2021-2022
Psychology, Bachelor of Science (accelerated masters degree option)
VCU
Community college:
Associate of Science: Psychology (Northern Virginia Community College)
Associate degree
Program description
The Bachelor of Science in Psychology curriculum reflects the discipline’s major functions- scientific research, teaching, acting as a healing profession and raising philosophical questions about the assumptions, values, and ideals of human beings and their societies, which reflects psychology’s origin in philosophy. Through a core set of requirements, the student systematically develops understanding and skill in scientific methods of inquiry, focusing on the human mind and behavior. To fulfill degree requirements, students may pursue the standard curriculum by selecting courses from four content areas that introduce students to the healing and philosophical sides of psychology and provide a broad understanding of the field as a whole; or the student may apply to one of several more focused concentrations that draw upon the special strengths of the VCU Department of Psychology.
Career opportunities
Some students may choose to study psychology because they enjoy the subject and wish to pursue careers requiring “any major.” In this scenario, it is critical to develop desirable skills through internships, part-time or summer jobs, or volunteer experiences. Some skills valued most by employers include communication, interpersonal leadership, teamwork, and computer skills. Other students may major in psychology because they want to work in a related field.
Many entry-level helping positions are available, however the amount of direct client contact is limited for those who only have a bachelor’s degree. Students may wish to pursue graduate education in psychology, social work, counseling, college student personnel, or other fields to increase opportunities and earning potential. Graduates can also find work with programs such as Americorps, PeaceCorps, Fulbright Student Program, or City Year.
Bachelor-level job titles
- Adult Learning and Instruction
- Human Resources Specialist
- Market Research Analyst
- Marketing Specialist
- Public Relations Specialist
- Recruiter
- Sales Representative
- Social and Human Services Assistant
- Social Science Research Assistant
- Training and Development Specialist
Graduate and professional level job titles
- Attorney
- Counselor
- Higher Education Administrator
- Psychologist
- Researcher
- Therapist
Contact information
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- STAT 210
Science required
- Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
- Yes
Additional tuition/fees
- No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
Transfer major map
2021-2022
Psychology, Bachelor of Science (accelerated masters degree option)
Northern Virginia Community College (Associate of Science: Psychology)
| MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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| Explore | Year 1 |
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| Experience | Year 2 |
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Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Learn about the admissions process by speaking with the VCU Transfer Admissions representative at NOVA.
- Visit the VCU Transfer Admissions webpage.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend cultural events at NOVA and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
- Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Browse careers related to Psychology through the NOVA career planning system.
- Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Understand how you will fund your education by taking advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and explore VCU's Career Pathways.
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
- Take a career assessment through the NOVA career planning system.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Meet with your academic advisor or counselor.
- Complete requirements for the associate’s degree. Earn at least a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 .
- Continue to use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Explore the accelerated BS to M.Ed. in Counselor Education program.
- Explore the different concentrations of the psychology degree.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Research housing for next year.
- Join a professional organization related to psychology: American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options at VCU.
- Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
- Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Speak with employers that visit campus throughout the year.
- Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
- Run for leadership in your student organization.
- If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Recommended courses
2021-2022
Psychology, Bachelor of Science (accelerated masters degree option)
Northern Virginia Community College (Associate of Science: Psychology)
| Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDV 100 (or SDV 101) | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
| ENG 111 | College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education |
| History elective | Select 1: HIS 101 History of Western Civilization I OR HIS 102 History of Western Civilization II OR HIS 111 History of World Civilization I OR HIS 112 History of World Civilization II OR HIS 121 United States History I OR HIS 122 United States History II | HIST | 3 | General education |
| MTH 154 | Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 131 | 3 | General education |
| PSY 200 | Principles of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | Major |
| CST | Select 1: CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking OR CST 110 Introduction to Communication OR CST 126 Interpersonal Communication | SPCH | 3 | Elective |
| ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
| Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | Select 1: ART 101 History and Appreciation of Art I OR ART 102 History and Appreciation of Art II OR MUS 121 Music Appreciation I OR PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy I OR REL 231 Religions of the World I | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
| MTH 245 | Statistics I | STAT 210 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| PSY 200-Level Elective #1 | PSY 216 Social Psychology OR PSY 225 Theories of Personality | PSYC 321 or PSYC 309 | 3 | Major |
| BIO 101 | General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| ENG 2__ Literature | (Select 1): ENG 241 Survey of American Literature I OR ENG 242 Survey of American Literature II OR ENG 243 Survey of English Literature I OR ENG 244 Survey of English Literature II OR ENG 251 Survey of World Literature I OR ENG 252 Survey of World Literature II | ENGL | 3 | General education |
| PSY 213 | Statistics for Behavioral Sciences Note: the VCU equivalent for PSY 213 is subject to review by the Department of Psychology. Please provide syllabus information upon transfer to VCU. | PSYC 2XX | 3 | Major |
| PSY 200-Level Elective #2 | Select 1: PSY 219 Cross-Cultural Psychology OR PSY 260 Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse OR PSY 270 Psychology of Human Sexuality | PSYC 2XX or SOCS 340 | 3 | Elective |
| Social/Behavioral Science | Select 1: PLS 135 American National Politics OR PLS 211 United States Government I OR SOC 200 Principles of Sociology OR SOC 211 Principles of Anthropology I | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
| BIO 102 | General Biology II | BIOL/Z 152 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| PSY 211 | Research Methodology for Behavioral Sciences Note: the VCU equivalent for PSY 211 is subject to review by the Department of Psychology. Please provide syllabus information upon transfer to VCU. | PSYC 2XX | 3 | Major |
| PSY 200-Level Elective #3 | Select 1: PSY 215 Abnormal Psychology OR PSY 240 Health Psychology | PSYC 407 or PSYC 412 | 3 | Major |
| General Education Elective #1 | PSY 230 Developmental Psychology | PSYC 304 | 3 | Major |
| General Education Elective #2 | Select 1: PLS 241 International Relations or REL 231 Religions of the World | POLI 105 or RELS 311 | 3 | General education |
| Northern Virginia credits transferred to VCU | 60 | |||
| Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign language through the 102 level. (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) | 0 to 8 | General education (not waived by associate degree) | |
| PSYC 214 | Application of Statistics (see comment above for PSY 213) | 0 to 3 | Major |
| PSYC 317 | Experimental Methods (see comment above for PSY 211)) | 0 to 3 | Major |
| PSYC 451 | History of Psychology | 3 | Major |
| PSYC | Physiological/learning psychology requirement (select 1): PSYC 401, PSYC 406, or PSYC 410 | 3 | Major |
| PSYC | Self-development/applied psychology requirement (select 1): PSYC 303, PSYC 308, PSYC 310, PSYC 318, PSYC 340, PSYC 407, PSYC 412, PSYC 426 | 3 | Major |
| PSYC | Select three Psychology upper-level elective(300- or 400-level courses) | 9 | Major |
| Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses): consider a minor or a second major Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. | 18 | Elective | |
| Open electives | 18 to 24 | Elective | |
| Credits completed at VCU | 60 | ||
| Bachelor's degree total | 120 | ||