Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science

Psychological Science

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior how individuals think, feel, and behave. Graduates will have a strong background in scientific thinking and be able to apply psychological research and principles to the study of contemporary problems in a variety of fields.

Students in the psychological science program will develop an understanding of:

  • How people perceive and process information and how they use that information to make decisions
  • Psychological theories in a variety of fields including social, cognitive, clinical, industrial-organizational, development, and neuroscience
  • How to apply psychological theories to real-world problems
  • How to design research studies, analyze results, and communicate results to a variety of communities


A flexible curriculum allows the degree to be customized. Students can elect to specialize in clinical/behavioral health, culture and diversity, industrial/organizational, and rehabilitation services. Students will work with a faculty mentor to craft a program of study that supports their interests and career goals. Options for pre-medicine and honors law are available.

All students complete a capstone project designed to integrate and apply the concepts and skills learned throughout the curriculum. The capstone will be an individually tailored project defined in collaboration with a faculty adviser which will typically involve either a field placement or research component.

The psychological science degree will prepare graduates for a wide range of professions in business and industry, community organizations, and health services. The program will also prepare graduates to be competitive for a wide range of graduate training programs in psychology at the masters and doctoral levels. In addition, many students will find psychological science highly beneficial as a pre-professional major for advanced studies in medicine, dentistry, law, business, or public administration.

Required Courses

Psychological Science Requirements (30-31)
PSYC 100Introduction to the Profession2-3
or LCHS 100 Introduction to the Professions
PSYC 204Research Methods in Behavioral Science4
PSYC 221Introduction to Psychological Science3
PSYC 301Industrial Psychology3
or PSYC 303 Introduction to Psychopathology
PSYC 310Social Psychology3
PSYC 320Applied Correlation and Regression3
or PSYC 409 Psychological Testing
Choose four of the following upper-level psychological science courses12
Human Motivation and Emotion3
Neural and Biological Bases of Behavior3
Learning Theory3
Cognitive Science3
Child Development3
Adult Development3
Senior Capstone Project I3
Psychology Electives (15)
Choose 15 credit hours of psychology courses at 300- or 400-level 1,215
Mathematics Requirements (7)
At least three credit hours of MATH 122 or above3
PSYC 203Undergraduate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences4
Computer Science Requirement (2)
CS 105Introduction to Computer Programming2
or CS 110 Computing Principles
Natural Sciences Requirements (10-11)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section D10-11
Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements (21)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, sections B and C21
Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) (6)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section E6
Free Electives (33-35)
Select 33-35 credit hours 233-35

Minimum degree credits required: 126

1

15 credit hours of psychology electives are required (chosen from any psychology course at the 300- or 400-level that is not part of the required core courses), or 15 credit hours in a specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

2

A maximum of three credit hours of PSYC 497 can be earned in any given semester. A maximum of six credit hours of PSYC 497 can be applied as psychology electives. Additional PSYC 497 credit hours may be applied as free electives.

 

Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science Curriculum

Year 1
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 100 or LCHS 1003PSYC 301 or 3033
PSYC 2213Science Elective3
Humanities 200-level Course3Science Lab Elective1
Science Elective3Social Sciences Elective3
Science Lab Elective1Humanities or Social Sciences Elective3
Mathematics Elective13Free Elective3
 16 16
Year 2
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 2034PSYC 2044
PSYC 3103Social Sciences Elective (300+)3
Science Elective3Social Sciences Elective (300+)3
Humanities Elective (300+)3Free Elective3
Humanities Elective (300+)3Free Elective3
 16 16
Year 3
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 320 or 4093Upper-level psychology course23
Upper-level Psychology course23Psychology Elective33
Psychology Elective33CS 105 or 1102
Free Elective3IPRO Elective I3
Free Elective3Free Elective 3
 Free Elective3
 15 17
Year 4
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
Upper-level psychology course23Psychology Elective33
Upper-level psychology course23Psychology Elective33
Psychology Elective33IPRO Elective3
Free Elective3Free Elective3
Free Elective3Free Elective3
 15 15
Total Credit Hours: 126
1

At least three credit hours of MATH 122 or above.

2

Students must complete 4 out of 8 upper-level psychology electives: PSYC 312, PSYC 414, PSYC 423, PSYC 426, PSYC 435, PSYC 436, PSYC 485. For PSYC 485, the capstone project must be approved by capstone faculty mentor.

3

15 credit hours of psychology electives are required (chosen from any psychology course at the 300- or 400-level that is not part of the required core courses), or 15 credit hours in a specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

 

Psychological Science Specializations

Clinical/Behavioral Health Psychology

A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

PSYC 303Introduction to Psychopathology3
PSYC 330Health Psychology3
Select three courses from the following:9
Clinical Psychology: Assessment and Treatment3
Child Development3
Adult Development3
Child and Adolescent Disorders3
Behavior Change Principles and Practice3

Culture and Diversity

A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

Select five courses from the following:15
Prejudice and Stigma3
Cross-Cultural Psychology3
Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions3
Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling3
Global Chicago3
Social Inequality3
Problems of Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Religious States3

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

PSYC 301Industrial Psychology3
Select four courses from the following:12
Applied Correlation and Regression3
Cross-Cultural Psychology3
Psychological Testing3
Development and Evaluation of Training in Organizations3
Groups and Leadership at Work3

Rehabilitation

A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization. Note that courses taken in the required core psychological science curriculum cannot be counted towards specialization requirements. Only six credit hours in a specialization may be taken in a field outside of psychology.

PSYC 410Introduction to Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling3
PSYC 411Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions3
PSYC 412Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling3
PSYC 583Rehabilitation Engineering Technology I: Survey of Interdisciplinary Application of RET3
PSYC 590Psychiatric Rehabilitation3