Psychology (BA)

Overview

Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate majors in the US, and for good reason: learning about the mind and behavior while earning your BA in Psychology gives you a solid foundation on which to build a wide range of careers from counseling to education to marketing to research. 

Our Students have the option to complete their undergraduate psychology training either through traditional on-campus education or its fully online psychology program. The Psychology program offers a unique combination of high-quality instruction from accomplished faculty, practical professional development. 

Why Choose D'Youville?

  • Small classes allow for individualized instruction directly from our accomplished faculty, not teaching assistants as is often the norm in larger colleges and universities.
  • You can attend Psychology as a Profession Seminars starting in your sophomore year. These seminars help you explore your career options by providing real-life, practical information about the various career paths you can take with your Psychology degree, and the steps you'll need to take to get there.
  • Our faculty advisors will help you tailor your curriculum to your interests by developing a personalized plan that allows you to study topics from our two dozen psychology elective offerings
  • For students interested in becoming Substance Abuse Counselors upon graduation with a bachelor's degree, our online CASAC pathway meets the new OASAS-approved certification requirements and is designed to foster new industry-leading quality standards in SUDS professional development.
  • Once you become a Senior, our extensive internship program will allow you to apply what you've learned and gain the kind of real-world experience employers look for through actual on-the-job experience as an intern.

What you'll gain:

  • Experience through a program that will prepare you to understand the various dimensions of the field of psychology through a combination of personalized instruction and hands-on-experiences
  • Preparation for your career through a unique series of professional development seminars
  • Extensive opportunities for real-world experience both in the US and abroad

Internship Experiences Integrated into Our Curriculum

During your senior year, you'll be required to complete two semesters of internship while also taking the Senior Seminar. You'll complete a minimum of 225 hours of internship each semester or about 15 hours per week of on-the-job experience. You'll have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of experiences that will help you explore your own goals and interests through internship placements at human or social service organizations, forensic and/or legal organizations, research institutions, medical settings, educational institutions, or other types of settings as long as they're approved by D'Youville.

Build Your Community

In your internship, you'll build relationships with experts and peers, where you'll benefit from:

  • Knowledge and experience of a committed team of professionals at your internship placement
  • Mentoring from D'Youville faculty
  • Shared experience with fellow students in your co-requisite Senior Seminar 

Admission Requirements

At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. If you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville.

First Time in College Freshman Requirements
  • Submitted application for admission
  • Official high school transcripts
    • An overall weighted GPA of 80 with successful completion of high school graduation requirements and three years of math, history, english, and science.
Transfer Admission Required Review Criteria
  • Submitted application for admission
    • Applications are free of charge and can be found on our apply webpage.
  • Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges/universities
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.33

Learn More About Internships 

An internship will provide you with the opportunity to apply what you've learned in the classroom to the workplace while gaining the kinds of valuable experience employers and graduate programs look for. By directly experiencing day-to-day life in a real-world setting, you'll also have the opportunity to better understand what career path is right for you. Additionally, an internship affords students the opportunity to network with professionals in their field of interest which can be invaluable for helping to secure post-graduate job or academic placement.  

Students in D'Youville's Psychology program are fortunate to not only have a wide range of internship experiences to choose from that can be tailored to their specific career interests, but have the opportunity to participate in two such internships that are integrated into our comprehensive curriculum.

Supporting Your Success Through The Senior Seminar

We're committed to your success. One major way we support your success as a student in the Psychology Program at D'Youville is through our Senior Seminar, a course designed to complement and expand on your internship experiences your senior year.

In the Senior Seminar you'll explore professionally-relevant issues such as ethics and legal issues, supervision, cultural diversity, and applying to graduate school as we help you to build your overall professional skills prior to graduation. Through interactions with your peers and your instructor, you'll not only build professional knowledge but you'll also receive the kind of support and encouragement that will help you excel during your internship placement and beyond, after graduation.

Sample Internship Placements

Unlike some institutions where students are required to seek and acquire their own internship opportunities, the faculty of the D'Youville Psychology Program are committed to helping students find internship placements within agencies and settings that are consistent with their career interests and plans.

The following is a list of locations that D'Youville Psychology student interns have been placed in since 2002:

  • Aspire of Western New York
  • Associate Physical and Occupational Therapists
  • Avalon Eating Disorder Center
  • Baker Victory Services – Preventative Services
  • Buffalo City hall, Division of Citizen Services
  • Buffalo C.O.U.R.T.S.
  • Buffalo Police Department
  • Buffalo Psychiatric Center
  • Buffalo Public Schools
  • Buffalo Speech and Hearing
  • Buffalo Urban League
  • Camp Cradle Beach
  • Charter School of Applied Technology
  • Child & Family Services
  • Cheektowaga Central Schools
  • City of Buffalo, Division of Substance Abuse Services
  • Claddagh Commission, Inc
  • Clean Air Coalition of Western new York
  • Community Services Inc.
  • Compass House
  • Compeer of Western New York
  • Crisis Services
  • D'Youville Admissions Office
  • D'Youville Athletic Department
  • D'Youville Career & Professional Engagement
  • D'Youville Public Relations Department
  • East Aurora Union Free School District
  • Edukids Early Childhood Center
  • Erie County Court Judge – 8th District
  • Erie County Department of Health & Teen Wellness
  • Erie County Department of Probation
  • Erie County District Attorney's Office
  • Erie County Family Court
  • Erie County Forensic Mental Health
  • Escuela Secundaria Ángel María Herrera (Panama)
  • Frontier Central Public Schools
  • Gateway-Longview, Inc.
  • Greenfield Continuing Care Community
  • Hillside Family Agencies
  •  Holland Central School District
  • Horizon Health Services
  • Jericho Community Health Center
  • Kaleida Addictions Center
  • Kaleida Health Occupational Therapy
  • Key Resource Group, LLP
  • Kids Peace
  • Lakeshore Behavioral Health
  • Lackawanna Drug Treatment Court
  • Lancaster Central Schools
  • Lewiston-Porter Central Schools
  • Lockport Central Schools
  • Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc.
  • Moving Miracles
  • Newfane Central Schools
  • Native American Magnet School
  • New Frontiers in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • New York State Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Fraud Division
  • Niagara Falls Public Schools
  • Niagara Wheatfield Public Schools
  • North Tonawanda Public Schools
  • The Partnership, Ltd.
  • People Inc.
  • Research Center for Children & Youth (SUNY)
  • Research Institute on Addictions
  • Research Internships with Faculty at D’Youville and other Institutions
  • Rochester-Henrietta Central Schools
  • Roswell Park Cancer Institute
  • Seneca Nation Clerks' Office
  • Sisters Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility
  • Snelling Personnel
  • SPCA
  • University of San Diego, Department of Psychology
  • West Seneca Public Schools
  • Western New York Child Psychiatric Center
  • Western New York Developmental Disabilities Services Office
  • Wheatfield Pediatrics
  • Women & Children's Hospital Early Childhood Program
  • YWCA Transitional Housing Program

Additional Benefits

We offer a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) certification track. While earning your degree, you can gain specialized substance abuse disorder counseling training can help you stand out with employers. This is an online 24 credit hour program.

Learn More

Related Programs

See What Type of Courses You Will Study 

Find detailed course information for the Bachelor of Arts Psychology Program, tools to plan your education, and complete academic policies and procedures.