Psychology

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Professors Black, Crespi, Friedlander (emeritus), Kahn (emeritus), Komisar (emeritus), Mathews (emeritus), McCloskey, Milling, Powell (Co-chair), Singer (emeritus), Wahl, Wallace (emeritus)
Associate Professors Brayer (emeritus), Christensen (Director, Master’s Program in General Psychology, and Director, All-University Curriculum), Dale, Leve, Matacin (Co-chair), Pearlman (emerita), Pidano, Politikos (Director, Master’s Program in School Psychology), Schloss (emeritus)
Assistant Professors Cheng, Sharp (Director, Master’s Program in Organizational Psychology), Ketay, Neese, Nicklin (Director of Undergraduate Studies), Segool, Vivian, Weber (Associate Director, Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology)
Administrative Faculty Mehm (Director, Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology)
Affiliate Faculty Dell, Fagbemi, Marino, Schroeder

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. An undergraduate specialization in this liberal arts field is, therefore, useful for students who plan careers in business, industry, education, health services, personnel work, or in any of the various fields involving human relations. To become a professional psychologist, graduate training is necessary after completing the undergraduate major.

Writing Requirement

Departmental policy requires that each student in each upper-level course complete a substantial body of written work (approximately 2,500 words) as part of the course requirements. Please note that a number of courses in the psychology department are now permanently identified as writing-intensive courses. A “W” appears after the course number to indicate that it serves as a writing-intensive course.

Internships

The department encourages students to explore internships and/or work co-op programs because these field experiences broaden and enhance the knowledge learned in formal psychology classes. Undergraduates who have completed their sophomore year, have taken five psychology courses above the introductory level, and whose GPA is 2.5 or higher, both overall and in psychology, are eligible for these placements.

For additional information, please contact the department’s coordinator of academic services.

Psychology Honors Program

The undergraduate Honors program provides students of proven academic superiority further opportunities to explore topics in depth under the careful supervision of a member of the faculty. This program, which is outlined below, acquaints students with current literature on a special topic of interest, further develops their research and writing capabilities in the field of psychology, and prepares them to undertake an honors thesis.

In addition to completing the requirements for a major in psychology, Honors program students must graduate with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in psychology and must complete the following:

The program is a valuable prelude toward graduate study in psychology, and undergraduates planning to attend graduate school who meet the Honors program admission requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

Honors Program Admission Requirements

The Psychology Honors program is limited to superior students. Applicants must

be juniors or first-semester senior psychology majors;
have completed at least 15 credits in psychology (including PSY 270W and PSY 372 ), with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in psychology; PSY 372 may be taken concurrently with the Honors Seminar; and
have the recommendation of a faculty member of the department and the approval of the department chair.

*Students who pursue both psychology honors and University honors must complete PSY 487 - Honors Seminar , HON 493 - Thesis Research, and HON 494 - Honors Thesis.

Graduate Programs

Doctor of Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Master of Arts
Clinical Practices in Psychology
General Psychology

Master of Science
Organizational Psychology
School Psychology, with postdegree certification training

For a detailed description of the above graduate programs, please see the director for the specific program.

Programs

Undergraduate Major

Psychology, B.A.

Minor

Psychology Minor