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Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Psychology

The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Psychology provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in psychological sciences or are preparing for graduate programs in psychology or related fields. With a bachelor`s degree, students may pursue numerous careers such as mid and top-level managers, market research analysts/specialists, human resources specialists/managers, social and human service assistants, psychiatric technicians, survey researchers, and probation officers/correctional treatment specialists. Most careers in psychology require graduate work. With a graduate degree, students may pursue a number of careers, including but not limited to: psychologists (industrial-organizational, clinical, counseling, and school), research scientists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, statisticians, teachers, and human factors engineers.

Details

Field of Interest
Behavioral Science and Human Services
Degree Type
Associate in Arts (AA)
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Psychology (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8122
Total credits required
60-64
Catalog Year
2024-2025
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.

What You'll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

  1. Explain how Psychology is a science and interdisciplinary.
  2. Identify interrelationships between biological, psychological and socio-cultural processes.
  3. Apply Psychological science to everyday life and career goals.
  4. Utilize a systematic method of investigation, design and conduct a psychology research project.
  5. Locate, interpret and evaluate research findings.
  6. Analyze and interpret data using quantitative and qualitative methods.
  7. Utilize scientific findings and theories to generate new ideas.
  8. Evaluate the impact of socio-cultural diversity and societal inequality on social and psychological issues and research.
  9. Interact effectively with others using an understanding of the role culture, values and biases play in communication.
  10. Utilize effective written, oral and visual communication skills in varied contexts, in accordance with the professional conventions within the field of psychology.
  11. Apply ethical standards and social responsibility to evaluate psychological science and practice.

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based annual median wages* for this program. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$63,590

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

$61,000

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

$50,460

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:
  • Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists
  • Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
* Wage information sourced from the . Updated May 2022.

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Pathway Map Options

There are multiple options available for this pathway map. These options vary depending on the available transfer institutions and what degrees you may be able to transfer into.

These pathway map options may share some common coursework. To explore what additional coursework may be required, select your desired option from the list below. Once selected, the list of courses and any associated details will be automatically updated in the course sequence below. The differences between individual pathway map options may only be a few courses.

Pathway Map Option Details

No pathway map option has been selected. Please select from the pathway map options listed above.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Critical course Gateway course SB 3
or
or Critical course FYC or FYC 3
Critical course Before enrolling into a math course, speak to your Academic Advisor to ensure you are selecting the correct math for your transfer goals as is not applicable to all transfer plans MA 3–6
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency
or
or 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
or FYC or FYC 3
or
or
or
or or or Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. SB or SB or L or SB 0–3
OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
( and
)
or
or ( and ) or CS or CS and or CS 3–4
SQ 4
Students who select the ASU Tempe BA transfer option must select a Related Area course that satisfies the SB requirement SB 3
HU 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
( and
)
or ( and ) L, SG or L, SG 4
HU 3
or
or May be met by Transfer Plan requirements or met by OR unless used to meet L;
Recommend
SG or SQ 0–4
May be met by OR if not used to meet SG L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Critical course Gateway course SB 3
or
or Critical course FYC or FYC 3
or
or 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Critical course Before enrolling into a math course, speak to your Academic Advisor to ensure you are selecting the correct math for your transfer goals as is not applicable to all transfer plans MA 3–6
or
or FYC or FYC 3
OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
or
or
or or or Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. SB or SB or L or SB 0–3
SQ 4

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Students who select the ASU Tempe BA transfer option must select a Related Area course that satisfies the SB requirement SB 3
HU 3

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
or May be met by Transfer Plan requirements or met by OR unless used to meet L;
Recommend
SG or SQ 0–4
HU 3

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
( and
)
or
or ( and ) or CS or CS and or CS 3–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 101 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
or
( and
)
or ( and ) L, SG or L, SG 4
May be met by OR unless used to meet SG L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 102 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 201 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency

Term 10

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 10
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Second Language Second Language Requirement, 202 Level See your program advisor to determine if your transfer option requires language proficiency
Course Area Key

Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s for additional details regarding the requirements of this award .

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.