Program Features for Psychology at Ontario Tech University
Psychology courses at Ontario Tech are designed to provide students with a foundational education in psychological principles and training in research methods and statistics. Students are encouraged to expand the breadth of their degree and apply their knowledge through specializations, undergraduate research opportunities, and experiential learning.
Specializations
As the program develops, students will have the opportunity to obtain a specialization within one of three subject areas: Developmental Psychological Science, Affective Science and Mental Health, and Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Students will achieve these specializations by taking 5 courses from those designated as counting towards the specialization (see outline below). The 5-course requirement follows UOIT guidelines, as is inline with requirements in other FSSH programs, and at comparable institutions.
Undergraduate Research
Participating in research studies is a great way to gain hands-on experience with psychology research studies. These studies are run by our professors and graduate students, who conduct research aimed at furthering a wide variety of scientific missions. They are all safe and fully approved by our university's Research Ethics Board, and provide an optimal way to learn how psychological research is conducted. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in research through the Honours Thesis and the Directed Laboratory Research courses.
Experiential Learning
As noted in the program's learning objectives and consistent with UOIT’s orientation, this degree puts a high priority on practical application of academic knowledge. Thus, experiential learning begins in first year: Introduction to Psychology students participate in a Core Research Module, within which they serve as research participants in faculty-led psychological research projects. Moreover, first year Biology students participate in a biology laboratory, during which they gain hands-on experience with dissection techniques and human/animal anatomy. In the third and fourth years of the degree, students have some required and some optional practical application courses. Students in the 4-year degree programs will have the option to complete a one‐semester Practicum placement in a General Psychology practice (e.g., community mental health centre) or research setting (e.g. Psychology laboratory).
Such experiences are highly valued in Psychology departments, and are thus important for students considering graduate school as an option. The Practicum, Directed Lab Research, and Honour’s Thesis courses already exist in the Forensic Psychology program.
Specializations
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Developmental Psychological Science
Developmental Psychological Science Specialization
Students in the Developmental Psychological Science stream will gain an in-depth knowledge of the historical and contemporary trends regarding human development, from infancy and childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood and gerontology.
The specialization in Developmental Psychological Science requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three of those courses must come from list A.
List A
- PSYC 3035U – Adolescence
- PSYC 3045U – Child Maltreatment
- PSYC 3075U – Biopsychology of Sex
- PSYC 3330U – Developmental Psychopathology
- PSYC 3530U – Developmental Neuroscience
List B
- HLSC 2810U – Child and Adolescent Health
- HLSC 4807U – Perspectives in Aging
- HLSC 4808U – Exploring Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
- FPSY 3039U – Children, Psychology and the Law
- EDST 2410U – Foundations of Adult Learning
- EDST 3160U – Developing Literacy
- EDST 4150U – Holistic Learning in Early Childhood Education
To examine each course in more detail, visit:
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Affective Science and Mental Health
Affective Science and Mental Health Specialization
Students in the Affective Science and Mental Health stream will receive targeted education pertaining to the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying emotion, and the manner in which these mechanisms contribute to mental health or mental illness.
The specialization in Affective Science and Mental Health requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three of those courses must come from list A.
List A- PSYC 3065U – Emotion
- PSYC 3070U – Stress and Coping
- PSYC 3090U – Social Affective Neuroscience
- PSYC 3085U – Drugs and Behaviour
- PSYC 3330U – Developmental Psychopathology
- PSYC 3620U – Motivation and Emotion
List B
- FPSY 3055U – Treatment in Forensic Settings
- FPSY 4820U – Selected Topics in Antisocially
- HLSC 1811U – Social Determinants of Health
- HLSC 3463U – Human Genetics in Society
- HLSC 4808U – Exploring Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
- HLSC 4821U – Exploring the Mind Body Connection: Wellness Promotion Strategies for Life
- BIOL 3060U – Fundamentals of Neuroscience
- BIOL 4820U – Neuropharmacology
To examine each course in more detail, visit:
Main Course Descriptions -
Cognitive and Brain Sciences Specialization
Cognitive and Brain Sciences Specialization
Students who complete a specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences will receive targeted education pertaining to neural mechanisms and the cognitive processes that these mechanisms engender. Topics may include neural communication, neural function and dysfunction, neural systems, research methods in neuroscience, thinking, reasoning, attention and decision making.
The specialization in Cognitive and Brain Sciences requires that students complete five courses from the following lists, of which at least three must come from List A, and at least one must come from List B.List A
- PSYC 3090U – Social Affective Neuroscience
- PSYC 3510U – Research Methods in Neuroscience
- PSYC 3520U – Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
- PSYC 3530U – Developmental Neuroscience
- BIOL 3060U – Fundamentals of Neuroscience
- NSCI 4999U – Advanced Topics in Integrative Neuroscience
List B
- PSYC 3075U – Biopsychology of Sex
- PSYC 3085U – Drugs and Behaviour
- PSYC 3610U – Thinking and Decision Making
- PSYC 3630U – Sleep and Consciousness
- PSYC 4210U – Social Cognition
- BIOL 4820U – Neuropharmacology
To examine each course in more detail, visit:
Core Research Module
First-year students in Introductory Psychology are assigned a Core Research Module, within which students serve as participants in faculty-led psychological research studies. By serving as participants, students gain hands-on experience with the research, learn about the methods and strategies used to design a study, and gain insight into the manner in which these methods and strategies can uncover hidden components of human cognition and behaviour.
Students decide how they would like to receive their research participation credit. Students may choose to participate in only interactive studies, only non-interactive studies, or participate in a mixture of both interactive and non-interactive studies. An alternative way to earn research participation credit is by reading and answering questions about research articles. See your course syllabus for more details.
The SONA system allows students to sign up and participate in these various research studies. Log-in information is emailed to students during the first week of class, when applicable. If you have not received an email by the end of the first full week of classes or have questions, contact your instructor and the SONA Admin, Dr. Shannon Vettor at shannon.vettor@ontariotechu.ca
Biology Laboratory
For students in the Bachelor of Science program, first-year Biology classes include a laboratory component as part of their structure. Students will participate in a hands-on laboratory, during which they learn dissection techniques, and gain hands-on experience with human and animal anatomy and bodily constituents. The laboratory is run through the Faculty of Science, and will provide students with a particularly strong foundational underpinning in the biological sciences.
Practicum
The FSSH Practicum Office serves students from all programs within the Faculty, arranging placements for students in a wide variety of workplace environments. The practicum office therefore has experience and an established network of contacts for catering to students enrolled in FSSH programs. Students in the practicum course participate in 100 hours of fieldwork, several in-class seminars and a set of academic assignments. The pre-practicum process commences in the Winter term of the student's third year. Students are matched with community organizations based on the goals, interests, and learning outcomes identified in pre-placement interviews (verbal and written).
For additional information on the practicum, please refer to the honours thesis and experiential learning page or the Academic Calendar for the full course description.
Directed Laboratory Research
Students who take the optional Directed Lab Research (PSYC 3100U) course gain hands-on experience in a faculty-run psychology research laboratory. Students participate in 120 hours of lab work, and complete a set of academic assignments generally culminating in a written summary of the complete lab project. Directed Lab Research is available to students in the 3rd year of the program. Students are matched with faculty based on the goals and interests of the student.
Students must obtain permission from a faculty supervisor and complete the application form prior to registering. To be considered eligible, students must be in third-year standing and possess a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Responsibilities may include: literature searches, assisting with the collection or creation of stimuli, testing research tools and materials, writing ethics proposals, data collection, data entry, and data analysis. The Directed Laboratory Research course can be repeated with no limit but students may only enroll in one per semester (3 credit hours).
Honours Thesis
Fourth-year students will be encouraged to complete an Honours Thesis, a full-year course during which students take primary responsibility for a research project of their device, run under the guidance and tutelage of a Psychology faculty member. Research projects may vary in scope and complexity, but generally require students to devise a novel research project, obtain ethical approval for the project, collect participant data, analyze participant data, and write a final research report of study results.
Students accomplish these objectives over the course of two semesters (PSYC 4110U and PSYC 4120U). At the end of the first semester, students submit a written report detailing the introduction and method of their project. At the end of the second semester, students submit a final report that includes results and conclusions derived from those results.
In Psychology, the completion of a thesis is crucial for students planning to apply to graduate programs.