Psychology

As a diverse discipline that encompasses many fields of inquiry, a minor in psychology would not only complement but add value to any baccalaureate degree. Psychology it is an excellent way to supplement any major field of study. There are a variety of majors offered at the college including nursing, paralegal studies, health communications, human services, computer systems, and architecture (just to name a few) that can easily accommodate the required 15 credits that are needed for a minor in psychology.

Students who choose to complete an academic minor in psychology add to their understanding of how humans think, feel, and act, skills beneficial when interacting with others both personally and professionally. Because the academic minor in psychology can be adapted to easily fit almost any degree offered at City Tech, it works well with almost any occupational choice.

For students interested in continuing their studies beyond the minor, they will find that every senior college across CUNY offers both Master and Ph.D. programs in psychology.

Learning Outcomes:

Goal 1. Knowledge Base of Psychology: Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

1.1 Characterize the nature of psychology as a discipline

• Explain why psychology is a science with the primary objectives of describing, understanding, predicting, and controlling behavior and mental processes.

• Interpret behavior and mental processes at an appropriate level of complexity recognizing the power of the context in shaping conclusions about the individual

• Recognize the power of the context in shaping conclusions about the individual and examination of sociocultural contexts that influence individual differences

• Compare and contrast the nature of psychology with other disciplines (e.g., biology, economics, political science) including the identification of potential contributions of psychology to interdisciplinary collaboration

1.2 Describe applications of psychology

• Describe examples of relevant and practical applications of psychological principles to everyday life and predict how individual differences influence beliefs, values, and interactions with others

Goal 2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking

2.1 Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena

• Identify the value and limitations of using theories to explain behavioral phenomena

• Understand the importance of asking relevant questions to gather more information about behaviors

• Practice strategies to minimize committing common fallacies in thinking that impair accurate conclusions and predictions

2.2 Demonstrate psychology information literacy

• Identify and navigate psychology databases and other legitimate sources of psychology information

• Interpret simple graphs and statistical findings

2.3 Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research

• Describe research methods used by psychologists including their respective advantages and disadvantages

• Replicate or design and conduct simple scientific studies to support a testable

2.4 Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry

• Analyze potential challenges related to sociocultural factors in a given research study

• Identify under what conditions research findings can be appropriately generalized to the population

Goal 3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World

3.1 Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice

• Describe key regulations in the APA Ethics Code for protection of human or nonhuman research participants

• Recognize relevant ethical issues that reflect principles in the AP Ethics Code

• Describe the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB)

3.2 Build and enhance interpersonal relationships

• Describe the need for positive personal values (e.g., integrity, benevolence, honesty, respect for human dignity) in building strong relationships with others

• Explain how individual differences, social identity, and worldviews may influence beliefs, values, and interaction with others

• Maintain high standards for academic integrity

3.3 Adopt values local, national and global levels

• Identify aspects of individual and cultural diversity and the interpersonal challenges that often result from diversity and context

• Explain how psychology can promote civic, social, and global outcomes that benefit others and the importance of accepting opportunities to serve others through civic engagement and volunteer service.

• Articulate psychology's role in developing, designing, and disseminating public policy

Goal 4. Communication

4.1 Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes

• Recognize writing content and format differ based on purpose (e.g., blogs, memos, journal articles) and audience along with the importance of using expert feedback to revise writing of a draft

• Write using APA style guidelines

• Interpret quantitative data displayed in statistics, graphs, and tables, including statistical symbols

4.2 Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes

• Construct plausible written and oral arguments based on a psychological study

• Deliver brief presentations within appropriate constraints (e.g., time limit, appropriate to audience) using appropriate visual support

• Anticipate answers to questions about psychological content

4.3 Interact effectively with others

• Recognize that culture, values, and biases may produce misunderstanding in both written and oral communication and attend to non-verbal cues

• Generate questions to reduce ambiguous communication

• Use social media responsibly

Goal 5. Professional Development

5.1 Apply psychological content and skills to career goals

• Recognize the value and application of research and problem-solving skills in providing evidence beyond opinion to support proposed solutions

• Expect and adapt to the complexity of interactions, including factors related to diverse backgrounds and work organizations.

• Apply the ethical principles of psychology to non-psychology professional settings

5.2 Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation

• Pursue and respond appropriately to feedback from mentors, supervisors, and others to improve performance

• Attend to and monitor the quality of their own thinking using metacognitive strategies

5.3 Refine project management skills

• Describe the processes and strategies necessary to develop a project to fulfill its intended purpose

• Identify appropriate resources and constraints that may influence completion of a project

5.4 Enhance teamwork capacity

• Recognize the potential for developing stronger solutions through shared problem solving

• Recognize strategies used by effective group leaders

• Describe the importance of working effectively in diverse environments

5.5 Develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation

• Recognize the skill sets desired by employers who hire or select people with psychology backgrounds

• Recognize how rapid social change influences behavior and affects one’s value in the workplace

Progression and Graduation Requirements:

• All courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

• A minimum of 9 credits must be taken at City Tech.

Advisement Information

If you’re interested in declaring and earning an academic minor in Psychology, please consult the Academic Minors page for more information about minors and to download the appropriate forms. The coordinator for this academic minor is Professor Marie Parnes.