Whether you are looking to go on to graduate work or immediately to the workplace, a bachelor's degree in psychology will help you analyze the intricacies of the human personality and will provide information on how to improve your relationships—all from a biblical vantage-point.

The Psychology major focuses on looking at the human personality and relationship with others through a biblical set of “glasses.” We believe there is an intrinsic psychology within our theology, since God is the author of thinking and behavior. There are approximately 150 different specialty areas related to the field of psychology. Each student’s coursework is custom built from the wide range of behavioral science undergraduate electives to best prepare him/her for his/her specific area of interest.

The purpose of the Psychology major is to familiarize you with the content and concepts of psychology from both the Bible and the secular world and to prepare you for graduate school, work in the field or work outside of the field. You will take courses in various areas of psychology, including child/adolescent psychology, abnormal psychology, social psychology and clinical psychology. We emphasize the practical side of psychology along with the content needed as a foundation. One of the greatest strengths of this major is the faculty, who will not only teach you, but will journey with you over the next few years. Our faculty have years of practical experience in the field, and continue to work in the field as they teach. Many are engaged in research and all have a commitment to the Word of God as a foundation of their work. They are also committed to see their students succeed and grow, even after graduation.

Course Requirements for B.A. or B.S. in Psychology


Examples of courses in this major:

PSY 1100 Introduction to Psychology

An introduction to psychology as the study of human behavior. Basic principles of psychology will be explored, including the process of learning, memory, perception, sensation, motivation and emotion. Personal and social aspects of human development will be emphasized.

PSY 2170 Abnormal Psychology

A study of mental and emotional disorders, their symptomatology, classification and methods of treatment. Special attention is given to a Christian approach to mental health. 

PSY 3260 Biblical Psychology

This course will examine the relationship between the fields of psychology and theology. A theory of integration will be presented, along with discussions concerning specific psychological topics (i.e. self-esteem, anxiety, etc.) from a biblical vantage point.

PSY 3380 Theories of Personality

An introduction to the major theories of personality and how it develops, including psychoanalysis, humanistic, existential and behavioristic approaches.

PSY 3600 Motivation and Emotion

This course is a study of the process of motivation and emotion and how they impact behavior and choices that people make every day. This course will study the research on the psychological and physiological aspects of motivation and emotion and the impact that those aspects have on behavior. The course will provide the student with a framework to view motivation and emotion that can help process difficult questions about human behavior such as “why are some people more emotional than others?”, and “is it possible to create environments that increase the motivation of another human?”