Overview

The Psychology Department offers the BA and BS degrees in Psychology and the MA degree in Psychological Research. The Psychology major is now among the largest on campus, with over 2,500 Psychology majors and 1,400 Psychology minors who are taught by 40 full-time faculty members. The Department is housed in the Undergraduate Academic Center (UAC), a LEED-certified building completed in June 2012.

The Psychology Department is committed to expanding its research agenda while retaining its lasting commitment to deliver a high-quality undergraduate and graduate student curriculum. Rather than viewing research and teaching as separate goals, the Psychology faculty members strongly support the view that research and teaching are complementary activities. Thus, the Psychology Department’s vision is to gain national and international recognition as a research-oriented teaching-intensive department.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Psychology is to provide an excellent education for the undergraduate and graduate students who take our courses, taught by dynamic faculty who are also active in their fields. We seek to foster the spirit of creative inquiry by improving our students’ ability to read, write, and think critically (partly based on research methodology knowledge and skills) about enduring and emerging issues of psychology and human relationships. To meet these general goals, the Department of Psychology commits to: (1) graduating well-qualified students having the professional expertise to improve the scientific knowledge base and clinical practices in psychology; (2) attracting and retaining diverse students with professional potential; (3) promoting strong expectations for intellectual relationships among faculty and students through improved teaching, scholarship, facilities, and extra-curricular activities; and (4) creating an atmosphere of cohesiveness and esprit de corps.