psy101

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY

Student Guide

ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
Introduction
The human mind is a complex organic system. If the human mind intrigues you, then you should consider pursuing a degree in Psychology. Psychologists study the human mind and try to provide assistance to those who are having problems stemming from mental disorders. Consider an exciting career in Psychology with a Psychology Associate's Degree. Students in this programme will complete a variety of courses designed to provide them with the foundation knowledge and skills in a variety of areas of Psychology
Programme Goals
This programme aims to provide participants with:
1. The necessary skills and knowledge so that he or she will understand how the human mind works and how to recognize mental illnesses.
2. A qualification that is useful in the private and public sector to further their careers. Many Businesses are realising the importance of having somebody with knowledge of Psychology especially in areas such as advertising.
3. The essential groundwork needed to eventually work as a clinical psychologist once they go on to pursue graduate degrees.
Programme Objectives
1. To provide participants with a well rounded academic background in the theories and principles of Psychology.
2. To develop and enhance the organizational and analytical skills of participants with specific reference to Psychology.
3. To help participants apply classroom solutions to real life problems
Programme Structure
The Associate of Science degree programme in Psychology utilises a semester system. It is designed to run as a full time or part time programme over two years. The full time programme utilises four semesters with no summer requirement. The part time programme utilises two semesters and a summer session for each of two academic years. Each semester is 15 weeks plus the examination period and the summer session is 8 weeks plus the examination period.
Qualifications for Admission
Applicants should have at least the following:
1. Five CXC-CSEC or GCE O’ Level passes or equivalent including English A.
2. A background in Sciences (Biology, Integrated Science or Human and Social Biology) would be an asset.
3. A passing grade in CXC-CSEC Mathematics will be desirable.
OR
4. Holders of approved relevant certificates from the UWI School of Continuing Studies or Open Campus or other notable institution.
OR
5. Persons who do not meet the above requirements but who have relevant work experience.

Scheduling of courses for Psychology Associate Degree (Full time two years)
COURSE CODE
COURSE TITLE
Hours per week
Total Credits

Year 1
Year 2
Hrs

Sem 1
Sem 2
Sem 1
Sem 2

GENERAL EDUCATION

GED 101
Communication I
3

3
3
GED201
Communication II

3

3
3
INT 101
Introduction to Information Technology
3

3
3
GED 202
Caribbean Studies/
Caribbean Issues and Perspectives

3

3
3
GED 103/ 104
Fundamental French OR Fundamental Spanish

3

3
3
SOC 101
Introduction to Sociology

3

3
3
GED 203
Music Appreciation

3

3
3
GED 204/205
Environmental Studies OR Science and Technology

3
3
3

College Study Skills (non credit)
1

Minimum number of General Education Course credit required

21

CORE COURSES

PSY 101
Introduction to Psychology
3

3
3
PSY 102
Introduction to Reading, writing and presentation skills for Psychology
3

3
3
PSY 103
Social Psychology
3

3
3
PSY 104
Introduction to Experimental Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 201
Basic Statistics in Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 202
Developmental Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 301
Physiological Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 302
Abnormal Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 308
Senior Seminar Research Paper in Psychology

6
6
6
Minimum number of Core Course credits required

30

ELECTIVES

PSY 203
Cognitive Psychology

3

PSY 303
Educational Psychology

3

PSY 304
Theories of Personality

3

PSY 305
Behaviour Modification

3

PSY 306
Counselling and Psychotherapy

3

Minimum number of elective credits required

9
Minimum number of credits needed to graduate

60

Scheduling of courses for Psychology Associate Degree (Part time two years)
COURSE CODE
COURSE TITLE
Hours per week
Total Credits

Year 1
Year 2
Hrs

Sem 1
Sem 2
Sum 1
Sem 1
Sem 2
Sum 2

GENERAL EDUCATION

GED 101
Communication I
3

3
3
GED102
Communication II

3

3
3
GED 104
Introduction to Information Technology

3

3
3
MAT 101
Mathematics

3

3
3
GED 105
Caribbean Society

3

3
3
GED 106/ 107
Fundamental French OR Fundamental Spanish

3

3
3
SOC 101
Introduction to Sociology

3

3
3
GED 108
Science and Technology

3

3
3
GED 001
College Study Skills (non credit)
1

Minimum number of General Education Course credit required

21

CORE COURSES

PSY 101
Introduction to Psychology
3

3
3
PSY 102
Introduction to Reading, writing and presentation skills for Psychology
3

3
3
PSY 103
Social Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 104
Introduction to Experimental Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 201
Basic Statistics in Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 202
Developmental Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 301
Physiological Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 302
Abnormal Psychology

3

3
3
PSY 308
Senior Seminar Research Paper in Psychology

6

6
6
Minimum number of Core Course credits required

30

ELECTIVES

PSY 203
Cognitive Psychology

3

PSY 303
Educational Psychology

3

PSY 304
Theories of Personality

3

PSY 305
Behaviour Modification

3

PSY 306
Counselling and Psychotherapy

3

PSY 307
Forensic Psychology*

3

Minimum number of elective credits required

9
Minimum number of credits needed to graduate

60
*course to be developed

PROGRAMME COMPLETION TIMES
Students studying for an Associate Degree must complete the programme in a minimum of 6 semesters including summers and a maximum of 12 semesters including summers. In order to continue in the Associate Degree programmes, candidates must successfully complete the programme at the following minimum rate:
15 credits at the end of semester 3
30 credits at the end of semester 6
45 credits at the end of semester 9
60 credits at the end of semester 12

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE DEGREE
In order to qualify for the award of an Associate of Science Degree, candidates must have:
a. Completed 60 credits of which 21 are from the General education courses
b. Satisfied the course requirements for their specific Associate Degree programme
c. Completed the programme within the maximum allowable timeframe.
GRADING SYSTEM
The authorized grading system is as indicated below. In the determination of the Grade Point Average (GPA), the defined grades with the corresponding quality points are as indicated below.
Grade Mark Quality Points
A+ 90% - 100% 4.00
A 85% - 89% 3.75
A- 80% - 84% 3.5
B+ 75% - 79% 3.25
B 70% - 74% 3.0
B- 65% - 69% 2.75
C+ 60% - 64% 2.5
C 55% - 59% 2.25
C- 50% - 54% 2.0
D 40% - 49% 1.0
F 0% - 39% 0.0

CALCULATING YOUR GPA
Your grade point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the total amount of grade points earned by the total amount of credit hours attempted. Grade points are obtained by multiplying your quality points by the credit hours. Your grade point average may range from 0.0 to a 4.0.

E.g.
COURSE
CREDIT HOURS
MARK (%)
GRADE
QUALITY POINTS
GRADE POINTS
Communication I
3
65
B-
2.75
8.25
Introduction to Psychology
3
50
C-
2.0
6.0
Law and legal Systems
3
80
A-
3.5
10.5
TOTAL
9

8.25
24.75

Your GPA is therefore: Total Grade points/Total credit hours=24.75/9=2.75
When all of your courses have the same number of credit hours, then the GPA is the average of the Quality points.

CATEGORIES OF AWARD OF THE ASSOCIATE DEGREE
The categories of award for the Associate degree are: First Class Honours, Second Class Honours-Upper Division, Second Class Honours-Lower Division, and Pass.
The categories are based on the GPA system as follows:
First Class Honours GPA of 3.50 and above
Second Class Honours, Upper Division GPA of 3.00-3.50
Second Class Honours, Lower Division GPA of 2.00-2.99
Pass GPA of 1.00-1.99

Course Descriptions
Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101)
PSY 101 is geared towards familiarising students with the general field of Psychology. This course is offered as the introductory course for the Associate Degree in Psychology. It offers insight into those factors that are seen to influence the mind and human behaviour.
The Associate Degree in Psychology is designed, through a 15 week semester, to meet the needs of students who wish to pursue studies in Psychology to gain a better understanding of the discipline and advanced placement in a degree programme. The Introduction to Psychology course forms a core component for students who intend to pursue a major in psychology. This course can be used by persons who wish to explore the world of Psychology.

Introduction to Reading, Writing and Presentation Skills for Psychology (PSY 102)
This course seeks to review basic writing rules, teaches psychology students how to both read and summarise the scientific literature (theoretical papers, literature reviews and empirical reports), introduces the components of research papers in Psychology and outlines the APA requirements for writing within the field of psychology.
Social Psychology (PSY 103)
PSY 103 is geared towards familiarising students with the field of social Psychology. Students will be exposed to the intricacies of human thoughts, beliefs and subsequent actions. The influence of self and others (friends or strangers) and their impact on the actions of persons will be highlighted. This course allows us to truly examine the idea that “what we think we will do may not necessarily be demonstrated by our actions in a given situation”.
PSY 103 is required to enable students to gain a greater understanding of self and others. The enhanced understanding will facilitate students’ development of their role in their present social environment. In addition, psychological insight will be applied to help students develop assessment skills for both theoretical and practical purposes.
Introduction to Experimental Psychology (PSY 104)
This course is offered as a post requisite to PSY 102 – Introduction to Reading, Writing and Presentation Skills for Psychology. It offers more opportunities to hone skills in writing, reading and summarising the scientific literature. Further, it provides practical opportunities for students to understand, conduct and write lab reports based on APA guidelines.
Basic Statistics in Psychology (PSY 201)
PSY 201 is geared to further expose students to types and use of various statistics. In addition, they will be given the opportunity to learn how to input data into SPSS, choose relevant statistical tools, generate outputs and interpret the statistics. Further, at the end of this course, students will be expected to be able to critique the “objectivity” of research methodology based on the knowledge obtained from this course.
Developmental Psychology (PSY 202)
PSY 202 is designed to survey the field of developmental psychology. It is organised chronologically from prenatal development through to the aging individual. The course integrates theoretical, physical, cognitive, social and emotional milestones with research related, moral/ethical and practical concerns about each stage of life.
Cognitive Psychology (PSY 203)
Cognitive psychology examines the intellectual nature of humans as well as animals. This course evaluates current research, theory and real world applications which address the issue of how people and even animals think. It includes topics on processing, memory, attention, language comprehension, reasoning and problem solving.
Physiological Psychology (PSY 301)
Physiological psychology examines basic facets of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and psychopharmacology. In addition, psychopathology and emotion will be discussed from physiological viewpoints.
Abnormal Psychology (302)
This course is geared towards familiarising students with the field of psychopathology. Students will be exposed to the continuum (from adaptive to maladaptive) of human behaviour. With reference to DSM IV TR, the causes, characteristics and impact of these maladaptive behaviours will be examined with reference to applicable treatment approaches.
Educational Psychology (303)
PSY 303 is designed to enable students to examine several aspects of the teaching learning experience. It incorporates theories, factors relevant to planning and enabling a teaching –learning environment, assessment procedures, cognition, motivation, cultural and individual differences. The realities of employing psychological principles with current education practices will also be discussed.
Theories of Personality (304)
PSY 304 is offered as an elective course. It provides a general overview of the major theories of personality in psychology in terms of explanations, strengths, weakness and applications. This course is an excellent complement to PSY 203—Cognitive Psychology and PSY 303—Educational Psychology. This course, Theories in Psychology, evaluates theory and real world applications and addresses the issue of how people think, feel and behave. It includes psychodynamic, neo-analytical, humanistic, existential and behaviouristic perspectives.
Behaviour Modification (305)
Students will learn about behaviour modification, the principles and procedures used to understand and change behaviour. Theories of learning and reinforcement will be explored in terms of how their application can be used to reduce the occurrence of undesirable behaviours, and increase the occurrence of desirable behaviours. We will also discuss principles and procedures used in treating behavioural disorders.
Counselling and Psychotherapy (306)
This course provides an introduction to the fields of counselling and psychotherapy and will highlight the similarities and differences between the two disciplines. It takes into account the professional foundations of counselling including ethics, the counselling process, key psychological theories and techniques and the application of the counselling process to special groups.
Senior Seminar Research Paper in Psychology (PSY 308)
PSY 308— The Research Paper in psychology is designed to broaden the student’s understanding of scientific research methods in one chosen area of psychology through direct research experience. Students are expected to develop a plan of study that will involve the application of content, theory and methods to a current social problem.

The paper may be one of two types: (1) an original piece of research comprising a literature review, methods, results, interpretation, discussion and reference sections OR (2) a theoretical paper for which all sections of the research paper are included except the results section plus the submission of an annotated bibliography.

In addition, the APA format must be used in the written component and students will be required to submit a poster as well as an oral presentation at a departmental senior seminar.

For Further information, please contact the Registrar’s Office at Villa.