COURSE CURRICULUM

The three-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology at Cape Breton University is designed to provide a scientific understanding of human behaviour and mental processes through a structured progression of foundational and advanced courses. In the first year, students take introductory psychology courses such as Introduction to Psychology: Human Science and Natural Science, along with general arts electives, focusing on core areas including cognition, behaviour, personality, and social interaction while building basic academic writing and analytical skills. In the second year, students move into core courses such as research methods, data analysis, learning, personality, social psychology, developmental psychology, and abnormal psychology, gaining a stronger understanding of how psychological phenomena are studied scientifically. In the third year, the curriculum becomes more advanced and specialized, including courses in cognitive psychology, physiological psychology, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, applied social psychology, psychological testing, mental health, and research practicum opportunities. Across all three years, students develop strong skills in critical thinking, statistics, research design, communication, and interpretation of scientific data. The BA structure also allows electives from other disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, and biology, preparing graduates for careers in social services, education, mental health support, research, and other human-service fields or for further academic study in psychology and related areas.