Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Psychology

Psychological Science
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Program Information

Learn more about the Psychology program.

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Course Sequence

Field of Interest

Field of Interest: Behavioral Science and Human Services

The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Psychology provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in psychological sciences or are preparing for graduate programs in psychology or related fields. With a bachelor`s degree, students may pursue numerous careers such as mid and top-level managers, market research analysts/specialists, human resources specialists/managers, social and human service assistants, psychiatric technicians, survey researchers, and probation officers/correctional treatment specialists. Most careers in psychology require graduate work. With a graduate degree, students may pursue a number of careers, including but not limited to: psychologists (industrial-organizational, clinical, counseling, and school), research scientists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, statisticians, teachers, and human factors engineers.

Details

Details iconImportant information you’ll need when applying for admission:

Field of Interest
Behavioral Science and Human Services
Type
Associate in Arts (AA)
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Psychology (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8122
Total Credits Required
60-64
Catalog Year
2023-2024
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges to earn a degree with this emphasis.

What You’ll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

  1. Explain how Psychology is a science and interdisciplinary.
  2. Identify interrelationships between biological, psychological and socio-cultural processes.
  3. Apply Psychological science to everyday life and career goals.
  4. Utilize a systematic method of investigation, design and conduct a psychology research project.
  5. Locate, interpret and evaluate research findings.
  6. Analyze and interpret data using quantitative and qualitative methods.
  7. Utilize scientific findings and theories to generate new ideas.
  8. Evaluate the impact of socio-cultural diversity and societal inequality on social and psychological issues and research.
  9. Interact effectively with others using an understanding of the role culture, values and biases play in communication.
  10. Utilize effective written, oral and visual communication skills in varied contexts, in accordance with the professional conventions within the field of psychology.
  11. Apply ethical standards and social responsibility to evaluate psychological science and practice.

Career Opportunities

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Maricopa County-based annual median wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$63,958

Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists

$72,704

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

$62,157

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below, with links to salary information for the United States as a whole (if available):
  • Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists
* Career and wage information provided by Lightcast using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources and Lightcast’s proprietary analytical processes. Lightcast’s data covers multiple classes of workers including QCEW, non-QCEW, and those who are self-employed.Disclaimer

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet withan academic advisorto develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in yourStudent Centerto manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Pathway Map Options

There are multiple options available for this pathway map. These options vary depending on the available transfer institutions and what degrees you may be able to transfer into.

These pathway map options may share some common coursework. To explore what additional coursework may be required, select your desired option from the list below. Once selected, the list of courses and any associated details will be automatically updated in the course sequence below. The differences between individual pathway map options may only be a few courses.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit withan academic advisorto ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Note:Because you are viewing this pathway map on a mobile device, some columns below have been hidden. To view all columns, please rotate your device or view this page on a device with a larger screen.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology Critical courseGateway course SB 3
ENG101or
ENG107
First-Year CompositionorFirst-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
MA Mathematics Critical course在招收数学课程之前,跟你说话Academic Advisor to ensure you are selecting the correct math for your transfer goals asMAT14+is not applicable to all transfer plans MA 3–6
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency
FYE101or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal SuccessorExploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG102or
ENG108
First-Year CompositionorFirst-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
COM100or
COM110or
COM225or
COM230
Introduction to Human CommunicationorInterpersonal CommunicationorPublic SpeakingorSmall Group Communication Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. SBorL 0–3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY230or
(PSY230and
PSY231)
or
PSY230WL
Introduction to Statisticsor(Introduction to StatisticsandLaboratory for Statistics)orIntroduction to Statistics with Lab CSorCSand 3–4
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative SQ 4
SB Social & Behavioral Sciences Students who select the ASU Tempe BA transfer option must select a Related Area course that satisfies the SB requirement SB 3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY290AB or
(PSY290AC (LEC) and
PSY290AC (LAB))
Research Methodsor(Research MethodsandResearch Methods Laboratory) L, SG 4
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
SGor
SQ
Natural Sciences GeneralorNatural Sciences Quantitative May be met by Transfer Plan requirements or met byPSY290ABORPSY290ACunless used to meet L;
RecommendPSY275
SGorSQ 0–4
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry May be met byPSY290ABORPSY290ACif not used to meet SG L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit withan academic advisorto ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Note:Because you are viewing this pathway map on a mobile device, some columns below have been hidden. To view all columns, please rotate your device or view this page on a device with a larger screen.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken duringTerm 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology Critical courseGateway course SB 3
ENG101or
ENG107
First-Year CompositionorFirst-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
FYE101or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal SuccessorExploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
MA Mathematics Critical course在招收数学课程之前,跟你说话Academic Advisor to ensure you are selecting the correct math for your transfer goals asMAT14+is not applicable to all transfer plans MA 3–6
ENG102or
ENG108
First-Year CompositionorFirst-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM100or
COM110or
COM225or
COM230
Introduction to Human CommunicationorInterpersonal CommunicationorPublic SpeakingorSmall Group Communication Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. SBorL 0–3
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative SQ 4

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SB Social & Behavioral Sciences Students who select the ASU Tempe BA transfer option must select a Related Area course that satisfies the SB requirement SB 3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SGor
SQ
Natural Sciences GeneralorNatural Sciences Quantitative May be met by Transfer Plan requirements or met byPSY290ABORPSY290ACunless used to meet L;
RecommendPSY275
SGorSQ 0–4
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY230or
(PSY230and
PSY231)
or
PSY230WL
Introduction to Statisticsor(Introduction to StatisticsandLaboratory for Statistics)orIntroduction to Statistics with Lab CSorCSand 3–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
PSY290AB or
(PSY290AC (LEC) and
PSY290AC (LAB))
Research Methodsor(Research MethodsandResearch Methods Laboratory) L, SG 4
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry May be met byPSY290ABORPSY290ACunless used to meet SG L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Term 10

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 10
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level 看到你确定你的tran项目顾问sfer option requires language proficiency

Pathway Map Option Details

No pathway map option has been selected. Please select from thepathway map optionslisted above.

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Click here for MCC’s easy-to-use Enrollment Steps.

Program Information

Learn more about and find contact information for the Psychology program.

General Help

Ask general questions over the phone at 480-461-7400 or via online chat.

Course Area Key

Gateway Course= Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course= A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, meet withan academic advisorto discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

View MCCCD’sofficial curriculum documentationfor additional details regarding the requirements of this award(https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=183298).