Learn why and how people think and act the way they do and help them improve their daily lives.

The program in Psychology provides a solid foundation in the scientific study of human behaviour, and the related psychological, social, and biological processes.

Students may select courses addressing topics such as child development, learning, cognition, memory, motivation, intelligence, personality, emotion, mental health, social psychology and psychological functioning across cultures.

They are trained in quantitative research methods and learn to conduct research using observation, experimentation and statistical analysis. Students have the option of obtaining a Certificate in Social Research Methods and may take advantage of volunteer opportunities in research laboratories. The Faculty of Health offers a limited-enrolment program in Sport Psychology.

Career Opportunities

Behavior therapist, research analyst, counsellor (addictions, employment, corrections), interviewer, environmental planner, computer consultant, recruitment coordinator, psychometrist, teaching, speech pathology, personnel administrator.

Settings: associations for persons with disabilities, school boards, correctional centres, industries such as Hydro and INCO, mental health centres, social service agencies, chronic psychiatric patients, prison settings, drug addiction, and hospitals.

Program Highlights:

Students earn a degree in either arts or science (see Psychology B.Sc. – offered in Sudbury only – under the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture).

Three- and four-year programs lead to a Bachelor of Arts (Sudbury/Barrie); a four-year program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Choice of courses in behavioural neuroscience, emotion, cognition, development, education, forensic psychology, learning, motivation, personality and adjustment, psychological psychology, psychopathology, receptor processes and perception, social psychology, and statistics.

Also available: Bachelor of Arts in Sport Psychology in Sudbury only (with School of Human Kinetics). Students choose to study psychology because they find the discipline fascinating and they want to learn how and why they and others think and behave the way they do, and why they react as they do to situations and to one another.

Relevant graduate study opportunities at Laurentian:

• Masters of Arts in Psychology (Applied, Experimental)
• Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Health
• Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Health

Degree options

• Concentration in Psychology
• Minor in Psychology
• Minor in Experimental Psychology
• Minor in Health and Disability
• Minor in Intergroup Relations