Psychology Major

Psychology is often considered a “hub” discipline because its theories and findings are central to the work of many other fields of study. It has implications for the work of biologists, educators, economists, engineers, computer scientists, ethicists, and lawyers. It has implications for the organization of businesses, for marketers, political scientists, and architects. Psychology also raises questions that go to the heart of philosophical and theological inquiry. 

Psychology is crucial to any conversation about the human condition. Consequently, psychology majors study human behavior in all of its complexity, from biological functioning and the work of the brain to the emergence and development of selfhood and personality.

Why study psychology?

As a psychology major, you will get broad exposure to the disciplines with a strong emphasis on close faculty-student collaboration on research. You can conduct original research, including writing a senior thesis, obtain research and travel grants, co-author scholarly products, such as journal articles and conference papers, and travel to academic meetings to present research. You can also join Psychology Club and expand your psychology experience through volunteering.

The committed mentorship of caring faculty is the distinctive mark of the excellence of the undergraduate experience in the Department of Psychology. We encourage you to work in our faculty research labs as a valued protégé.  

What we do

In addition to the thinking, reading, research, and writing skills central to a liberal arts education, psychology also cultivates the scientific skills and ability to investigate topics such as how humans:

• form and manage relationships
• respond to and transform social settings
• attend, perceive, think, learn, feel, and reason
• understand the causes of psychopathology and its treatment
• develop within families and schools, develop resilience, and age successfully
• ask and answer big questions about the nature of individual differences
• explore what it means to flourish and live a good life using the canons and tools of science
• understand the mind-brain connection.

What our graduates do

Many of our majors go on to professional and graduate school, yet a significant number find employment in the private sector or do service work. Our psychology graduates compete extraordinarily well for these positions because they develop competencies and skills highly valued by employers including: 

• research, data analytic, and interpretive skills
• written and verbal communication skills
• critical, creative, and flexible cognitive skills
• insights into human behavior
• organizational understanding
• the ability to work well in individual and team settings 

Learn more about how 97% of psychology alumni found success within 6 months of graduation.

Pairing psychology with science, engineering, or business

The skills developed through psychology are crucial for students in and beyond the liberal arts, and pair well with degrees in science, engineering, and business. For future scientists, engineers, and business professionals, a psychology major cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving across disciplines and differences and prepares students to innovate in and transform their primary fields of work and study.