Description

The Bachelor of Applied Arts degree program is geared towards helping students gain the skills and experience necessary to be job-skills ready. The Bachelor of Applied Arts also emphasizes research skills, and gives students a bit of the grad school experience and skills, without going to graduate school. The program is more rigorous and challenging than the more flexible Bachelor of Arts, but includes courses hand-picked by faculty and employers to target hard and soft job skills. The Bachelor of Applied Arts is ideally suited for students interested in workplace expertise, tests and measurements, and UX design.

Lower-level students establish a foundation of knowledge in psychology, before concentrating on applications of psychology to modern community and workplace settings for their upper-level work. Required courses provide students with general, transferable workplace skills (e.g., Interpersonal Relations), as well as specific knowledge and skills used in a variety of public and private sector jobs such as program evaluation and technical writing. Electives provide further training in additional areas selected by the student.

Students also participate in a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment. This practicum placement will assist students in gaining workplace experience and in meeting potential future employers.

Those interested in further study and graduate school or who prefer more extensive research experience may augment their knowledge and skills by taking the  research-focused Honours program in Psychology. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department.

Career Opportunities

The Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology was developed in consultation with employers throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. These employers indicated that graduates of the BAA (Psychology) program are qualified for positions such as program evaluators, research analysts, project consultants, user experience designers, human resources advisors, and health planning consultants. Past graduates have found employment in such areas as health research, human resources, market research, psychological testing and crisis services, product usability research, autism intervention, education, and corrections. Graduates of the BAA (Psychology) with Honours have gone on to graduate studies in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Gerontology, Education, School Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Public Policy, to name only a few areas. Students in the program should consult with an Arts Degree Advisor to select courses best suited to their career objectives.

Faculty's website: kpu.ca/arts

Department's website: kpu.ca/arts/psychology

Admission Requirements

The Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, apply to this program.

Declaration Requirements

Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

• In good academic standing with the University
• Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
  • 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
  • 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area

Curricular Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts Framework in addition to the requirements specified below.

Psychology Major

Honours

Note: Enrolment is competitive and requires the permission of the Psychology Honours Committee. In order to be considered, students are expected to achieve and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3, and a minimum grade of 'B+' in PSYC 3300 and PSYC 3400. Students must also obtain endorsement from a faculty member who will serve as their thesis advisor.

Credential Awarded

Upon successful completion of the honours program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology (Honours).