Psychology
(PSY)
For information, please contact
Gary Dunbar,
Chairperson, 774-3001,101 Sloan Hall
For inclement weather
class cancellations, call 774-7500.
Department Website
Why Study Psychology?
Psychology at CMU
Psychology Major -
General
Psychology Major -
Graduate Preparation
Neuroscience Major
Cognitive Science Major
General Minor
The Faculty
PSY Course
Descriptions
Why
Study Psychology?
The
study of psychology at the undergraduate level will develop your knowledge and understanding of behavior.
There are three reasons why this
knowledge will be beneficial to you. The first is that you will
better understand yourself and your environment. In other
words, the study of psychology will enhance your life. The
second reason for studying psychology is to prepare for a
career in psychology or to acquire skills that will
improve your performance in other careers, such as business
or teaching. The third reason for studying psychology at the
undergraduate level is to prepare for graduate study in
psychology or related fields such as social work or
counseling.
The three reasons for studying psychology are reflected in
the three basic goals adopted by the Psychology Department.
These goals are: (a) to help students gain an awareness of
the psychological processes operating within themselves and
their environment; (b) to develop the technical competence
for careers that require knowledge and skills in human
development, mental health, behavior analysis, and other
psychological areas; and (c) to provide students with a
strong foundation in the basic knowledge and skills
necessary to pursue graduate study in psychology or related
fields.
Psychology
at CMU
In order to achieve the goals listed above, the Psychology
Department offers an extensive array of undergraduate course
offerings, a choice of two majors, and a minor. In addition,
the department offers graduate programs leading to the
master’s degree, the specialist degree, and the
doctoral degree.
Advising. If you are considering a major or minor in
psychology, you should come to the Psychology Department
office in Sloan Hall to be assigned a faculty advisor and
obtain a copy of the department’s Advising Handbook. After
reading the Advising Handbook, you should consult with the advisor
regarding the courses which would be most
appropriate for you. When meeting with your advisor, you
should bring the following materials: your personal
educational record, the Advising Handbook, and the CMU
Bulletin which you are following.
To supplement faculty advising, Psi Chi, the national
psychology honorary, offers evening meetings during the
academic year dealing with general issues for any student
considering a psychology major or minor and describing
volunteer opportunities in human service settings in the Mt.
Pleasant area. Times and dates of Psi Chi meetings are
posted in Sloan Hall.
Post-Graduation Plans. Though no one can guarantee
what opportunities will be available to you upon graduation,
you are probably interested in knowing what paths are
followed by students who obtain a bachelor’s degree in
psychology. Many graduates elect to go on to graduate school
in psychology or in a related discipline, such as social
work or counseling. Other graduates enter the labor market,
generally in either human service jobs or business-related
jobs. Examples of human service jobs include probation
officer, case worker in a social service agency, psychiatric
aide in a psychiatric hospital, houseparent in a residential
treatment facility for emotionally disturbed adolescents,
and many others. Examples of business-related job areas
include consumer research, personnel and management.
Credit Restrictions.
On a psychology major, only PSY 100 may be taken on a
Credit/No Credit basis. On a psychology minor, any course
may be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis.
There are also restrictions on the number of credits of
certain courses (namely, courses with unspecified content)
which can count towards a major/minor. Specifically, for the
following courses - PSY 200 Special Issues, PSY 400 Special
Issues, PSY 500 Special Issues, PSY 501 Workshop, PSY 502
Teaching Assistant in Psychology, PSY 496 Directed Research,
PSY 497 Independent Study, and PSY 498 Undergraduate Honors
Thesis in Psychology - the total number of credit
hours shall be limited to nine hours counting towards the
major or six hours counting toward the minor. No more than
three hours of any one of these courses can count towards a
major or a minor.
Prerequisites. PSY 100 (or an equivalent course
transferred in from another school) is a prerequisite for
all other psychology courses except PSY 334. Course
descriptions later in this Bulletin list other
prerequisites. Recommended courses are not required, but are
listed in the course descriptions to provide information on
important background materials.
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Majors
The psychology department offers you a choice of two majors.
The first is a 30-credit major that is extremely flexible
and is appropriate for anyone interested in psychology,
regardless of post-graduation plans. The second is a
39-credit major that is relatively structured. This major is
recommended if you wish to go on for graduate study in
psychology.
Psychology
Major - General
B.A.,
B.S. degrees
This
is the flexible major which you can consider regardless of
your post-graduation plans including graduate school. This
major requires that you complete a minimum of 30 semester
hours of PSY courses.
Four courses are specifically required on this major:
PSY 100 (3) Introduction to Psychology
PSY 211 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics OR
STA 282 (3) Introduction to Statistics OR
STA 382 (3) Elementary Statistical Analysis
(If STA 282 or STA 382 is used, an additional three (3)
hours of psychology must be taken.)
PSY 285 (3) Research Methods
PSY 385 (3) Applications of Research Methods
The balance of the courses on this major should be decided
by you and your psychology advisor, working together. Though
not required, most students take more than 30 semester hours
of PSY courses, but the department encourages you to take
courses from a variety of disciplines. You must complete a
minimum of 15 hours of psychology course work at CMU.
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Psychology
Major - Graduate Preparation
B.A., B.S. degrees
This
is the relatively structured major which is designed and
recommended for you if you wish to go on for graduate work
in psychology. On this major, you must complete 39 semester
hours of PSY courses, including the following:
PSY 100 (3)
Introduction to Psychology
PSY 211 (3) Introduction to
Psychological Statistics OR
STA 282 (3) Introduction to
Statistics OR
STA 382 (3) Elementary Statistical Analysis
[If STA 282 or STA 382 is used, an additional three (3)
hours of psychology must be taken]
PSY 220 (3) Developmental
Psychology
PSY 285 (3) Research Methods
PSY 330 (3) Social
Psychology
PSY 383 (3) Learning and Memory
PSY 385 (3)
Applications of Research Methods
PSY 387 (3) Behavioral
Neuroscience
PSY 409 (3) History and Systems
In addition,
you MUST select one course from the following list:
PSY 250
(3) Abnormal Psychology
PSY 310 (3) Psychological Testing
PSY 336 (3) Industrial/Organizational Psychology
PSY 340 (3)
Studies in Personality
And
you MUST select one course from the following list:
PSY 382
(3) Perception
PSY 384 (3) Behavior Analysis
PSY 583 (3)
Motivation and Emotion
PSY 589 (3) Cognitive Psychology
This
leaves you with six hours of psychology electives; these
hours should be selected in consultation with your advisor.
You must complete a minimum of 15 hours of psychology course
work at CMU.
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Neuroscience
Major
B.S.
degree
This
is an interdisciplinary
major. Refer to the Bulletin section on Interdisciplinary
majors.
Cognitive
Science Major
B.A.,
B.S. degrees
This
is an interdisciplinary
major. Refer to the Bulletin section on Interdisciplinary
majors.
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Minors
General Minor
B.A., B.A.A., B.F.A., B.S., B.S. in
B.A.
A
minor in psychology requires a minimum of 21 semester hours
of PSY courses and must include PSY 100 (Introduction to
Psychology). You must complete a minimum of 9 hours of
psychology course work at CMU. If you are minoring in
psychology and plan to attend graduate school in psychology,
PSY 211 is strongly recommended. The balance of your credits
should be selected by you and your advisor working together
to select the set of courses which is most appropriate for
you. A minimum 2.7 GPA (B-) must be earned in all
teaching minors.
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The
faculty: Renee Babcock, Richard Backs, Terry A. Beehr,
Sharon Bradley-Johnson, Neil Christiansen, Stephen Colarelli,
Gary L. Dunbar, Rachel A. Foster-Lifson, Bryan Gibson,
Kyunghee Han, Timothy S. Hartshorne, Susan Jacob, Melvyn M. Jaffa, Carl M.
Johnson, Michael A. Kent, Terry M. Libkuman, Elizabeth
Meadows, John S. Monahan, Sandra Morgan, Larissa Niec,
Justin Oh-Lee, Hajime Otani, Debra Poole, Stuart Quirk,
Katrina Rhymer, Catherine Riordan, George Ronan, Michael
Sandstrom, Tamara
Penix Sbraga, Sonya Sheffert, Reid Skeel, K. Roger Van Horn,
Stephen Wagner, Nathan Weed
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