Psychology

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Professors Black, Crespi, Friedlander (emeritus), Kahn (emeritus), Komisar (emeritus), Mathews (emeritus), McCloskey, Milling, Powell (Co-chair), Singer (emeritus), 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, 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 licensed psychologist, graduate training is necessary after completing the undergraduate major. All course in the undergraduate curriculum will incorporate the most up-to-date American Psychological Association learning goals for the undergrduate psychology major. These goals include: (1) Knowledge Base in Psychology, (2) Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking, (3) Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World, (4) Communication, and (5) Professional Development. All course syllabi will indicate the APA goals that they address.

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 taken at least three (Juniors) or five (Seniors) psychology courses above the introductory level, and whose GPA is 2.75 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:

Either a semester of internship ( PSY 384 , PSY 385 , PSY 484 or PSY 485 ) or independent study (PSY 489 )
PSY 487 - Honors Seminar
PSY 488 - Honors Thesis *

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 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 , PSY 488 - Honors Thesis , and HON 494 - Honors Thesis.

Accelerated Master of Science in Organizational Psychology

The purpose of this accelerated program is to enable University of Hartford students to complete both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Psychology in five years. This program is designed for exceptional psychology majors who have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and who know in their junior year that they wish to pursue a master’s degree in organizational psychology.

Students must apply by April 1 of their junior year by completing the standard online application for graduate study, including three letters of recommendation (two of which must come from the faculty in the University of Hartford). In order to qualify for the conditional admission, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0, based on a minimum of 70 credits, and have a GPA of at least 3.25 in the psychology major, based on a minimum of 18 credits. Students will be informed of the conditional admission decision by the end of the spring semester.

If given conditional admission to the Master of Science program, students become eligible to take pre-approved graduate course work, 6 credits of which could be applied toward both the B.A. in psychology and the M.S. in Organizational Psychology. These credits could be completed during the summer between the junior and senior years and/or during the regular semesters of the senior year.

Matriculating in the Master’s of Science program is conditional on the student’s completing the B.A. in psychology while maintaining an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and earning a grade of B or better in each of the graduate courses completed prior to the end of the senior year. Once fully matriculated into the graduate program, the students have the option to complete the remaining courses through campus-based or on-line version of the Organizational Psychology program.

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(s)

Psychology, B.A.

Minor(s)

Psychology Minor