Approach to Statistics
or
Social Statistics

Notes:

  1. We strongly recommend that students consider taking MATH 216 for this requirement as most quantitative data analysis is completed using computer software and this is a valuable skill both for future study and work in various fields.
  2. We also strongly recommend that students take MATH 315 as a psychology elective, after completing the required course. Many undergraduate programs include an intermediate statistics course and some graduate programs may expect it as a requirement for admission. A fuller understanding of statistical analysis will also provide students with an advantage when reading the empirical literature.
PSYC 289 Psychology as a Natural Science (3)
PSYC 290 General Psychology (3)
PSYC 375 History of Psychology (3)
PSYC 304 Research Methods in Psychology (3)

Foundational courses

A minimum of 15 credits selected from the following foundational courses:

foundational courses
PSYC 323 Developmental Psychology
Note: PSYC 228 and PSYC 323 are precluded courses, however, only PSYC 323 may be used for foundational course credit in the degree program.		 (3)
PSYC 355 Cognitive Psychology (3)
PSYC 356 Introduction to Personality Theories and Issues (3)
PSYC 379 Social Psychology (3)
PSYC 387 Learning (3)
PSYC 302 Biological Psychology (3)
PSYC 435 Abnormal Psychology (3)

Electives

The remaining 15 elective psychology credits may be completed by taking the following courses:

electives
PSYC Any PSYC course, including those from the Foundational Courses listed above
MATH 315 Methods in Applied Statistics (see Note #2 in Required Courses above) (3)
A maximum of one (1) course from the following list:
CRJS 360 The Psychology of Criminal Behavior (3)
ORGB 327 Leadership in Organizations (3)
ORGB 364 Organizational Behaviour (3)

Second undergraduate degree

Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Students who have completed a previous undergraduate degree must enter the second undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (4-year) degree and follow these regulations. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.

Program structure

Program structure
Total new credits not applied from a previous degree
* May be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major.		 60*
Minimum credits required
At the senior level (including 18 credits at the 400 level) 48‡
‡ May be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major.
Arts (Humanities and social science) 48
  • Humanities
  • Social science
9
9
Science 6
Residency requirement. A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University. 30
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. 24
Maximum credits allowed
In any one discipline 45
Applied studies 12
At the preparatory level 0
At junior level in any one discipline 12
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) credits
** A maximum of 39 PLAR credits is allowed if you declare a Labour Studies major.		 9**
Major (compulsory)
Minimum senior (300 or 400) level credits in major (including 12 credits at the 400 level) 30
Information effective Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023.

Updated January 17, 2023 by Office of the Registrar (calendar@athabascau.ca)

https://www.athabascau.ca/calendar/2022/ 82572dd30a2a55f3406c7062b5f72afe