Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Applied Psychology and Human Development

Undergraduate Programs

CDEP

Counseling, Developmental & Educational Psychology

Do you want to enrich the lives of children and adults every day? Do you want to understand the interface between human development and health, between psychology and the workplace, and between knowledge and action? If so, then a degree in Applied Psychology and Human Development is your first step.听

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By the Numbers

35%

of our students go directly into graduate training

CDEP Survey

58%

of our students go directly into employment

CDEP Survey

Curriculum

The Applied Psychology and Human Development program in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development is a top choice among Boston College undergraduates.听 Our focus is on meaningful learning in the classroom applied to real-world issues across local, national, and international contexts.

The program will help you:

Understand the key tasks and processes underlying human development from infancy to adulthood
Recognize how social and cultural contexts shape developmental and psychological processes
Learn key research methods and statistical approaches used to study human development and psychology
Gain skills in critically evaluating and translating scientific evidence from psychology and human development to real-world settings
Develop a specialized understanding of a targeted focus area of study to prepare for a range of further education and career pathways

Learning Goals & Focus Areas

This program opens up a variety of future options in fields of human resources, counseling psychology, health, education, research, community programming, leadership, or policy and law. It will prepare you to contribute to society through service, action, and leadership.听 It also allows you to study key areas that are at the forefront of current social and educational challenges confronting society: health, human capital, advocacy and policy, and applications to learning.

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You'll develop a specialized understanding of a targeted focus area of study to prepare for a range of further education and career pathways, including:

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Human Services and Health Sciences: Understand psychosocial challenges to healthy development across the lifespan, and learn about a range of individual and community-level strategies to prevent mental and physical illness and enhance psychosocial health and well-being.

Organizational Studies and Human Capital:听Focus on the intersection of individuals and work/organizational contexts, with the goal of applying the science of psychology and human development to interpersonal relationships, organizational settings, and the workplace.

Policy, Advocacy and Community Change:听Understand individual, community, and government roles in sustaining or challenging social and economic inequities affecting human development.听 Assess how psychological science informs policies and programs designed to address pervasive social problems.

Science of Learning:听Understand cognitive, motivational, and affective processes that underlie learning and behavior across diverse contexts, and learn to translate this knowledge into educational and behavioral practice.

Learn More about the Four听Focus Areas

Accreditation

The Lynch School has a long history of national accreditation, which includes NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), TEAC (Teacher Education Accreditation Council), and CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation). Most recently, the Lynch School was granted full and complete accreditation through CAEP, valid from Fall 2018 through Spring 2024. Boston College is currently the only CAEP accredited education preparation organization in Massachusetts.

Overview of the Program

Program of Study

There are three components to the APHD major:

1. Complete the six required core courses.

2. Select and complete one focus area.

3. Complete three major electives.

Core Courses

Program of Study

Required Courses

6 courses (18 credits)

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Core Courses

Course	Course Title	Notes	Credits
APSY/EDUC1030	Child Development	Recommended to take first semester in program	3
APSY/EDUC1031	Family, School, and Society	Take first year in program	3
APSY2041 OR APSY3244	Adolescent Development OR Adult Development & Aging	听	3
APSY2216	Applied Psychology Research Methods	听	3
APSY2217	Statistics for Applied Psychology听	Typically taken after APSY2216: Research Methods	3
APSY2152	Applied Psychology Practicum: Pathways Work & Life	Jr. or Sr. standing	3

Focus Areas

3 courses (9 credits)

Students should select and declare a focus area听by the end of the second year in the program. Consult for course availability.

Courses

Human Services & Health Services

Course	Course Title	Credits
APSY2241	Mental Illness: Social and Clinical Perspectives	3
APSY3243	Counseling Theories	3
APSY4151	Health Psychology	3

Organization Studies and Human Capital

Course	Course Title	Credits
MGMT1021	Organizational Behavior	3
APSY2242	Interpersonal Relations	3
APSY4211	Psychology of Work	3

Policy, Advocacy & Community Change

Course	Course Title	Notes	Credits
APSY2243	Social Oppression and Transformation	听	3
APSY6348	Prevention & Intervention Strategies for Children, Families & Communities	Spring semester only	3
APSY4397	Social Issues and Social Policy	Fall semester only	3

Science of Learning

Course	Course Title	Notes	Credits
APSY2032	Cognition and Learning	听	3
APSY4233	Motivation, Emotion, & Self-Regulated Learning	Fall semester only	3
APSY6421	Translating Science of Learning into Practice	Spring semester only	3

Applied Psychology and Human Development (APSY) Electives

Electives

3 courses (9 credits)

Students should听select 3 electives听from the options below. Electives听must听differ from your 6 major core requirements and from the 3 courses in your selected focus area's requirements. No more than two elective courses should be from outside LSEHD.

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Course	Course Title/Notes	Credits
1. Any Applied Psychology & Human Development (APSY) course	Listing of approved APSY courses can be found on the Program of Study form and in the Sample List of Electives table below	3
2. Any Psychology (PSYC) or Sociology (SOCY) course	Review the for options	3
3. Any of the following pre-approved electives. Additional courses may serve as electives upon approval from program director.	MGMT1021: Organizational Behavior FORM2050: Transformative Teaching & Learning ELHE7103: Education Law and Public Policy* EDUC1044: Education and Development for Students with Disabilities EDUC3308: Bilingualism in Schools and Communities EDUC6495: Human Development and Disabilities EDUC6496: Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorder* LREN7301: Principles of Fostering Learning* (2 cr) LREN7302: Cognitive Task Analysis* (1 cr) MESA6466: Program Evaluation	3

*Indicates graduate level course open to juniors/seniors with permission from course instructor.

Sample List of Electives

Below is a sample list of electives available for undergraduate students that may be used to fulfill elective requirements. Please note, not all courses are available each semester. Please visit the for an up-to-date list of current offerings.听听

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Course #	Course Name
APSY2032	Cognition and Learning
APSY2240	Personality Theories
APSY2241	Mental Illness: Social and Clinical Perspectives
APSY2242	Interpersonal Relations
APSY2243听	Social Oppression and Transformation
APSY2295听	Spirituality, Religion & College Student Experience
APSY3310听	Contemporary Issues in Applied Psychology & Human Behavior
APSY3233听	Motivation, Emotion, & Self-Regulated Learning
APSY3243听	Counseling Theories
APSY3248听	The Psychology of Gender Across the Lifespan
APSY3375听	Educational Leadership in Higher Education
APSY3378听	Inside-Out
APSY4151听	Health Psychology
APSY4211听	Psychology of Work
APSY4901听	Readings and Research
APSY4961听	Senior Thesis I
APSY4962听	Senior Thesis II
APSY6420听	Positive Youth Development
APSY6421听	Translating Science of Learning into Practice听
APSY6348听	Prevention & Intervention Strategies for Children, Families & Communities
APSY6397听	Social Issues and Social Policy
APSY6461	Psychological Responses to Humanitarian Crises*

Program Features

World-Renowned Faculty

Internationally recognized faculty in applied developmental, educational, and counseling psychology

Real-World Learning

A foundational six-course sequence in human development across the lifespan, the analytic tools central to social sciences, and the application of applied psychology to real-world settings

Purpose-driven Education

An integrated field placement and course that helps students identify their purpose, including future career and life aspirations

Flexibility

The flexibility to choose one of four focus areas: Human Services and Health Sciences; Organizational Studies and Human Capital; Policy, Advocacy and Community Change; or Science of Learning

Customization

A wide-ranging set of electives from within the program and across 51茶馆, so that each student can frame their major to meet their individual interests and career goals

Careers

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Associate
Oracle, Sales Representative
Massachusetts General Hospital, Research Assistant
Pegasystems, Human Resources Coordinator
Hill Holiday, Assistant Account Executive
Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, Social Worker
Brandeis University, International Coordinator
Wellington Management, Business Associate
Starcom Media Vest, Junior Media Associate

Program Faculty

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Why study psychology in a school of education?

The Applied Psychology and Human Development major in the Lynch School of Education emphasizes state of the art connections between research, theory, and practice. Through practica and community involvement, students gain real-world experience and graduate prepared to apply what they learned in an array of community, education, business, and policy settings.

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