An Associate Degree is equivalent to the first two years of a four-year university degree. Universities in British Columbia will guarantee 60 transfer credits to holders of an Associate Degree.
Students must meet the grade point average (GPA) established by each university for admission. Upon completion, students qualify to apply for a post-graduate work permit in Canada.
Program Overview
- The Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology allows students to build a foundation in the field of psychology and prepared them to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related field.
- Students will learn the history and theories of psychology while developing critical thinking, written and verbal skills that will carry over to various careers and disciplines.
- Students will be able to explore various areas in psychology such as research methods, data analysis as well as social, cognitive, eco, child and biological psychology
Skills Gained
- Knowledge of human behaviors and mental processes.
- Develop solutions to complex human issues.
- Professional verbal and written communication.
- Critical thinking, research skills and ability to intepret and analyze data.
- Interpersonal and intercultural skills.
Accelerated Associate Degree: Tri-mester system
- Students benefit from the tri-mester system with intakes in January, May, and September. This means students can take more courses over a 12-month period and can complete an Associate Degree in 16 months or two years.
- Students take a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 courses per semester.
- Students who do not wish to accelerate can complete an Associate Degree in 2 years.
Program Curriculum Framework
Must include: All requirements of an Associate of Arts Degree
20 courses (minimum 60 credits) of 1st & 2nd year courses, to include at least 6 courses (minimum 18 credits) in Arts at the 2nd year level, taken in two or more subject areas.
1st Year Courses
| PSYC 110 Introductory Psychology I |
| PSYC 120 Introductory Psychology II |
2nd Year Courses
Include at least 4 and no more than five
| PSYC 217 Research Methods in Psychology |
| PSYC 218* Introduction to Data Analysis in the Behaviour Sciences |
| 2 courses outside the field of Psychology |
Choose 3 Courses:
| PSYC 210 Introductory Child Psychology |
| PSYC 220 Behaviour Disorders |
| PSYC 240 Social Psychology |
| PSYC 270 Theories of Personality |
| PSYC 281 Biological Psychology |
| PSYC 299 Introduction to Eco-psychology |
Career Possibilities
Approximately 748,500 job openings in British Columbia within the next 10 years will require some forms of post-secondary education
(British Columbia Labour Market Report Outlook: 2023 Edition, p. 4)
#1 in Canada, B.C. has the highest salary increase for 2023 for all industries compared to all over provinces.
(www.hrreporter.com)
Who Should Apply?
Students Who:
- Have an interest in understanding the behaviour, thoughts and feelings of people.
- Are willing to adopt scientific approaches to understanding the complex nature of human behaviour.