Seminars & Events
Fri., Feb 24- Dr. Laraine Glidden will present research as part of Psi Chi's Discovering Psychology Lecture Series. 3pm in Goodpaster Hall 195. Other Details TBA.
Fri., Mar 23 - Dr. Rebecca Ryan will present "Nonmarital Childbirth and Child Development: The Relevance of Marriage Propensity and Family Change" as part of the Psychology Lecture Series: Populations in Need. 3pm in Goodpaster Hall 195.
Fri., Apr 6 - Dr. Noemi Enchautegui-de-Jesus will present research as part of the Psychology Lecture Series: Populations in Need. 3pm in Goodpaster Hall 195. Other Details TBA.
+ VIEW CALENDAR for more details/later events
PsycSMP students should click here for SP12 meetings and deadlines
Why Psychology?
"I love people, and I found Psychology to be incredibly interesting and helpful in understanding people and relationships. It was an immensely engaging topic and there was never a dull moment in any of the psych courses I took at SMCM. In law school I've found my psychology background to be easily transferable to the legal field. It provides a wonderful background in understanding the reasoning and actions of individuals in the criminal cases for example. And it gives a different perspective and view than my classmates who do not have a social science background."
- Esther Adetunji '08
Overview of the Psychology Major
The general objective of the psychology major is to enhance understanding of behavior and mental processes and to examine their connections to the fields of biology and the social sciences. This general objective is translated into specific objectives that concern the understanding of
- scientific methodology,
- the current state of psychological knowledge, and
- the application of both methodology and knowledge to real-world problems and events.
The psychology major consists of six components. First, a required core of courses introduces students to the field and to communication skills within the field. This core includes required methodology courses in writing, library research, statistics, and experimental design. Second is a lower-division content-course requirement. Third is a set of upper-division content courses that represent psychology’s close alliance with both social science and natural-science approaches to the study of behavior. Fourth, psychology majors select upper-division semester-hours from a group of elective offerings. Fifth, every psychology major must complete a senior capstone experience. Finally, psychology majors must demonstrate, through one of the approved options provided in documents made available by the department, that they have an understanding of the contributions of diversity and multiculturalism to the understanding of psychology.
Use the links to the left to explore our degree requirements, diversity requirement, courses, and our departmental mission statement. For high school students who may be researching psychology programs at various colleges, we created a page just for you that provides our program highlights.
