BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: AN INTRODUCTION

What is Behavioral sciences?
Behavioral science is no single discipline in and of itself. It comprises several distinct academics disciplines, each with its own history, theoretical moorings and research methods as well as methodologies. The disciplines that come together to comprise this interdisciplinary field of knowledge include:

Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology.

Students have opportunity of doing thesis in their specialized field: anthropology, sociology or psychology.
Despite the disciplinary boundaries however all of the above mentioned disciplines study some aspect/s of human behavior using their distinct vantage points. Given the common object of investigation i.e. human behavior, as a field of study and research, it permits and at times necessities substantive and methodological overlaps and borrowing across disciplines.
Behavioral sciences are offered by both Bachelors and Masters.

What Is Anthropology? 
The word itself tells the basic story - from the Greek anthropos (human being) and logia (science), it is nothing less than the scientific study of humankind, from its beginnings, millions of years ago, to the present day. Only Anthropology attempts to understand the whole panorama, in time and space, of the human condition. Anthropology offers exclusivity by studying humans in an holistic manner by covering all aspects such as politics, environment, family, languages, religion, entertainment, wars, sports and so on.

Outcomes
 After completing the degree students will be able to comprehend, analyze & explain human behavior in multidisciplinary context.   They will be able to endorse intra & interpersonal relationships with more confidence & knowledge.  The graduates can apply their skills while working for social service agencies, counseling settings as well as in business & industry

Career opportunities:        After completing the Behavioural sciences the students can have job opportunities as academicians, researchers, ethnographers and managers in different national and international organizations.Their working areas include politics, human rights, advocacy, environment, Business, disaster management and social policy formation etc.They can also apply for National Commission for Human Development, Crisis Center, (NGO), and the students that choose psychology as major can be clinical psychologists in hospitals and forces, after having the diploma in Psychology, and also can be apply for counselors in hospital and organizations.  

Degree Offered In Behavioral Sciences Department:

Master in Behavioral Sciences
Courses are devised keeping in view the levels required for Behavioral Sciences programs at universities around the world. Courses are comprehensive in nature, broad in scope, and foundational in the sense that they provide students with a basis for professional development and practical training .The program provides knowledge and understanding of behavior and pathology from Neuroscientific, Sociological, Anthropological and Psychological perspectives. It accentuates practical assessment and therapeutic interventions of diverse behavior pattern and various pathologies in terms of above-mentioned perspectives. Students are given intensive training in the form of courses, workshops, field & laboratory work, research work and clinical internship.
Bachelor in Behavioral Sciences
Bachelors in Behavioral Sciences is an interdisciplinary program encompassing the disciplines of Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology.  It is designed as a general preparation for a career in human services such as counseling, health sciences and social work. Through study in the Behavioral Sciences, students learn to analyze the past, develop insight into contemporary social life, and understand the impact of individual and social actions with special focus on life style and health (physical/mental). The degree requires the completion of a minimum of 124 credit hours comprised of a general core courses, the pre-major, the major and electives.

Specialization:

The Specialization offered includes Culture, Identity and Nationalism, Counseling and Clinical Psychology

Children with Developmental Difficulties/ Deficits  Health Psychology and Culture, Identity and Nationalism.

Culture, Identity & Nationalism     
The central aim of this course is to encourage students to engage critically with the concepts of culture-nation relationship, nationalism and identity that they have perhaps taken for granted to date. It will also explore the significance of the growing literature in the field s of nationalism, including an analysis of the importance of the concepts of otherness and difference in the construction of identity, as well as the influence of gender, race, and class.

This is an advanced course on counseling and clinical psychology with special emphasis on utilizing theoretical knowledge in developing personal theory of counseling. It has diversity in terms of issues like trauma counseling, rehabilitation and mental health counseling and counseling for special population. It enables the students in actualizing counseling/Clinical skills, techniques and knowledge in real life supervised settings such as school, community, institutions (clinics) and hospitals.

Health Psychology:

This course provides thorough knowledge of issues related to Health Psychology. It emphasizes on issues like foundations of health psychology, behavioral medicines/ behavioral health, theories of health-protective behaviors, stress, pain and coping, life styles health related behaviors & chronic diseases; cancer, AIDS/HIV, heart diseases / stroke, hepatitis, behavioral health: smoking, drug abuse, diet/nutrition  & exercises and future challenges in health psychology.  Students are required to do practical assignments along with the research projects on the related issues.

Children with Developmental Deficit/Difficulties
The main purpose of this course is to train students to assess, diagnose, and work on rehabilitation strategies with children having developmental deficit and difficulties. The basic contents of the course are Intellectual Impairment, disruptive behavior disorders, learning /academic skill disorders, communication disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, childhood psychosis, affective disorders screening & assessment of children with developmental disabilities, strategies for early interventions, rehabilitation & management programs and assessment reports. It also provides knowledge and training of standardized assessment tools for screening and assessment of learning and developmental disabilities.

Research Work/Thesis
Thesis is compulsory for all master students in their area of interest. A viva voce is conducted at the end of the project. Students have under taken research in areas such as Psychopathology and Health, Health Psychology, Neuropsychological Disorders, Developmental Deficit/Difficulties, Medical Anthropology, Medical Sociology, Anthropology of Media & Globalization, Organizational/Industrial Psychology,Social & Gender Issues.

Internships and Community Work
Students are required to do internships in various institutions .The main aim is to have training and experience in practical fields and to explore job opportunities for future. Students of Behavioral sciences program have been working in psychiatric and pediatrics departments of well known hospital / institutions like Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Institute of Psychiatry, Rawalpindi General Hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad, Combined Military Hospital Muzzafarabad, Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi and Saukat Khanum Memorial Hospital Lahore. They have performed various tasks in these institutions e.g., Counseling, Personality Assessment and Psychotherapy. Students have also worked as Research assistants for different projects in various Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations.

Job Opportunities
The graduates of Behavioral Sciences are working in various well reputed organizations such as  Angan (NGO), Eastern News, Lok Virsa, National Commission for Human Development and other institutions/Hospital at National and International level, as Lecturers, Research Assistants, Counselors, Project Officers, and also as Ethnographers.
Eligibility Criteria

For Masters: 2nd class bachelor’s degree from HEC recognized university with the subjects of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Applied Psychology, Chemistry, Biology
Before admission students have to appear in the Test & Interview organized by the university. 

For Bachelors:  Minimum 45% marks in F.Sc. F.A. or A Levels. It is open to all
 Students have to appear and clear NTS Test & interview

Total Credit Hours: 72