The Department of Psychology offers students the opportunity to gain an understanding of the many diverse and fascinating aspects of human behavior through instruction that is designed to acquaint students with psychology as a biological science and as a social science. Students majoring in psychology learn how behavior develops in childhood and in adolescence, how individuals perceive the world around them, how we think and remember, and how we interact with other people.
In terms of curriculum, the department offers courses that introduce the student to psychological theory, methodology, research findings, and applications of psychological principles. A complete selection of traditional course offerings are provided, as well as a number of original courses such as Infant Development, Health Psychology, Decision Making, and Foundations of Clinical Psychology. The department operates its own preschool, the Child Study Center, and through our Child Study Laboratory courses, students observe and interact with children in a natural environment and then relate these observations to material discussed in course texts and articles. The broad curriculum is designed to give majors exposure to many of the diverse areas of the field. In addition to the classroom courses, students can take Problems in Psychology, an individualized study course, where they work closely with faculty on research projects in areas such as depression, anxiety, risk-taking, children’s peer relationships, aging and creativity. Students may also take Field Experience in Psychology, where they earn credit for on-the-job experience in the community, working in mental health, social services, and other settings involved in activities related to professional psychology.
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
- Students must have a GPA of 2.0 or better to declare a major in Psychology.
- A minimum of 34 credits in psychology courses (Note: 48 credits in psychology is the maximum amount of credit that will count toward the 120 credits needed to graduate.)
- Required courses must be passed with a grade of “C-” or better.
- Majors must accumulate a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in PSY courses.
- No more than six credits of PSY 492, Problems in Psychology, may count toward the 34 credits required.
- No more than three credits of PSY 493, Field Experience may count toward the 34 credits required.
- Students who transfer from other institutions must take a minimum of 24 credits within the department and the department must approve all transfer courses applied to the major.
- All psychology majors must declare one of the following three concentrations: Abnormal/Social, Development, or Biological/Cognitive. Concentration requirements are described below.
- Psychology majors planning on attending graduate school in psychology are encouraged to consider the Research Intensive Track within the major. In addition to the regular major requirements, students in the Research Intensive Track are required to take the following courses:
- 6 Credits of PSY 492 - Problems in Psychology. These credits should normally be taken with a single instructor and should be completed by the end of the junior year.
- PSY 494 - Senior Research Project
- At least one course from the following list of advanced courses: PSY 401- Health Psychology; PSY 412 - Foundations of Clinical Psychology; PSY 424 - Abnormal Child Psychology; PSY 425 - Social Issues in Developmental Psychology; PSY 427 - Emotional Development; PSY 465 - Hormones, Brain and Behavior; PSY 490 - Seminar in Issues in Contemporary Psychology; and PSY 491 - Senior Seminar in Psychology; or any 500-level course.
Selected students may participate in the University Affiliated Program (UAP) in the Department of Pediatrics at Eastern Maine Medical Center. An interdisciplinary concentration in Disability Studies is required.
Courses numbered 500-599 are graduate courses that are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Junior and/or senior psychology majors considering graduate study in psychology are encouraged to enroll in one or more of these courses. Undergraduates do not compete with graduate students for grades in such courses. Undergraduates require permission of the instructor to register for 500-level courses.
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