Psychology, Bachelor's , Minor
Overview
Studying psychology provides a gateway into a wide variety of exciting professions.
No matter your goals in life, the skills you develop through studying for a psychology degree can help you achieve them.
How do you see yourself impacting society? Is it through one-on-one interactions in a clinical setting? Conducting innovative research to unlock the inner workings of the human mind? Supporting children with autism or adults with developmental delays? The opportunities are endless.
Options:
- BS in Psychology: foster the development of your interpersonal and analytical skills and refine your written and oral communication skills.
- Clinical/Counseling Track: become further qualified in helping people through research-based methods.
- Applied Psychology Track: emphasis on experimental psychology, or to pursue a research-oriented career.
- Social/Cognitive Track: focus on applied fields such as personality studies, community psychology, multicultural psychology, and cognitive research.
The DeSales psychology major is founded upon supportive faculty-student interactions in the classroom, seminars, and independent research courses.
Admissions Requirements
At DeSales, we not only look at your past academic achievement but also your potential for future growth to determine your admission.
We find that students who have demonstrated significant achievement within a demanding curriculum are best suited for academic life at DeSales. Quality of academic performance plays a critical role in the admissions decision making process. This helps indicate a student's potential for academic growth going forward. DeSales University welcomes applications from all qualified students regardless of race, religion, sex, national, or ethnic origin.
Application Checklist
- Application Fee: None
- Transcripts: Official High School Transcript
- Standardized Tests: This program is SAT optional.
- Recommendations: Completed Guidance Counselor Form and Teacher Recommendation Form
All materials can be mailed to:
DeSales University Admissions Office
2755 Station Ave.
Center Valley, PA
Additional recommendations
High School Academics - Remember, there is no single preferred high school academic program, but a college preparatory course of study is highly recommended. Here's an example:
- Four years of English
- Three or four years of college preparatory mathematics
- A minimum of two years of modern, foreign, or classical language
- At least two laboratory science courses
Visiting DeSales - A personal, on-campus interview is strongly recommended, but is not required. We encourage you to visit so that you'll have a chance to learn more about DeSales, and we'll have the opportunity to learn more about you, too.
Learn more about Undergraduate Admissions & Aid
When to Apply
We encourage you to apply early in your senior year. We use a rolling admissions system, which means you will be notified promptly about your admissions status—usually within four weeks of our receipt of your completed application.
Priority deadline for scholarship consideration is December 1 of your senior year.
Curriculum
The psychology curriculum is founded upon supportive faculty-student interactions in the classroom, seminars, and independent research courses.
Coursework will foster the development of your interpersonal and analytical skills and refine your written and oral communication skills.
Major specific classes will include:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introduction to Computer Applications
- Probability and Statistics
- Research Design and Analysis
- Applied Research Design and Analysis
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Development
- Psychobiology
- Psychological Logic
One from the following:
- Introductory Biology
- Biology: Thinking and Creativity
Academic Catalog
Graduation Requirements
View the graduation requirements and example schedule for this programFaculty
Careers & Internships
The psychology program at DeSales provides a broad base of coursework in psychology that lays the groundwork for your future in a variety of fields.
We strongly believe that the skills you develop in a psychology program can be applied to any career. Many of our students also choose to pursue graduate work at the masters or doctorate level so as to grow their expertise.
Internships
Psychology students are strongly encouraged to complete internships while they are at DeSales. Internships are a valuable opportunity to explore career options and to guide future studies.
The following are examples of recent internships completed by DeSales students. There are many more possible options available based on your interests.
- Adolescent Transitions Unit, Lehigh Valley Health Network
- Americorps Vista
- Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem
- Care Net Lehigh Valley
- Children's Integrated Center for Success
- Communities in Schools of the Lehigh Valley
- Community Service Foundation
- DeSales University Academic Resource Center
- Haven House Psychiatric Rehabilitation
- IMPACT Project Inc.
- The Journey Home – Art Therapy
- KidsPeace
- Lehigh County Adult Probation
- Lehigh Valley Health Network Behavioral Health Sciences Center
- Lifepath
- Manito Life Center - Equine Therapy
- Mind of the Athlete
- Mitzvah Circle Foundation
- Montgomery Elementary Guidance Office
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Northampton County Juvenile Justice Center
- Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican
- Sacred Heart Hospital
- TeenCentral.Net
- Valley Youth House
Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in a range of areas including:
- Behavioral Health Case Management
- Early Childhood Education
- Human Resources
- Law
- Law Enforcement
- Mental Health Counseling
- Nursing
- Psychology Teaching at a University
- School Counseling
- Social Work
Tuition & Fees
DeSales can help make your college expenses affordable through a combination of grants, loans, student employment, and scholarship resources.
View a comprehensive list of financial aid forms and undergraduate program information sheets
Cost of attendance for undergrads for 2024-2025
Resident Students
Direct Costs
Tuition - $45,000
Room and Board - $13,800
Mandatory Fees - $1,800
One-time Orientation Fee for First-Year students and Transfers - $200
Total = $60,800 (including first-year/transfer fees)
Estimated Indirect Costs
Books/Supplies - $1,711
Personal Expenses - $4,605
Total cost for resident students: $67,116
Commuter Students
Direct Costs
Tuition - $45,000
Mandatory Fees - $1,400
One-time Orientation Fee for First-Year students and Transfers - $200
Total = $46,600 (including first-year/transfer fees)
Estimated Indirect Costs
Books/Supplies - $1,711
Personal Expenses - $4,605
Transportation Costs - $1,908
Living Expenses - $2,298
Total cost for commuter students: $57,122
Off-Campus*
Direct Costs
Tuition - $45,000
Mandatory Fees - $1,400
One-time Orientation Fee for First-Year students and Transfers - $200
Total = $46,600 (including first-year/transfer fees)
Estimated Indirect Costs
Books/Supplies - $1,711
Personal Expenses - $4,605
Transportation Costs - $1,908
Living Expenses - $9,192
Total cost for off-campus students: $64,016
*First-year students are required to reside on campus or commute from home.
Parking Fee - $100
View a comprehensive list of financial aid forms and undergraduate program information sheets
Dual Degree Undergraduate-to-Graduate Programs
If you are enrolled in an undergraduate-to-graduate degree program — for example a 5-year, 3+2, 3+3, program — the undergraduate tuition and fees apply only to the undergraduate portion of the program. As you progress into the graduate phase of your program, graduate tuition and fees apply. Please see your respective graduate program for more information.
The financial aid process may appear overwhelming at first glance, but don't worry, we'll help you through it.
Accepted students are automatically considered for scholarships upon receipt of a completed application and are awarded regardless of financial need. Funds for scholarships are limited, so we do encourage students to apply early.
Our comprehensive financial aid packages carefully explain the types and amounts of assistance —including federal, state, and institutional — that you may be eligible for to help cover education related expenses.
Total cost of attendance includes estimates for tuition, fees, room, board, books, and personal, transportation, and living expenses.
You can estimate your total cost of attendance with our Net Price Calculator
Tracks
General Track
If you want to study psychology but haven’t decided on a specific area of focus, or you just want to keep your options open, then the general psychology track is the place for you.
Students in the General Psychology track will be required to take two courses from the Applied Psychology group, two courses from the Clinical/Counseling group, and two courses from the Social/Cognitive group.
Clinical/Counseling Track
If your passion is for helping people through research-based methods, a major in psychology with a clinical focus may be right for you. The track is designed for students who choose to pursue a career in applied psychology and other mental health-related professions.
Clinical/Counseling Courses:
Four from the following:
- Positive Psychology: The DeSales Experience
- Personality: Theory and Research
- Topics in Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Counseling Psychology
- Hormones and Behavior
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Psychology Internship
- Independent Study in Psychology
Two from the following:
- Leadership Self Development: DeSales Experience
- The Unseen Reality: The Psychology of Spiritual Experience
- Positive Psychology: The DeSales Experience
- Social Psychology
- Personality: Theory and Research
- Topics in Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Dangerous Minds: The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior
- Motor Learning
- Sport Psychology: DeSales Experience
- Psychological Sleuthing
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Psychology Internship
- Independent Study in Psychology
Applied Psychology Track
This track is recommended for majors who want to pursue careers in the other applied fields of psychology such as forensic, industrial/organizational, or sport psychology. This track is also recommended for majors who want to pursue graduate school education whose emphasis is on experimental psychology, or to pursue a research-oriented career in psychology.
Applied Psychology Courses:
Four from the following:
- Leadership Self Development: DeSales Experience
- Topics in Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Dangerous Minds: The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior
- Sport Psychology: DeSales Experience
- Psychological Sleuthing
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Psychology Internship
- Independent Study in Psychology
Two from the following:
- The Unseen Reality: The Psychology of Spiritual Experience
- Positive Psychology: The DeSales Experience
- Social Psychology
- Personality: Theory and Research
- Topics in Psychology
- Motor Learning
- Counseling Psychology
- Hormones and Behavior
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Independent Study in Psychology
Social/Cognitive Track
This track is recommended for majors who want to pursue careers in social psychology and cognitive psychology. This concentration is useful for majors who want to pursue applied fields such as personality studies, community psychology, multicultural psychology, and cognitive research.
Social/Cognitive Courses:
Four from the following:
- Positive Psychology: The DeSales Experience
- Personality: Theory and Research
- Topics in Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Counseling Psychology
- Hormones and Behavior
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Psychology Internship
- Independent Study in Psychology
Two from the following:
- Leadership Self Development: DeSales Experience
- The Unseen Reality: The Psychology of Spiritual Experience
- Positive Psychology: The DeSales Experience
- Social Psychology
- Personality: Theory and Research
- Topics in Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Dangerous Minds: The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior
- Motor Learning
- Sport Psychology: DeSales Experience
- Psychological Sleuthing
- Psychopharmacology
- Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Psychology Internship
- Independent Study in Psychology
STEP Teacher Certification Program
If you think you'd like to teach secondary school, our STEP program will prepare you to become certified in Social Science.
Psi Chi International Honors Society in Psychology
DeSales University has a chapter of the Psi Chi International Honors Society in Psychology. Both traditional day and adult studies students who meet the academic requirements are welcome to join. The DSU Psi Chi chapter is in its 35th year of membership in 2022.
Psych & CJ Digital Lab
Study Abroad
DeSales has an international experience for every student, every major, for every student athlete — we have something for everyone, no matter what.
We have many international agreements that allow you to study abroad for a semester at the same cost as your DeSales tuition, and you can use your financial aid!
Career Preparation from Day One
We're passionate about helping our students and alumni explore major and career options, find experiential education, and achieve post-graduation success in an evolving global world.
Psychology Association
Want to connect with other students interested in psychology?
The Psychology Association is student organization open to all majors. The association's main focus is on engaging in psychology related service opportunities.
