Psychology

Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Major: Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It differs from other fields that are concerned with the human condition in that it uses the scientific method. Psychologists attempt to understand the workings of individuals, animals and groups. Psychologists work in a variety of settings including universities and colleges, clinics and hospitals, business and industry, government agencies, law enforcement and the military. Psychology can be an academic or research discipline or an applied science.

The psychology major is for students who intend to pursue careers in psychology. Such careers usually require at least the M.A. degree for entry-level employment. This major is designed to provide a strong foundation for graduate study.

To obtain this undergraduate degree, the student must fulfill the requirements of the University core curriculum, the requirements for the 36-credit-hour program major and have completed a minimum of 120 credit hours.

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Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Major: Developmental Psychology

The developmental psychology major is designed to prepare graduates for work in child and family programs such as child and adolescent development specialists, child or elder care providers, family services workers, parenting educators, child life workers and family relations consultants.

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Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Major: Industrial/Organizational Psychology

The industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology major serves as an excellent generalist foundation for beginning a career in business. The dual emphasis on business and psychology means that organizations can hire graduates who understand both human nature and the dynamics of organizational life.

Graduates can expect to work in jobs that involve performing tasks related to human resource assessment, selection and placement, performance appraisal, job analysis and re-design, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and other activities related to human resources. These skills position graduates for leadership opportunities throughout their careers. Thus, the I/O major prepares students to become lifelong learners and proactive career managers, to maneuver effectively in their chosen career trajectories.

Students will be prepared in the event they choose to earn an advanced degree, such as the Master of Business Administration or Master of Arts with a major in I/O psychology, both of which are available at Detroit Mercy. Other students may choose to use this degree as a preparation for graduate work in fields such as law and health care as well as psychology.

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Where Will You Be in Five Years?

For ambitious, hard-working, career-minded incoming freshmen, the Psychology Department at the University of Detroit Mercy offers an option to develop as an individual and as a professional as you fully complete both a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a Master of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology over the course of 11 semesters (5 academic years):

Students receive instruction in the fundamental components of a high quality undergraduate education from highly qualified and experienced full-time and adjunct instructors. The master's program uses best practice in presenting content and providing actual or simulated field experiences, and real world projects, to enhance student preparedness for transitioning to career employment.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology is one of the fastest growing areas of study in the past decade. It applies knowledge and theory from various disciplines of psychology as well as sociology, management science, and law. Our approach is to help students develop as individuals by offering an integrated educational experience grounded in the core curriculum that focuses on building skills and knowledge. Our goal is for students to learn to work individually and with others both in the discipline and across disciplines to critically analyze and solve the practical issues in a complex modern work environment. You will develop key skills in this program including problem solving, the ability to make analytical judgments and the application of theory to practice in interdisciplinary contexts.

In order to complete both the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years, you must:

• Be very well prepared as an incoming freshman or transfer student;
• Satisfy all the admission criteria (see below); and
• Maintain a cumulative 3.25 GPA at Detroit Mercy, in order to take graduate level courses while still an undergraduate.

This program allows incoming freshmen to complete both the bachelor's and master's degrees by being a full-time student for 5 academic years (10 consecutive semesters). Juniors at Detroit Mercy may be admitted into the program with the permission of the department and Dean’s Office.

Requirements for Transfer Students

Students transferring in from a community college require permission from the Dean's Office.

In order to complete the bachelor's and master's degrees entering as a transfer student you must:

• Have 60-63 transferable credits.
• Meet the requirements for the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA).
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 throughout the entire undergraduate portion of the program, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 for graduate courses.
• Maintain full-time status. This is typically 15-18 credit hours per semester, for a total of 102-108 credits for students entering as a senior.
• Finish the bachelor's degree by the end of the fourth year and master's degree by the end of the fifth year. During your senior year, you can take up to two graduate level courses for each term with a maximum of four.

• Students can take summer courses if needed to catch up or advance.
• Students are not required to apply for the graduate portion or take any exams such as GRE if they have met and maintained all accelerated program requirements.

Sample Program for Incoming Freshmen

(Note: Full-time status must be maintained in all semesters)

• First Semester: 9 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
• Second Semester: 9 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits

• First Semester: 6-9 graduate credits
• Second Semester: 6-9 graduate credits
• Summer: 2 graduate classes

Sample Program for Transfer Students

(Note: Full-time status must be maintained in all semesters) 

• First Semester: 9 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
• Second Semester: 9 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits

• First Semester: 6-9 graduate credits
• Second Semester: 6-9 graduate credits
• Summer: 2 graduate classes

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Credit Hours: 18

The Psychology Minor Program is a minimum 18-credit-hour (6 courses) program designed to give students broad exposure to psychology as a scientific and professional discipline. This program is relevant to students pursuing academic majors which involve working with people, ideas, and/or social and communications systems including (but not limited to) nursing, biology, business, communication studies, law, philosophy, political science, social work, counseling, education, English, engineering and religious studies.

Beginning with introductory psychology, students in the Psychology Minor Program are required to take courses from at least three of four content areas: Basic Processes, Development/Family Processes, Clinical Processes, and Social Issues/Group Dynamics.

At the completion of the Psychology Minor Program, students are expected to be able to: discuss the role of psychology in interdisciplinary collaborations; demonstrate appropriate breadth of knowledge in selected psychology content areas; apply their broad knowledge of psychology to formulating career choices; and; appreciate the importance of lifelong learning for professional and personal development.

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Credit Hours: 18

This 18-credit minor provides students with an overview of psychology across the lifespan. The Developmental Psychology Minor educates students in infant and child development, middle childhood, adolescence, and old age, as well as the dynamics of families and family life. Adding this minor to the undergraduate degree complements and enhances any major by providing an understanding of developmental psychology and the scientific method.

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Degree: Doctorate
Major: Clinical Psychology
Credit Hours: 96

University of Detroit Mercy’s doctoral program in clinical psychology is a competitive course of study that trains you to provide psychological services to the community. Based on sound ethical standards and a thorough and contemporary understanding of research-tested psychological principles, your University of Detroit Mercy training emphasizes the inter-relationships among theory, research and clinical practice.

Through sequential, gradual and cumulative training experiences, you receive the broad preparation essential to the practice of clinical psychology and for the development and execution of scientific research. The program consists of coursework, practice, research and scholarship.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) information
Applicants should submit, as part of their application, copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative and analytical) and three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s prior achievement and potential for doctoral-level work in clinical psychology. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 GPA in their previous academic work.

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Degree: Master of Arts
Major: Clinical Psychology
Credit Hours: 45

The overarching goal of the program is to prepare students to become competent, practicing master’s level psychologists who are also prepared to pursue additional graduate study in psychology.

The program is designed to academically prepare students to apply for the State of Michigan’s Limited License in Psychology (LLP). Note: additional requirements for the LLP are completed by students after graduation from the program and do not fall under the purview of the program.

In keeping with the present climate in psychology, the program is broadly eclectic in its philosophical orientation and emphasizes scientifically-informed practice. In assessment and diagnostic procedures, contemporary psychometric methods are typically taught. In therapeutic practices, students will receive some exposure to several major theoretical perspectives, including psychoanalytic, behavioral and cognitive behavioral.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) information
Applicants should submit, as part of their application, copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative and analytical) and three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s prior achievement and potential for doctoral-level work in clinical psychology. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 GPA in their previous academic work.

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Degree: Master of Arts
Major: Industrial / Organizational Psychology
Credits: 33

The Master of Arts program with a major in Industrial and Organizational Psychology prepares students to function as “master’s-level I/O psychologist practitioners” (SIOP, 2000). Graduates are employed as external and internal consultants and provide quality professional services in a variety of human resource, organizational development, talent management, and other work settings. The program provides career-advancement opportunities for human resource professionals or entry-level positions for those embarking upon their careers. Although this program is a “terminal masters” degree program, a small number of graduates continue their education in I/O Psychology doctoral programs.

The Psychology Department faculty is dedicated to implementing an Industrial/ Organizational Psychology program that provides advanced focus on psychological theories, principles, research, and their application to human behavior in the workplace.

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Degree: Specialist in School Psychology
Credit Hours: 66

The Specialist in School Psychology Program at University of Detroit Mercy is designed to prepare school psychologists who have a strong and broad-based knowledge of psychology and education, and enable them to apply that knowledge within the school setting. The program is part of the Department of Psychology, within University's College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences.

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Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Clinical Psychology

University of Detroit Mercy's clinical psychology doctoral program is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation, American Psychological Association (APA), 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4242.

Specialist in School Psychology
University of Detroit Mercy's Specialist in School Psychology program has received full approval/recognition from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). This program follows the NASP 10 Domains Practice Model.

Since 1988, NASP has been pleased to provide a national review and approval service for graduate programs in school psychology. NASP program approval/national recognition is an important indicator of quality graduate education in school psychology, comprehensive content, and extensive and properly supervised field experiences and internships, as judged by trained national reviewers. In addition, programs obtaining NASP approval allows for a streamlined process for program graduates to obtain the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential. Thus, NASP approval/national recognition confers multiple advantages to programs, program graduates, the profession of school psychology, and, most importantly, to the children, families, and schools that we serve.

Specialist level (60+ graduate credits) and doctoral level programs in school psychology are reviewed and approved by NASP by providing evidence of consistency with the NASP Standards for Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists. The NASP standards provide the foundation for program review and approval. NASP is one of the specialized professional associations (SPAs) of the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), previously the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and conducts program reviews as a part of the CAEP unit accreditation process. CAEP accredits units (e.g., Schools of Education), not programs, but does provide "national recognition" status (full or with conditions) to NASP-approved programs in CAEP-accredited units. NASP also conducts reviews of school psychology programs that are not in CAEP units and that submit materials for review by NASP on a voluntary basis.