Acadia University

School Description:

Psychology is the science of behaviour and mental processes. This includes how behavior develops, how people perceive and think about the world, neural and physiological processes that affect behavior and emotion, social processes among people, personality patterns, and mental health issues and their treatments.

At Acadia, students can take either a Bachelors of Arts (BA) or a Bachelors of Science (BSc) as a Psychology major (and it is usually easy to switch from one to the other after your first year).  Although the Psychology component is identical in both streams, courses taken outside the major can vary considerably, depending on students’ interests. In the first two years, Acadia’s programs offers broad overviews of many subareas of psychology, and psychology methods with an emphasis on human psychology. Our large second year offerings also make Psychology a very popular minor for students in all programs at Acadia. Upper-year courses provide our majors the opportunity for in-depth learning in areas of interest, with small class sizes and plenty of opportunity for quality interactions with professors and other students.  A major in psychology provides a solid grounding in the core areas of the field, as well as a basis for understanding the research methods used in all social and health sciences. Students with more focused interests in either Neuroscience or Applied Psychology can obtain “options” in these areas. For more information on the undergraduate program please go to the Undergraduate program webpage.

A career in psychology typically requires advanced training beyond the undergraduate level. A psychology major with honours well prepares motivated stronger students to undertake this training. For more information on the honours program please go to the Honours program webpage.

 

Undergraduate Program Description

Please note: The Department of Psychology has prepared the following information concerning our different programs with guides to program requirements to assist you with your course selections. Although all this information has been prepared with care, it is only intended as a supplement to the Academic Undergraduate Calendar to assist with course selections. In case of a discrepancy, information in the Calendar is binding.[Admission to our Bachelor of Arts programs require Grade 11 Academic or Advanced Math (with Grade 12 Academic or Advanced Math recommened), and admission to our Bachelor of Science programs requires Academic or Advanced Math 12.]

Declaring a Major

As a Psychology major, you can pursue either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree.  The requirements for your major are identical in both cases; the difference is in the courses you take outside of your major to fulfill program requirements (although the number of psychology courses required can be more for B.Sc. students who opt to take fewer hours to fulfill their minor).  Students may declare Psychology as their major upon entrance to the University or you can switch to Psychology once you are here (as long as your GPA is above 2.0, a “C” average). Double majors are also possible (among the most popular double majors with Psychology are Biology and Sociology).

The Applied Psychology Option

Starting in September 2011, BA and BSc students majoring in Psychology can focus on courses of relevance to applying psychological priniciples to assist in the effective management of human behaviour and obtain an “Applied Psychology Option” designation with their degree. The Applied Psychology option provides a good overview of psychology theory, research and methodology relevant to clinical/counselling psychology, health psychology, organizational psychology, forensic psychology, educational psychology, school psychology and sports psychology.

The Neuroscience Option

Since 2009, BSc students majoring in psychology have had the option of specializing in  Neuroscience. Neuroscientists study the nervous system at a wide range of levels, including the molecular (e.g., genes, neurotransmitters, hormones), cellular (e.g., sensory and motor neurons), behavioural (e.g., sleep, sexual behaviour, drug effects), perceptual (e.g., vision, audition, taste), and cognitive (e.g., language, attention, emotion). The neuroscience option is a program that allows science students to take a collection of specialized courses related to the field of neuroscience.  A specialization in neuroscience provides a strong foundation for postgraduate studies in experimental and neuroscience research, medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology.  For more information, check the “Neuroscience option” link under “Programs”  – “Undergraduate” on the left.

The Honours Program

If you are planning to pursue a Master’s or PhD degree in psychology, you should plan on taking an honours degree, which can also be in either Arts or Science.  An honours program is also useful for some other graduate programs (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology). If you are planning to pursue a Master’s or PhD degree in neuroscience or related disciplines, you should consider the honours degree with specialization in neuroscience.  This program provides a very strong foundation for postgraduate studies in experimental and neuroscience research, medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology. If you are a very strong student, interested in independent research, you too should consider the Honours program. For more information, check the “Honours” link under “Programs”  – “Undergraduate” on the left.

Graduate Program Description

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY:
Established 1926. Head: Peter McLeod; Clinical Program Co-ordinator: Peter Horvath. Faculty: 12 full-time (7 Full Professors, 5 Assistant Professors) and 1 Instructor. Academic year system semester. M.Sc. degrees awarded in the Community-Clinical area. First M.A. awarded in 1949 in the area of Tests and Measurement.

DEPARTMENT ORIENTATION:
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology.

APPLICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO:
Admissions Officer, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, B4P 2R6.
Deadline: February 1st.
Fee: $50.00.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS:
Preferred minimum scores: GRE-V 500; GRE-Q 500; GRE-WR 500; GPA and PSYC GPA-3.0; last two years GPA-3.0. High GRE-V compensates for low GRE-Q, and vice versa. Also important are previous research activity, work experience, clinically-related public service, three letters of recommendation. Priority is given to B.A., B.Sc. Honours Graduates in selecting candidates for Graduate Program.

2010-2011 STUDENT STATISTICS:
Full-time Master of Science: 9 (2 male, 7 females). First year: 4.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
Five courses plus thesis required. Two 250-hour practica in Clinical Psychology. Two years average time from Bachelor’s Degree to complete program.

2011-2012 TUITION COSTS FOR NON-RESIDENTS OF NOVA SCOTIA:
Year 1:     $4,513.00
Year 2:     $4,513.00
Also see the following for current information and additional fees: Graduate Studies Fees

2011-2012 TUITION COSTS FOR RESIDENTS OF NOVA SCOTIA:
Year 1:     $3,491.00
Year 2:     $3,491.00
Also see the following for current information and additional fees: Graduate Studies Fees

2011-2012 TUITION COSTS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
Year 1:     $9,376.00
Year 2:     $9,376.00
Also see the following for current information and additional fees: Graduate Studies Fees