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Biological Psychology

  • Minor

There is a strong connection between the fields of Biology and Psychology. Psychology is often defined as the study of the mind and behavior. Contemporary psychologists understand and teach that all processes of the mind are ultimately the result of the functions of the brain. As a result, changing the brain - either through disease, injury, surgery, pharmacology, or even naturally over time - changes our minds and the way we think, feel, behave, and ultimately perceive and understand our world. Understanding the connection between biology and behavior is critical in any health-related field involving patient interaction, but it is of particular importance in the areas of mental health and neuroscience.

Undergraduate Programs

Curriculum Requirements

  • Requirements for a Minor in Biological Psychology

    Required Courses (15 credits):
    PY 100 Introduction to Psychological Science - 3 credits
    PY 331 Biological Psychology - 3 credits
    BL 150 General Biology I - 3 credits
    BL 151 General Biology I Lab - 1 credit
    BL 152 General Biology II - 3 credits
    BL 153 General Biology II Lab - 1 credit
    BL XX any 200 Level Biology lab course - 1 credit
    Clustered Courses (6 credits): For courses in this category, students are not allowed to count toward the minor courses housed in their own major department.

    Psychology Cluster (for non-Psychology majors):
    PY 250 Chemical Dependency2 - 3 credits
    PY 308 Cognitive Psychology - 3 credits
    PY 309 Learning - 3 credits
    PY 322 Health Psychology1 - 3 credits
    PY 333 Sensation and Perception - 3 credits
    PY 382 Psychological Assessment - 3 credits

    Biology Cluster (for non-Biology majors):
    BL 220 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy1 - 3 credits
    BL 222 Developmental Biology - 3 credits
    BL 226 Neuroscience - 3 credits
    BL 228 Wildlife Biology

    1 – These courses can be applied to an Allied Health Concentration of the Integrated Sciences Major or the Minor in Biological Psychology, but not both.
    2 – The designation of Chemical Dependency changes from a Sociology course to a Psychology course in fall 2018.

Program Highlights

Student Learning Outcomes

The Student Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Biological Psychology are derived from the American Psychological Association Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major and the Student Learning Outcomes of the Saint Vincent College Biology Department. These outcomes are:

  1. To learn and apply content knowledge from the disciplines of Biology and Psychology (Intro to Psych, Gen Bio I, Gen Bio II)
  2. To recall and integrate concepts which cross the traditional disciplines of Biology and Psychology (Biological Psychology, upper level courses)
  3. To interpret and conduct basic research (Gen Bio I and II, lab course)
  4. To demonstrate effective writing for different purposes (Ideally multiple courses)
  5. To develop scientific lab skills and field techniques (Gen Bio I and II, lab course)

Undergraduate Programs
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