Course Descriptions

Graduate Degree Courses - Psychology

View the Comprehensive Catalog at lamar.edu/catalog

Psychology (PSYC)

Course Number: 5120
Credit Hours: 1
Title: Professional Orientation

Course Description:
An orientation to the discipline and professional activities. Includes ethics, legalities, training standards, and professional roles. Assignments supplement other course work including research, teaching and field projects. Required of all graduate students for two semesters with a maximum of three semester hours allowed.

Course Number: 5301
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Advanced General Psychology II

Course Description:
A comprehensive overview of the following areas of psychology: personality, developmental, social and abnormal. Emphasis will be placed on both background material and current research. In addition, the influence of lifestyle on health and wellness and the role of the professional psychologist in the process is considered. May be taken out of sequence.

Course Number: 5302
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Advanced Data Analysis

Course Description:
A study of the statitistical techniques commonly used by applied and theoretical psychologists in the design, execution, control and evaluation of experimental data.

Course Number: 5305
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Ethical and Legal Principles for Psychologists

Course Description:
This course focuses on ethical and professional issues in our field, especially in research, clinical and applied behavior analytic settings. Emphasis on the APA and BACB ethical principles and standards and how to apply codes of conduct to professional work, including research, consulting, teaching and publication. Prerequisite: Instructor Consent

Course Number: 5310
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Intellectual Assessment

Course Description:
An introduction to intellectual assessment. Includes principles of psychological testing, test statistics, and critical evaluation of a variety of intellectual and achievement measures. Practicum in administration, scoring, interpretation, and formal psychological report writing for all Wechsler measures and the Stanford-Binet.

Course Number: 5311
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Introduction to Psychotherapy

Course Description:
Specific psychotherapy skills, therapeutic communication and therapeutic practices are introduced using didactic techniques and role-playing. Includes models of individual, family and multimodal therapy, ethical principles in therapy, DSM-IV and diagnosis of psychopathology, Employee Assistance Programs, consultation and referral to other agencies. Other topics include professional orientation of the therapist, obtaining supervision and continuing education, and evaluating the effectiveness of therapy.

Course Number: 5312
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Personality Assessment

Course Description:
An introduction to the broad area of personality assessment including DSM-IV classifications. Practicum in administration, scoring, interpretation, and formal psychological report writing with the MMPI-2, Rorschach, TAT, SCII, KOIS, and other objective and projective assessment devices. Includes coverage of lifestyles and career/vocational choices.

Course Number: 5313
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Advanced Psychotherapy

Course Description:
An in-depth study of psychotherapy theories and intervention strategies for individuals and groups. Distinctions will be made between normal human growth and abnormal human behavior. Includes ethics, legal/cultural considerations, and lifestyles.

Course Number: 5315
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Leadership and Managing People

Course Description:
In-depth study of the major topics in leadership with an emphasis on the leader. Includes research-based evidence and practice in the fields of leadership and organizational psychology and application of essential knowledge and skills in leadership through project-based learning.

Course Number: 5316
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Performance Management

Course Description:
This course focuses on major topics in performance management, including research-based evidence and best practices in the field and application of essential knowledge and skills in performance management.

Course Number: 5317
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Recruitment & Selection

Course Description:
This course focuses on the methods for recruiting and talent acquisition in organizations. Topics include human resource planning, determination of staffing needs, internal and external recruitment strategies, selection interviews, tests and assessment procedures.

Course Number: 5318
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Judgement & Decision Making

Course Description:
An introduction to the cognitive and psychological basis of judgement and decision making. We will explore important questions about peoples' capacity for analyzing information, whether people are capable of rational judgement, whether statistical models should replace human judgement and how to improve judgement and decision making.

Course Number: 5320
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Psychological Measurement

Course Description:
A study of procedures used in the development, evaluation, and application of psychological measuring instruments. Topics include bivariate linear correlation, nonlinear correlation, multiple and partial correlation, classical true score theory, validation techniques, and test construction techniques. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor

Course Number: 5321
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Advanced Organizational Psychology

Course Description:
Study of social and organizational factors in the work place. Emphasis on theories of organizational/group dynamics, social foundations of influence, leadership and growth/development. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor

Course Number: 5322
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Advanced Industrial Psychology

Course Description:
Psychological principles and techniques applied to human resources management. Techniques include job analysis, legal issues, placement and training, performance appraisal, compensation and career development.

Course Number: 5323
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Experimental Design

Course Description:
Theory and application of experimental design in psychological research. Students will have an opportunity to design and conduct an original research study.

Course Number: 5325
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Personality and Psychopathology

Course Description:
Study of the major issues is personality psychology from a research perspective, with a focus on personality factors and traits as they apply to a clinical practice. Includes major areas of psychopathology and development of diagnostic skills using clinical scenarios. Students will apply DSM-5 criteria to various types of cases, understanding when and how to distinguish between similar diagnoses, and how to deal with multiple diagnoses in the same client.

Course Number: 5326
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Consulting in Organizations

Course Description:
A practical look at the skills needed to be an effective internal or external consultant in organizations. Emphasis will be placed on the overall consulting process including entry, contracting, data collection, feedback, intervention and evaluation.

Course Number: 5330
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Practicum I

Course Description:
For Industrial/Organizational students, supervised training and experience in a local organization. For Community Psychology students, practicum involves a minimum of 300 hours of work in a mental health setting, including a minimum of 100 hours of direct client contact, and one hour a week of individual supervision from a licensed professional. The specific nature of the practicum for both I/O and Community students depends on the professional background and goals of the candidate and will be determined by the candidate, his or her faculty advisor and a member of the cooperating agency/organization.

Course Number: 5331
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Practicum II

Course Description:
Supervised work in an area of interest to the student (as noted in 5330). Includes supervision by both a faculty member and a member of the cooperating agency/organization.

Course Number: 5332
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Practicum III

Course Description:
Practicum involves a minimum of 150 contact hours (50 direct contact hours) and one hour a week of individual supervision from a licensed professional.

Course Number: 5340
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Special Topics

Course Description:
Includes coursework, library and/or laboratory work and conferences with a faculty member. A description of the particular area of study will be indicated. A student may repeat the course for credit when the area of study varies.

Course Number: 5350
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Multivariate Data Analysis

Course Description:
Topics include models of analysis of variance and covariance, multiple regression, factor analysis, and the multiple regression model of analysis of variance and covariance. The linear algebra necessary to deal with these topics is developed. Extensive practice with microcomputers is emphasized.

Course Number: 5355
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Social, Cultural and Developmental Psychology

Course Description:
This course will focus on a subset of topics in the field of psychology: Social Psychology, Cultural Psychology and Developmental Psychology. In addition to learning about the current state of research in each topic, we will also explore the major theoretical approaches used to study that topic, as well as, the strength and weaknesses of these theoretical approaches.

Course Number: 5365
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Cognition, Emotion & Memory

Course Description:
This course will provide an advanced introduction to theory and empirical research in human cognition, memory and emotion. Findings from experimental cognitive psychology, cognitive neuropsychology and emotion/affective research will be considered. topics will include perceptual processes, attention, knowledge representation and imagery, decision-making and problem solving, categorization, language, models of human memory, encoding and retrieval processes, errors and distortions of memory, structure and function of emotion and the interplay between emotion, cognition and memory. Since research is the foundation of psychology, a considerable amount of time will be spent reading, discussing and analyzing scholarly research articles and book chapters in addition to textbook readings. Lectures and discussions will focus on key findings and concepts related to cognition, memory and emotion. This course is intended for students with a basic knowledge of psychology.

Course Number: 5380
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Biological Bases of Behavior

Course Description:
Scientific study of the biological bases of behavior. The main goal is to understand brain structures and functions that respond to experiences, perform regulatory functions and generate behavior through the study of primary research.

Course Number: 5390
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Thesis

Course Description:
Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy. Must complete both for required 6 credits.

Course Number: 5391
Credit Hours: 3
Title: Thesis

Course Description:
Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy. Must complete both for required 6 credits.