The fact that you are reading this handbook indicates your interest in the Department of Psychology at Southeast Missouri State University. This handbook will answer some of the questions you have had about psychology as a major and a career. This handbook should not be viewed as a substitute for building a strong relationship with an advisor in the psychology department, however. It is a supplement to advising. Because it contains information valuable to you throughout your tenure as a psychology major, we suggest you put it in a safe, but convenient place for future reference. You may not need to read the entire handbook right now. We suggest, however, that you read it completely before the end of your first year as a psychology major.
Welcome to the Department of Psychology! We hope that our relationship will be a mutually satisfying one for the duration of your time at Southeast Missouri State University.
Dr. Douglas Atwood |
Mr. Wayne Hoover |
Dr. Rick Sebby |
Dr. Rick Burns (Chair) |
||
Dr. Larry Clark |
||
Mrs. Laura Delgado |
||
Dr. Phil Finney |
Dr. Leslee Pollina |
Dr. Martha Zlokovich |
What Should be my Major?
One of the first problems students encounter when entering college is the decision of choosing a major. Common questions asked are, What can I do with this major after graduation?, Do I have the personal skills to perform well in this major?, What if I want to seek employment in an area that is 'peripheral' to my major area?, Will I need to go to graduate school to get a good job?.
All of these questions are valid. Choosing a major is a difficult decision. But, it can be made easier by using all of the resources available to you. The faculty who teach in areas of your interest would be happy to discuss with you the activities and requirements for majoring in their discipline. The staff in the Career Development Center (located in the University Center) can be a tremendous aid by helping you clarify your needs and skills and by providing you with information on specific careers. So, if you feel a little overwhelmed, relax. Help is close at hand. Simply ask for it!
I Think I Want To Major In Psychology!
Suppose you have tentatively decided to major in psychology (see the departmental secretary in Scully room 404). Your questions concerning this discipline now become more focused. In this section many of the most commonly asked questions by persons beginning in psychology will be answered. Some of the topics covered in this section will be given additional treatment in later sections of the handbook. So, do not get too impatient!
A psychologist is typically a person who has
advanced training in psychology beyond the bachelor's degree. The term psychologist is not
generally used by those persons who have a B.A. or B.S. in psychology. Psychologists
usually have 2-5 years of additional post-bachelor's training, and possess a master's or
doctoral degree.
go back to index
Psychologists work in so many different settings it would be impossible to name all of them here. So, let's talk in generalities now, and go into specifics later. The major areas in which psychologists are employed are teaching, research, human services, and business & industry.
TEACHING Many psychologists train other psychologists or teach psychology to persons in areas in which psychological knowledge is essential. This teaching may occur at almost any level: high schools, junior colleges, 4-year colleges, or universities that have graduate programs.
RESEARCH Understanding why animals and people behave the way they do is one of the most fundamental objectives of psychology. The method by which this is accomplished is research. Large numbers of psychologists are engaged in research on such things as learning processes, personality, and social behavior, just to name a few. Many of those who do research are also faculty at colleges or universities.
HUMAN SERVICES When most people think about psychology, they are likely to conjure up a picture of a person who is engaged in the practice of therapy. Large numbers of psychologists do just that! They may be employed in a community mental health center, a hospital, or they may be in private practice. Regardless of the setting, psychologists in this area provide mental health services to those who need them.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY Many psychologists work for large and small corporations in a variety of capacities. Some do research on methods to increase productivity. Others spend most of their time dealing with personnel considerations. Still others are involved in the process of designing the product so that it is best suited for human use.
It should be pointed out that these four categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, some psychologists who are trained in the human services area teach and do research. The same may be true for those in business and industry. So, you see, psychologists are everywhere!
By this time you may be saying If psychologists are those
who have graduate training and work in the four areas just described, what about those
persons who do not intend to pursue graduate study? What can I do with my bachelor's
degree in psychology?
go back to index
What can a student do with a bachelor's degree in psychology?
You would have to start asking the difficult questions! In order to answer this question it is be necessary to describe the basic philosophy underlying the undergraduate degree in psychology.
When engineering majors receive their B.S. they call themselves engineers. When accounting majors receive their bachelor's degree they call themselves accountants. But, when psychology majors finish their undergraduate degrees they cannot refer to themselves as psychologists. Why does this inconsistency exist? It exists because of the basic nature of the undergraduate degree in psychology. It is usually viewed as a liberal arts degree. This means the psychology major does not lead to professional status. You are not being trained to be a psychologist at the undergraduate level the same way engineering students are being trained to be engineers. Obviously, the next question is What is a liberal arts degree?
A liberal arts degree exposes you to many concepts that are regarded as basic to the knowledge of an educated person. Typically, we think of History, English, Literature, Sociology, Foreign Languages, and similar content areas as liberal arts. You will notice, these are not areas that lead directly to some profession at the bachelor's degree level. So, what good is a liberal arts degree?
The liberal arts degree is an excellent degree for providing you with a well-rounded education. Winter, McClelland, and Stewart (1981) suggested some of the outcomes of a liberal arts education. A few of these are listed below:
So, to answer your question What is a liberal arts major?,
it is a major in which you develop a wide variety of skills that will be useful to you in
a large number of possible career choices. As we will see in a later section of this
handbook, employers often search for people who fit the above description, regardless of
their specific major.
go back to index
How will I get practical training in the psychology major?
One of the strengths of the psychology major at Southeast
Missouri State University is the fact that students can obtain some practical hands-on
experience in addition to the liberal arts emphasis (see a description of the internship program).
In a later section you will be given information about specific courses that are designed
to expose you to practical applications. For example, the Field Experience course (PY495)
allows students to spend a number of hours a week in an applied setting. Some of the Field
Experience placements are in inpatient psychiatric facilities, hospitals and Community
Mental Health Centers. So, do not despair. Every attempt is made to give you the
opportunity to directly experience those things that will be useful to you in your future
endeavors.
go back to index
Who are the Psychology Faculty Members at Southeast Missouri State University?
The members of the psychology faculty are: CLICK HERE!
go back to index
The psychology major is not a panacea (that's a word
liberal arts majors should know!), i.e., it will not be the best undergraduate training
program for all careers. But, you will find large numbers of persons whose basic
undergraduate training in psychology prepared them for entrance into a diversity of
professions. For example, it is not uncommon to find lawyers who earned bachelor's degrees
in psychology before they went to law school. Medical and dental schools often admit
psychology majors who have good academic records and have supplemented their major with
the appropriate courses in the biological and physical sciences. It is also common to find
psychology majors going to graduate school in business or social work. Many others are
employed in social welfare settings or as counselors of various types (e.g.,
rehabilitation). So, do not feel as though the psychology major limits your marketability;
it does not. Your marketability will be related to a number of other factors too: your
grades for example!
go back to index
In general, how does the job market look for psychology majors?
In 1986, the National Science Foundation published a report
that suggested a bright future for employment of psychology majors. The report indicated
that one year after graduation 90% of the psychology majors entering the labor force were
employed. After two years that figure rose to 94%. Those are good figures when you
consider the fact that 40,000 psychology majors graduate every year and nearly half of
them (about 19,000) enter the labor force immediately.
go back to index
Five years from now, will I regret my decision to major in psychology?
Studies indicate you will most likely be very satisfied with your bachelor's degree in psychology. In a study of 797 University of Washington graduates in psychology, nearly 70% said if they had it to do over again, they would still major in psychology (Lunneborg & Wilson, 1982). Additionally, these graduates indicated that their degree in psychology was most satisfying as a means to personal growth and a liberal arts education (That sounds familiar!). If these statistics are an indication of satisfaction of psychology majors in general, chances are you will be glad you majored in psychology.
Well, there you have it: the briefest of introductions to
some of the considerations in the decision to major in psychology. If you are interested
in more specific information, continue reading! This handbook has more information to
offer you. You might also consider browsing through the publication entitled Is Psychology
the Major for You?. You can find this publication in the Career Development Center.
go back to index
University Degree Requirements
University Studies (click to
browse the requirements). The faculty spent considerable time and effort
determining the kinds of academic experiences you should acquire in order to qualify for
the bachelor's degree. You will want to familiarize yourself with these requirements which
are outlined in the current university catalog.
go back to index
You may be wondering why these specific courses are required. In this section you will be given the rationale behind their inclusion into the psychology curriculum. The Required Core of the major is comprised of the following eight courses:
PY102: Introduction to Psychology for Majors. This course will you to make informed decisions about your participation in the psychology major. It will give you a chance to get to know all the psychology faculty and your new colleagues. We will discuss career planning, graduate school, and other issues that will make your participation in the department more meaningful. Also, this course is just what its title implies: an general introduction to the field of psychology. It is your first contact with the basic terminology, principles, and theories of psychology. This course will help you integrate yourself into the major: to get a bearing on the discipline. Breadth of topics is stressed as opposed to depth.
PY271: RESEARCH DESIGN AND ANALYSIS I. and
PY370. RESEARCH DESIGN AND ANALYSIS II. These two courses "go
together" in a sense. Statistics is a prerequisite for Research Methods. Basically,
these courses introduce you to another fundamental area of psychology, namely research. In
the research process we generate hypotheses about the causes of behavior, we design an
experiment to test these hypotheses, then we use statistics to help us make decisions
about the validity of our hypotheses. When this is done, we write the results of our
experiment in a report. These two courses take you step-by-step through that process. One
of the required projects in the research methods course is to design and implement an
experiment, analyze the data collected, and write a report in the accepted APA (American
Psychological Association) Style. You may be thinking, "I do not intend to do
research as a career. Why do I need to take these two courses ?" There are at least
two good reasons for taking these courses. First, research is a vital part of what
"goes on" in psychology. Anyone who has a degree in psychology should have at
least a basic background in research. Second, and equally important, employers often value
the kinds of skills you develop in these two courses.
PY 484. ADVANCED RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY. Employers and graduate schools love to hire and accept people who have strong backgrounds in research. This seminar gives students additional experience doing research. This course is designed to give you experience in one of the most fundamental processes in psychology: conducting a psychology investigation..
PY 497. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY. This course
traces the roots of psychology. It is fascinating to discover where psychology came from.
History of Psychology gives us an appreciation for how the discipline developed and how
its development affects the way we practice psychology today.
go back to index
Just because all psychology majors are required to take the five courses outlined above, that does not mean the remaining courses offered by the department are not important. If you look at the psychology major requirements you will note that you must select an additional course from each of the 4 core categories (Core Courses) and also two more courses from one of the four remaining groups of psychology courses (Electives). This is where your career interests play a role in your selection of courses. Your advisor will be very helpful in this decision-making process. Here are a few comments about each of the elective courses offered by the department:
BASIC PROCESSES. Cognitive psychology encompasses a wide variety of topics including memory, language, and problem-solving. Primarily cognitive psychologists are interested in learning how we process and store information.
CLINICAL/PERSONALITY. Obviously, one of the goals of psychology is to understand behavior. One of the ways psychologists attempt to explain behavior is by developing theories of personality. When you think of personality you usually think of the typical behavior patterns of an individual. Personality theories are attempts to explain why a person has particular behavior patterns. Some of the personality theorists studied in this course are Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung: persons you have probably heard about. You will also study many you have not heard of previously. Understanding personality is fundamental for some areas of psychology.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. This is a general course on the changes that occur in people as they develop. It is important to understand the systematic ways that people develop throughout the life-span if we wish to work effectively with them.
APPLIED/SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. This is a course that covers so
many aspects of how we relate to one another in social situations that they cannot be
enumerated here. If your interested in how we evaluate others, why we behave aggressively,
how we come to like or love someone, then this is the course for you.
go back to index
Since we are talking about specific courses it is appropriate at this point to inform you that there are many courses in other academic areas that may be helpful in your training for employment or graduate school. Writing competency is something beneficial for everyone, regardless of major. In addition to the required English courses, it might be a good idea to consider taking Advanced Grammar and/or Advanced Composition in the English Department. Oral communication is also a skill that can be used in many different settings. Taking Public Speaking and/or Oral Interpretation in the Speech Department may be useful. Graduate Schools look favorably on applicants who take courses in the biological sciences and computers. You may consider taking the Human Anatomy and/or Human Physiology course. There are numerous other courses that fall into this category of supplemental courses that help you to develop useful skills. Talk to your advisor about these courses.