The Psychology department provides students with a background in the major areas of expertise within the modern discipline of psychology.
New Graduate Program Debuts
In fall 2010, Old Westbury will begin offering a program of study leading to a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Offered at the affordable price of SUNY tuition, Old Westbury’s two-year, 60-credit program prepares students to earn licensure in New York State. To learn more about this program, visit the Psychology Department's Majors and Minors page.
Those earning a degree and subsequent licensure as Mental Health Counselors are prepared to practice independently or in community agencies, managed behavioral health care organizations, integrated delivery systems, hospitals, employee assistance programs and substance abuse treatment centers.
Undergraduate Opportunity
An undergraduate major in psychology leads to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Completion of requirements for a Bachelor's degree in psychology ensures that students have been given an extensive background in research methods and have been introduced to the basic areas of specialization within psychology.
To this end, the curriculum is designed around a set of required courses called The Core which includes Introduction to Psychology, a sequence of three Research Methods courses, Field Research and a Senior Seminar in a specialized area of interest. In addition to The Core, students choose five elective courses from three broad areas of subject matter: Group A, which consists of courses in physiological and cognitive psychology, Group B, which are courses in developmental, social and clinical psychology, and Group C, courses in cross-cultural and gender psychology. Finally, a student takes at least one more elective from any one of the three groups.
