Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology
As a psychology major, you’ll study human behavior, something our species has been curious about for centuries. How does the brain work? How do humans develop and make decisions? What goes wrong in this process, and how can we help? You’ll learn to explore these questions and many more.
Our program builds the groundwork for successful employment after graduation in human services, management, sales, student affairs, law or health-related fields like medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and nursing, among many others.
Students are prepared to enter graduate level training in practitioner-oriented fields like counseling, criminology or social work as well as research-oriented fields like cognitive or behavioral neuroscience and quantitative psychology.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology
Psychology majors have an option to pursue either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. A Bachelor of Science degree provides preparation for students who are interested in more research-oriented graduate training or health-related professional schools. When deciding what psychology degree to pursue, it is important to consider your goals after graduating from the university. Both degree tracks require the same number of hours required to graduate.
Psychology Minor
With a psychology minor, you will study the overarching themes of psychology to develop a working knowledge of scientific reasoning, interpret key themes, conduct basic psychological research and adopt values that build community at local, national and global levels. Use these skills to supplement your current major and get ahead in your eventual career.
Neuroscience
If you're interested in a career in neuroscience, biomedical sciences or healthcare, consider our interdisciplinary neuroscience major or neuroscience minor. The B.S. in neuroscience is ideal for students on the pre-medical track or who plan to enter graduate school in the field. The minor in neuroscience couples well with the B.A. in psychology to give students a strong background in how the nervous system works, from social and behavioral to cellular and molecular levels.
Undergraduate Awards
Each year the Department of Psychology presents awards to our exceptional undergraduate students. These honors recognize excellence in academic achievement, research and service and can help you stand out as you pursue future graduate study or career opportunities.
The Psychological Service Award recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of an undergraduate student in psychological service. It is awarded to a psychology major (students with a minimum of 90 credit hours, 60 hours on the USC Columbia campus, 15 out of 60 hours on the USC Columbia campus in psychology major credits), with a 3.0 minimum GPA, and participation in a broadly defined psychological service. To apply for this award, please submit a one page summary of a service experience, a current resume or a CV, and a letter of support from a faculty member. Applications should be submitted to the Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator (Connie Outen, couten@mailbox.sc.edu) via email. The winner of this award will be determined by the Undergraduate Program Committee.
The Roger W. Black Award recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of an undergraduate student in psychological research. It is awarded to a psychology major (students with a minimum of 90 credit hours, 60 hours on the USC Columbia campus, 15 out of 60 hours on the USC Columbia campus in psychology major credits), with a 3.0 minimum GPA, and participation in psychological research project. To apply for this award, please submit a one page summary of a research experience, a current resume or a CV, and a letter of support from a faculty member. Applications should be submitted to the Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator (Connie Outen, couten@mailbox.sc.edu) via email. The winner of this award will be determined by the Undergraduate Program Committee.
The M. Kershaw Walsh Award is given to the graduating senior Psychology major with the highest overall GPA. The winner(s) of this award will be determined by the Undergraduate Program Committee. No application is required.
The Kendra Cusaac Community Engagement and Leadership Award recognizes outstanding leadership in community service activities. It is awarded to a rising junior Psychology major (students with a minimum of 45 credit hours obtained from the USC Columbia campus) who has community service experience. To apply for this award, please submit a resume or CV, an unofficial transcript, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the Psychology Department and a letter of recommendation from a person involved with your primary community service activity. In addition, please submit a 500 word essay on the following topic:
Dr. Cusaac stressed the importance of leadership in the community, the importance of positivity and persistence toward one’s goals and the relevance of Psychology courses to life. Discuss how an experience from one of your Psychology courses has influenced your community engagement and leadership activities.