Associate of Science in Psychology Degree Program

The Associate of Science Degree in Psychology is a self-paced learning program that may be completed off-campus. Study programs are not structured in semesters, quarters or terms, allowing students to begin their degree programs at any time during the year.

The Associate of Science Degree in Psychology requires students complete a total of 60 semester units of credit. Course work is comprised of 6 Core Courses in Psychology, 10 General Education Courses, and 4 Elective courses.

Core Courses for Psychology

Candidates for the Associate of Science Degree in Psychology are required to complete 6 Core Course (18 semester units) of credit in the Major Cores. The Major or Core Courses required are listed below.

PSY 102 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 220 Developmental Psychology
PSY 280 Marriage and Family
PSY 380 Personality Theories
PSY 408 Abnormal Psychology
PSY 418 Counseling Psychology

Associate of Science General Education Courses

Candidates for the Associate of Science Degree in Psychology are required to complete 10 General Education courses (30 semester units). The General Education Courses required are listed below.

Basic Subjects:

GED 132 United States Government
GED 150 Mathematics
GED 155 English
GED 230 United States History

Natural Sciences:

GED 102 The Human Body
GED 108 Environmental Science

Humanities / Fine Arts:

GED 120 Introduction to the Humanities
GED 130 Introduction to Civilizations

Social Sciences:

GED 215 Psychology of Adjustment
GED 216 Introduction to Sociology

Associate of Science Elective Education Courses

Candidates for the Associate of Science Degree in Psychology are required to complete 4 Elective courses (12 semester units). The Elective Courses may be selected from the list below.

GEL 205 Marketing Hospitality
GEL 207 Consumer Behavior
GEL 222 Human Relations
GEL 231 Personal Finance
GEL 240 Child Development
GEL 280 Advertising
GEL 305 Social Gerontology
GEL 314 Criminal Justice in America
GEL 316 Animal Science
GEL 350 Introduction to Human Sexuality
GEL 370 Death and Dying
GEL 420 Art History
GEL 467 Introduction to E-Commerce
GEL 477 Business Ethics

Course work requirements may be satisfied in the following ways:

Transfer of Credit

Previously earned acceptable, academic credit may be transferred to the University to meet existing coursework requirements. Transfer credit is limited to a maximum of 50% of the total semester units of credit required in the program.

Specialized Training

Specialized Training allows students to receive up to 12 semester units of credit in the General Elective Category only.

Specific training programs which a student may have completed through their employer, company, organization, military training experiences, professional or personal licensure requirements or other documented training experiences may be eligible for academic credit.

Credit for Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning allows undergraduate students to receive up to 15 Semester Units of credit for Experiential Learning in the major field of study (core courses).

Eligibility for Experiential Credit is determined at the application stage of the enrollment process. The application and all supporting documentation are reviewed and an assessment made indicating which courses may be eligible for academic credit.

Challenge Examinations

During the admissions process, all professional experience is reviewed to determine if an applicant has sufficient occupational experience to warrant taking a Challenge Examination in lieu of completing the Study Guide for a particular course.

An applicant may be offered an opportunity to complete a Challenge Examination if the candidate's occupational expertise appears to be comparable to the objectives identified for a particular course. Successfully passing a Challenge Examination will demonstrate an acceptable level of competence for that course. If a student does not pass a Challenge Examination they are assigned a Study Guide for completion.

Study Guides

California Coast University has developed comprehensive Study Guides, for each course, that are designed to coordinate and sequence the learning materials for the student. Study Guides are based on specific college level textbooks, which may be obtained from local bookstores, the publisher, or the University's Lending Library which is available by telephone, fax, e-mail or on-line via Coast Connection.

Study Guides are organized in such a way that a student receives a complete syllabus for each course along with instructional materials, which guides the student chapter by chapter through the corresponding textbook.

Each Study Guide contains an overview and summary of each textbook chapter, along with a listing of important keywords (with definitions) and self-tests (with answers) on key points. All test items are referenced back to the specific learning objectives for the chapter, which allow the student to easily understand concepts or theories presented in that particular chapter.

Study Guides include 4 "Unit Tests" equally spaced throughout the instructional materials, a brief writing assignment and the Final Examination. Examinations are designed to test the student on the preceding chapters. All tests are un-timed and may be completed as open book tests.

Proctored Final Examinations

The Associate of Science degree programs require that a Proctor administer Final Examinations in the Major (or core) courses and in all General Education courses. Proctored Examinations are conducted as un-timed open book examinations.

The purpose of the proctored examination is to verify that you are, in fact, the person who enrolled in the course of study. During proctored examinations, you may use your course textbook, and any notes that you have taken during the completion of your Study Guide.

The student selects the Proctor. A Proctor can be any responsible person who is not a family member. (Such as your Minister, Rabbi, a co-worker, librarian, etc)

California Coast University
700 North Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92701
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info@calcoast.edu