Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

at Roger Williams University - Bristol Campus USA

As a Management major, you’ll learn how to lead organizations through complex decisions such as budgeting, negotiating, planning and directing. Because these decisions have broad impacts throughout an organization, RWU’s curriculum encourages you to think about dynamics like diversity, ethics and politics in the workplace. Combined with hands-on internship experience, you’ll gain the management skills for a successful career in human resources, purchasing, administrative services, health services, or your own entrepreneurial venture.

The interdisciplinary Performing Arts program is designed for multi-talented students who do not want to confine themselves to studying only dance, music or theatre. With opportunities to customize your studies, join on-campus performances and study abroad through the RWU London Theatre Program, you’ll develop your skills for a variety of arts careers including performance, education and management.

The Performing Arts major involves an interdisciplinary study of dance, music and theatre leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Performing Arts. While each of the Performing Arts is a distinct discipline, they have historically drawn from each other in both theory and practice. Designed for students who do not want to confine themselves to one discipline, the Performing Arts major encourages students to broaden their perspectives and the range of their skills. Practical applications of this major include careers in arts management, education, or as a foundation in such fields as musical theatre performance, which synthesize all the arts.

The major seeks to acquaint students with the commonalities shared by all three fields and to provide specialized understanding and mastery of two. This program also provides a solid understanding of the history and theory in the Performing Arts with experience in the practical application of the discipline through studio courses and through the department’s performance programs. Students are encouraged to participate in the London Study Abroad program, which focuses on exposure to the Performing Arts.

As a Biochemistry major, you’ll delve into the science at the intersection of biology and chemistry: the biological applications of chemistry and the chemical processes necessary for biological life to exist. Through RWU’s rigorous coursework in subjects such as bioinformation, neurobiology and biotechnology combined with research and internships, you’ll be well prepared for graduate study and your future career.

Our unique Anthropology + Sociology program combines the ideas and methods of these two social sciences into an integrated study of social change, diversity and cultural awareness, both locally and globally. You’ll build strong hands-on research skills to prepare you for a career in community and social service or an advanced degree in law, education, social work or public policy.

A degree in Public Relations gives you the strategic communication skills to create, promote and maintain the reputation of brands, people and organizations. You’ll build your portfolio with real clients, network with professionals through RWU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and complete an internship to gain real-world experience in corporate, nonprofit and agency public relations.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Design and perform research to aid in addressing an organization’s communication need.
• Demonstrate ability to identify communication problems and issues/opportunities and implement strategic plans to manage
• Evaluate situations and determine appropriate professional ethical principles, communication law and work ethics.
• Apply various communication theories and communication models used in PR efforts.
• Understand business literacy and the role of PR to meet business goals and advocate for the expansion of the discipline in business ventures.

Housed in RWU’s Marine and Natural Sciences Building, the interdisciplinary Environmental Science program integrates biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics into an understanding of the natural world. Through research and an array of electives in fields like earth sciences, resource management and law, you’ll discover how humans affect nature and learn how to protect the environment in your career as a scientist, policymaker or educator.

Research Opportunities

The Environmental Science major at Roger Williams is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with an understanding of environmental processes and issues and an awareness of our role as humans within the environment. Undergraduate research is integrated into the Environmental Science curriculum, with opportunities for students to earn academic credit for doing research, to develop proposals and compete for small grants to fund their projects, and to present their findings at regional, national and international conferences.

The Intelligent and Autonomous Systems Specialization is only for students majoring in Computer Science (BS). This specialization is well suited to those Computer Science majors who want to focus on the increased role computer systems have in making decisions and behaving autonomously.

Biology majors investigate the interconnected processes that shape the living world. Since the life sciences are increasingly interdisciplinary, Biology majors choose a wide range of courses in cell and molecular biology; microbiology and virology; anatomy and physiology; neurobiology and developmental biology; and animal behavior and ecology.

At RWU, our rigorous interdisciplinary Forensic Science program pairs legal courses with a strong scientific background in either biology or chemistry to teach you about the crucial role forensic science plays in criminal justice. You’ll learn how to examine, analyze and testify about physical evidence, which will prepare you for a career as a forensic science technician in a laboratory, hospital, university, medical examiner’s office or police department.

Critical thinking, openness to new worldviews and an appreciation for diversity -- these are the values that a degree in Psychology provides. At RWU, you’ll learn how to apply these skills to research that helps solve problems in our community and society. Our Psychology students are prepared for graduate school as well as a wide range of careers, including human resources, management, marketing and education.

Students in the Psychology program will learn the methods and skills that enable them to evaluate published research and think critically about their own ideas and those of others. They are prepared to apply these methods to the problems of community and of the larger society. They are capable of tolerance for the views of others and able to appreciate the value of diversity.

With skilled mental health professionals in increasing demand as practitioners, the Psychology program at RWU prepares students to pursue graduate study in Psychology and other fields, or to enter any number of careers where these skillsets are applicable, including human resources, management, marketing, education and the mental health professions.

Our student learning outcomes center on encouraging the development in our students of a deep and broad knowledge base in the discipline of Psychology. We also provide a foundation to develop skills needed to design and evaluate research, we foster critical thinking in our students, enhance students' appreciation of diversity, promote students' awareness of ethical issues in Psychology, and prepare them for success in a wide range of careers, including graduate study.