Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology program is geared towards students who are interested in careers other than careers of care, including careers in design, business, marketing, human resources, program development and organizational development, among other options.

The BA in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology allows students to gain the skills and experience necessary to enter the workforce directly from undergrad. The program also emphasizes transferrable research skills, preparing students for graduate school and providing pathways into a variety of industries that exploit quantitative and qualitative data. The program is more rigorous than the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, but includes courses hand-picked by faculty and employers to target hard and soft job skills. This degree is ideally suited for students who are interested in using psychological concepts and behavioural research methods in various contemporary community and workplace settings.

The program shares the first two years of foundational curriculum with the BA in Psychology, including a broad sampling of subdisciplines that establish a foundation of knowledge in psychology. The third- and fourth-year curriculum emphasizes flexible, transferrable skills and applications of psychology to solving problems in modern community and workplace settings.

Required courses, such as Interpersonal Relations, Culture and Psychology, Tests and Measurements and Human Factors, provide students with general, transferable workplace skills, as well as specific knowledge and skills used in a variety of public, private, and not-for-profit sector jobs. Electives provide further training in additional areas selected by the student.

Students also participate in a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment. This practicum placement will assist students in gaining workplace experience and in meeting potential future employers. Students also take Post University Transition, where they create a portfolio to demonstrate the achievement of their program learning outcomes and prepare for graduation.

Those interested in further study and graduate school or who prefer more extensive research experience may augment their knowledge and skills by taking the research-focused Honours program in Psychology. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department.
The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology (BAHBAP) was developed in consultation with internal key parties including the Faculty of Arts, Student Services, and the Psychology Department, as well as employers throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Employers indicated that graduates of the BAHBAP program are qualified for positions such as program evaluators, research analysts, project consultants, user experience designers, human resources advisors, and health planning consultants. Past graduates have found employment in such areas as health research, human resources, market research, psychological testing and crisis services, product usability research, autism intervention, education, and corrections. Graduates of the BAHBAP with Honours have gone on to graduate studies in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Gerontology, Education, School Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Public Policy, to name only a few areas. Students in the program should consult with an Arts Degree Advisor to select courses best suited to their career objectives.