Honours Bachelor of Behavioural Psychology

*Domestic applicants include Canadian citizens, permanent residents, protected persons and Convention refugees.
The Honours Bachelor of Behavioural Psychology program is a four-year degree that equips graduates with extensive knowledge, theory, and practice in the specialized field of behavioural psychology, or Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), a sector within the broader field of Psychology. The program provides extensive work-integrated learning experiences for students, including 420 hours of practicum, and 420 hours of internship.
The program introduces students to the cognitive and behaviour perspective of the human lifespan, and prepares them to work with people with autism, developmental disabilities, and/or addictions across a variety of sectors including corrections, early intervention, education, gerontology, rehabilitation, and health care. Graduates will be prepared to actively conduct assessments, design and carry out interventions, and complete evaluations with a wide array of individuals.
This program will also prepare students to be effective communicators through its emphasis on written and oral communication. Effective communication is taught, evaluated and reinforced throughout the curriculum, with students practicing their listening and comprehension skills as they learn to implement behavioural interventions based on information provided by others. Students will enhance their communication skills by transferring knowledge of the field and clients to other ABA practitioners and to laypeople, including clients and their support people.
Students will also engage in a live lab element within coursework, in collaboration with a local partner, where they will observe and engage in cutting-edge work, research, and apply theory to practice.
Graduates may further their studies in B.Ed. programs (teacher’s college) or pursue a master's degree.
Steps to pursue this pathway:
Through a combination of theory and practical skills gained in the field, graduates from this program will be able to work in these growing fields of behavioural psychology:
OR
Mature Applicant with standing in the
required courses and grade stated above
OR
Applicants applying from a community
college must have successfully completed a diploma program with an
overall GPA of 2.5 in their program. In addition, all students
applying from university or college must have completed the
pre-requisite courses in Mathematics and English as stated in the
Admission Requirements.
Test | Score |
---|---|
TOEFL iBT | 88 |
IELTS Academic | Overall score of 6.5 with no score less than 6.0 in any of the four bands |
CAEL | Overall score of 70 with no score less than 60 in any of the four bands |
PTE Academic | 59 |
Cambridge English | Overall score of 176 with no language skill less than 169 |
ESL4/GAP5 | Minimum grade of 80% in Level 9, 75% in Level 10 |
Duolingo | Overall score of 120, with no score lower than 105 |
Core Courses | ||||
Take all of the following Mandatory (Core) Courses: The Minimum Cumulative GPA for Core Courses is 2.5 (Bridging students enter level 5 of the BBP1 program and must complete BSCI-7002, SOCI-7016, ECED-7003 and COMM-7008 from previous levels of the program.) | ||||
Group 1 | ||||
LEVEL 1 - In addition to the following mandatory courses, please refer to the Non-Core Level 1 requirement below | ||||
PSYC-7044 | Principles of Psychology | 3 | ||
This is a survey course in psychology, exploring psychology's orientation and subfields, its guiding principles and research strategies. Through learning about the scope of psychology's subfields and the interrelationships among them, students are encouraged to appreciate the diversity and richness of human behaviour. Students acquire knowledge about the key concepts that constitute the core of the introductory psychology curriculum. | ||||
BSCI-7008 | History of Behaviour | 3 | ||
This course will introduce students to the philosophical underpinnings of the science of human behaviour and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). The course will take students on a journey through how the philosophy became a science. Students will learn about influential scientists in the field of ABA, and will examine their role in the field's development. | ||||
BSCI-7001 | Disability Studies | 3 | ||
This course will dissect various definitions and approaches to disability. A focus will be placed on the philosophical underpinnings of disability studies, while also examining how disability is constructed in society (e.g. in the media, workplace, and family, and through environmental barriers). | ||||
ECED-7004 | Human Development-Foundations | 3 | ||
The course introduces the study of human development from a developmental health perspective. Recent findings about early brain development and genetic expression join traditional theories from development psychology and population health perspectives into a framework of understanding that is the foundation for working with young children and their families. |
*Total program costs are approximate, subject to change and do not include the health and dental plan fee, bus pass fee or program general expenses.