Psychology, Bachelor of Arts
Students who earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology may pursue graduate studies, or work in a field where a solid grounding in human behavior is needed. Students focus on areas of particular interest through coursework in various subject areas, including adult or child counseling, Indigenous research, biological psychology, school-based counseling, administration/management, human relations, or law enforcement. Coursework in the BA program draws from multiple academic departments at Salish Kootenai College.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Objectives
The curriculum of the Psychology Bachelor of Arts program is intended to:
- Provide a generalist degree with coursework across a broad range of subject areas in psychology and other disciplines
- Train students in a variety of skills, including computer applications, written communication, speaking and presentations, and interpersonal relations
- Address the educational needs of Tribal College students who live and work in a reservation setting
- Provide coursework that helps prepare the student to use psychology in a multicultural context, with specific emphasis on Native American cultures and values
- Increase skills in understanding and applying research methodology using both Western and Indigenous styles of research
- Offer upper division psychology courses in preparation for graduate studies
- Offer a broad-based program for careers requiring knowledge and understanding of human behavior.
Student Learning Outcomes
In addition to the Learning Outcomes for the Associate of Arts, upon completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree, students will:
- Show development of a broad knowledge base in psychology subject areas, including an awareness of ethical issues in the fields of psychology and counseling
- Develop baccalaureate level skills in psychological writing, public speaking, computer applications and interpersonal communication
- Demonstrate understanding and application of research methodology as applied to Western and Indigenous styles of research, including use of psychological literature to find, review, understand and keep current in the subject areas of psychology
- Apply knowledge of psychology to real-world situations in meaningful ways across multiple settings and conditions
- Continue to develop self-knowledge and its application to interpersonal psychology, including the ability to understand and assess the influence of one’s own perspectives, abilities, strengths and weaknesses
- Develop flexibility in working within and across cultures by building upon cultural knowledge and awareness
- Integrate Native American cultural perspectives into knowledge and application of psychology and counseling theory and be able to apply this knowledge to issues, perspectives and situations encountered in a reservation setting
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology curriculum is organized to serve two general purposes. It is an appropriate degree for students who plan to go to graduate school in Psychology, Counseling , Mental Health, School Counseling , or Law . The curriculum is designed for students who may pursue either a Master’s Degree or a Ph.D.
The degree also serves as a broad-based program for students who want to enter the workforce after earning a Bachelor’s degree. Students may enter psychology fields such as Mental Health or Case Management or non-psychology fields such as Personnel, Human Resources, Administration, Corrections, Law Enforcement, or any field requiring an understanding of human behavior.
The Psychology degree balances psychology course work with coursework in concentration areas of the student’s choice. The concentration area is made up of Focus Electives selected by the student in consultation with their advisor and in pursuit of their educational/career goals. In Focus Courses, students may learn practical skills that are helpful in a variety of careers, such as electronic data management, grant writing, conflict resolution, Native American policy, public presentation, and so on.
Students select 9 Focus Credits covering a range of skills related to their career goals, in addition to 9 credits in Psychology and 6 credits in Native American Studies .
Senior Capstone: All students develop a Senior Capstone project, in which they deeply explore a topic in psychology, while demonstrating and refining their investigative and written communication skills. Projects include perspectives related to Indigenous psychology. Format may be a literature review or a small empirical study. The Capstone project culminates in an APA-style paper and formal presentation during spring quarter of the 4th year.
Junior Year Entry
Upon completion of the AA Psychology degree or equivalent AA degree, students may apply to the Bachelor of Arts program. The Junior Year Placement Application helps determine the student’s writing proficiency at time of entry into the BA program, and informs the student of behavioral and professional expectations for upper division psychology students. The Placement Application includes: Completed Application , TABE Writing test scores (current) , Psychology writing proficiency exercise; and Signed statement of understanding and willingness to follow guidelines set out in the SKC Psychology Student Conduct Code and Guidelines for Professional Development.
Requirements:
- A student must maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 in the upper two years of the psychology program in order to graduate with the Bachelor of Arts degree
- Students are expected to comply with campus conduct codes as delineated in the SKC Student Handbook and the SKC Psychology Student Conduct Code and Guidelines for Professional Development (see Psychology page of the SKC website)
- See SKC Catalog Course Descriptions for specific prerequisites
- A student must maintain a 3.0 in the Writing Sequence classes (see below), and must attain a grade of B in ENGL 306
Writing Sequence: Successful completion (3.0) in the following 2 courses:
Curriculum
Fall (Third Year)
| PSYC 301 | Seminar in Upper Division Psych | 1 |
| MEDA 101 | Introduction to Media Design | 5 |
| ENGL 306 | Writing Research Papers | 3 |
| SCWK 203 | DomesticVio: Break the Cyc of Abuse | 2 |
| SCWK 160 | Intro to Addiction Studies | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Winter (Third Year)
| PSYC 301 | Seminar in Upper Division Psych | 1 |
| PSYC 315 | Biological Psychology | 5 |
| SPCH 360 | Professional Presentation Skills | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| FOCUS | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring (Third Year)
ELECTIVE
| OPEN | 2 |
| HMNT 301 | Social and Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| MATH 241 | Statistics & Lab | 5 |
| NASD 301 | Living in Two Worlds | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Fall (Fourth Year)
| PSYC 372 | Adv Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 415 | Counseling Methods | 5 |
| PSYC 472 | Indig Resch Methodologies in Psyc | 5 |
ELECTIVE
| (Studio Arts) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Winter (Fourth Year)
| PSYC 450 | Capstone I | 3 |
| PSYC 405 | Exploring Community Networking | 1 |
| NASD 210 | Introduction to Indigenous Science | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| FOCUS | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| NASD (from List) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring (Fourth Year)
| PSYC 451 | Capstone II | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| FOCUS | 3 |
ELECTIVE
| NASD (from List) | 3 |
ELECTIVES
| OPEN | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Bachelor of Arts NASD CREDITS (12 required; selected from list, or by advisor consent)
| EDUC 235 | Introduction to Indian Education | 3 |
| NASD 102 | Flathead Reserv Hist Before1850 | 3 |
| NASD 103 | Flathead Reserv History 1850 - 1910 | 3 |
| NASD 106 | Pre-European Contact | 3 |
| NASD 176 | Intro of Traditional Tool Making | 3 |
| NASD 215 | North American Archaeology; Indigen | 3 |
| NASD 225 | American Ind. Ed. & Federal Policy | 3 |
| NASD 250 | History of Federal Indian Policy | 5 |
| NASD 252 | History of Tribal Government | 3 |
| NASD 262 | Contemporary Issues | 3 |
| NASD 270 | Native American Wellness | 3 |
| NASD 305 | Native American Women | 3 |
| NASD 306 | Gender & Identity in Indian Country | 3 |
| NASD 307 | Native American Leaders after 1900 | 3 |
| NASD 308 | Ethnobotany | 3 |
| NASD 310 | Museum Sci & Apps in Indian Country | 3 |
| NASD 330 | History of Native Economics | 3 |
NASD 450
| | |
NASL
| Any Native American Language Course | 3 |
Bachelor of Arts FOCUS CREDITS (9 required; selected from list, or by advisor consent)
Focus courses are selected from the following list in consultation with advisor, according to student educational goals. Additional Upper Division Psychology courses can be used as Focus courses when Psychology electives are completed.
NASD 102, NASD 103, NASD 105, NASD 106, NASD 215, NASD 225, NASD 250, NASD 252, NASD 262, NASD 270, NASD 271, NASD 305, NASD 306, NASD 307, NASD 320, NASD 325, NASD 330, NASD 415, NASD 441, NASD 443: also on NASD B.A. List; can be used for EITHER (but not both) Focus or NASD course.
Total Credit Hours: 184