Psychology

Florida Southern’s Psychology program provides a deeper insight into the thought, emotion and, behavior surrounding the human mind through hands-on, practical, and collaborative student-faculty research.

Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and behavior. Applications of psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, and many other areas affecting health and daily life.

The Psychology Department at Florida Southern College consists of a diverse group of research-oriented professionals that have devoted themselves to the mentorship of undergraduates.

There are currently four full-time faculty members who are complimented by other full-time members of the college community.

Engaged Learning in the Classroom

While our faculty integrate technology, classroom discussion, and group activities into each course, our main goal is to promote a culture of research. Introductory classes require participation in ongoing research projects by faculty and students, giving you firsthand experience of how research is conducted in an objective, ethical manner. After taking Research Methods and Statistics, you’ll have skills to conduct your own independent research. These projects often lead to student-faculty collaborations resulting in presentations and publications.

Course Information

In Research Design and Statistics, you’ll learn to properly use the scientific method, choose appropriate research paradigms, collect data on independent projects, and interpret analyzed results using statistical comparisons. This work becomes highlighted in departmentally sponsored poster presentations that are held every semester.

You’ll also choose a faculty-mentored research practicum project or an off-campus supervised internship. Whichever you choose, you’ll have 120-160 hours of hands-on learning culminating in either a peer-reviewed project or a portfolio. These experiences improve your success in gaining admission to graduate school or employment in psychology-related fields.

Our Social/cognitive track is a collection of courses whose topics include developmental psychology, social psychology, personality theory, cognitive psychology.

Courses in our Natural Science track examine how the physical environment impacts behaviors related to the nervous system such as sensation and perception, learning, and homeostatic regulation.

And our Applied Psychology track is designed for students to learn more about how psychology is used in the real world settings.

Get descriptions of all our psychology courses below  

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Psychology at Florida Southern

Learn the language of behavior at Florida Southern and gain a deeper insight into the human condition.

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• Central Florida Autism Institute
• Holladay Child Development Services
• Peace River Center
• Tri-County Services
• Lakeland Regional Medical Center

• Polk County School Systems
• Florida Presbyterian Nursing Home
• Lakeland Police Department
• Lakeland Housing Authority

In addition, many of our majors are interested in marine mammal training, and our location provides numerous opportunities for experience in this area. FSC students have been selected for highly competitive internships at places such as:

• Sea World
• MOTE Marine Laboratory
• The Tampa Aquarium
• Miami Seaquarium
• Marineland

• Assistant Professor, University of Louisville School of Medicine
• CEO, Peace River Center
• Director of Mental Health Addiction and Recovery, Lakeland Regional Medical Center

• Owner, Employment Technologies Corporation
• Director of Holladay Child Development Services

Psychology Major Requirements

One course selected from social-cognitive group:

One course selected from natural sciences group:

EITHER two courses selected from applied psychology group:

or

Honors Within the Major

The Psychology program offers an Honors within the Major option. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for highly achieving students who are motivated and talented to do an in-depth investigation of an area of interest in consultation with a professor having expertise in that area. Please see the program coordinator during the first semester of the junior year for further information. Students should register for HON 4953 and HON 4954 in their senior year.

Minor in Psychology

To earn a minor in psychology you will need to complete twenty hours of PSY courses successfully.

Mathematics

MAT 2022 ELEMENTARY STATISTICS
Four hours. Students use statistical methods to analyze data from real world situations and make inferences. These methods involve descriptive analysis, probability distributions, correlation, linear regression, the Central Limit Theorem, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. Credit cannot be earned for both MAT 2022 and MAT 2032. Gen Ed: Qn

Psychology

PSY 1106 PSYCHOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL WORLD
Four hours. Survey of major areas in psychology with emphasis on current foundational areas of the field, including but not limited to the following: theoretical/methodological, developmental, cognitive, social and cultural, and clinical foundations of behavior. Gen Ed: SW (Aw, An)

PSY 1110 PSYCHOLOGY AND THE NATURAL WORLD
Four hours. An empirical (i.e., laboratory-based) approach to psychology that explores the physiological and behavioral influences on the field, which include the following: history and systems of psychology, neuroscience, sensory and perceptual systems, learning and memory, motivation, consciousness, and emotion. Gen Ed: NW

PSY 2206 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Same as SOC 2206. Suggested Prerequisite: PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. The study of behavior in the social environment as related to the three primary areas of social psychology: social cognition, social influence, and social relations.

PSY 2209 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Suggested Prerequisite: PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. Human development from conception to death with major emphasis on childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Biological, cognitive, perceptual, language, personality, and social development are emphasized.

PSY 2210 TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS
Four hours. Construction and interpretation of measuring instruments for analysis of behavior; psychometric principles of testing and a survey of representative psychological tests.

PSY 2214 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Suggested prerequisite: PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. Survey of the major areas of abnormal psychology with emphasis on current foundational areas of the field, including but not limited to the following: historical/theoretical foundations of approaches to psychological abnormality, clinical assessment/research, categories of abnormality, treatment strategies and cultural issues.

PSY 2220 SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1110. An in-depth evaluation of how humans (and non-humans) use their senses to informatively make sense in the world (with an emphasis on how these senses are studied scientifically, which is commonly called “psychophysics” in the field).

PSY 2230 ECOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Suggested prerequisite: PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. Course designed to engage students in understanding the interaction between humans and built and natural environments.

PSY 3300 CLINICAL AND COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 2214. An in-depth evaluation of current treatments for mental illness that explores modern psychological perspectives and their methods of effective therapeutic intervention.

PSY 3301 SPECIAL TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. Consideration of special topics in psychology, including current issue and trends.

PSY 3305 LEARNING AND BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1110. An in-depth evaluation of behavioral theory and its application in the real world (with emphasis on analysis and further development of research in the field).

PSY 3309 BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1110. An in-depth evaluation of behavioral theory and its application in the real world (with emphasis on analysis and further development of research in the field).

PSY 3310 RESEARCH DESIGN AND STATISTICS
Four hours. Prerequisites: MAT 2202 and at least one PSY 1000-level course (PSY 1106 or PSY 1110). Principles, procedures and methods for designing research in psychology, including performing relevant statistical analyses of data, hypothesis testing and inference; analysis of variance; non-parametric techniques. Gen Ed: Qn

PSY 3314 PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1106. An in-depth evaluation of personality theory and its application towards human behavior (with emphasis on assessment and how it is used to measure personality in the real world).

PSY 3315 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1106. Survey of human cognitive psychology, focusing on how human perception, learning, memory and thinking; designed to engage students in the major topics in the field.

PSY 3336 INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1106 or 1110. The systematic observation and study of human behavior in an organizational setting; major topics will include personnel psychology, consumer behavior, human relations, and organizational behavior.

PSY 3350 PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 1106 and 1110 and junior status or permission of the instructor. The course addresses the professional skills and knowledge needed by majors to successfully obtain a position in a psychology or related field and/or to earn entry to graduate school. Course content includes such topics as the scientific inquiry processes and critical thinking processes in psychology, preparing a resume and cover letter, conducting a search for career/graduate school options, interviewing skills, GRE preparation, and application process to graduate school.

PSY 4430 CRIMINALIZATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Four hours. Same as CRM 4430. Prerequisite: CRM 3340 or PSY 1106 or PSY 1110. This course explores how the criminal justice system has become the de facto mental health system and examines reasoned, collaborative solutions to this dilemma.

PSY 4450 RESEARCH PRACTICUM
Four hours. Prerequisite: PSY 3310 and permission from a full-time faculty member in psychology. A collaborative effort in which students independently produce (and a faculty mentors) an extensive literature review, sound methodology, statistically-driven data collection/analysis, and valid conclusions that culminates into a body work that is worthy of professional review.

PSY 4960/4961 INTERNSHIP IN PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing as a psychology major or minor and permission from the internship coordinator of psychology. An offsite exploration in a psychology-related field that is designed to provide students with professional experience in preparation for either post-baccalaureate studies or future employment in the field.

PSY 4999 CAPSTONE SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLOGY
Four hours. Prerequisite: Senior standing as a psychology major and PSY 1106 and PSY 1110 and an additional 16 hours of psychology credit (the last of these requirements may be waived with permission of entire psychology faculty). An overview of current issues in the discipline, including, e.g., neuroscience, clinical applications, cognitive psychology, and psychology applied to social problems. Gen Ed:EC-C