Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology

Contact Information

Website: arts.ucalgary.ca/psychology

For Program Advice

Students should consult an undergraduate program advisor in the Arts Students' Centre for information and advice on their overall program requirements. Advising contact information can be found online: arts.ucalgary.ca/advising.

Introduction

Psychology is both a science and a profession. As scientists, psychologists work in a variety of settings like universities, hospitals, government, and corporations and carry out both basic and applied research. As a profession, psychology includes a number of different types of practitioners who apply psychological knowledge to solve personal, social, and practical problems. These include clinical psychologists who specialize in the identification and treatment of psychological disorders but also provide psychological assessments, health-related services, and psychological interventions. Practitioners also include industrial/organizational psychologists who work in recruitment, selection, training, and other business practice areas. Career options depend on students’ goals and interests and the level and type of training acquired. With a BA or BSc, students may find employment in a variety of settings and a range of occupations such as human resources manager, addictions counsellor, researcher, consultant, case worker, etc. A degree in psychology can also be the first step in the pursuit of a variety of careers in fields that require an undergraduate degree such as law, medicine, management, social work, speech pathology, and audiology. Students wishing to work as a clinical or counselling psychologist will require additional university training in Psychology beyond the BA or BSc degree. Students wishing to take a Psychology degree that emphasizes the social sciences and humanities should register for the BA degree; those who wish to emphasize the biological and natural sciences should register for the BSc degree. Students who are interested in pursuing graduate study in Psychology should consider the Psychology BA or BSc Honours Program.

Courses and Registration

Registration in 400- and 500-level Psychology courses is restricted to Psychology Majors.