General Information

Department of Psychology Mission and Goals

The mission of the Department of Psychology is to develop and maintain an academic curriculum and co-curricular activities that help students acquire a broad base of knowledge in psychology, acquire the intellectual and communication skills necessary to contribute to psychological science, and develop characteristics that encourage personal fulfillment and responsible citizenship.

 

Departmental goals.

The goals of the department fall into three categories:

• Knowledge Base: The Department of Psychology provides courses, programs and experiences that foster the acquisition of the significant knowledge of the field, including historical and contemporary persons and events that have shaped the discipline. The department seeks to provide students with an understanding of the varied methods, theories and conceptual models that serve as organizing frameworks for understanding behavior and experience.
• Intellectual Skills: The Department of Psychology provides programs, courses and experiences that enable students to develop skills in the areas of communication, information gathering, critical thinking, problem solving, and quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry, analysis, and interpretation.
• Personal Characteristics: The Department of Psychology provides courses, programs and experiences that promote self-awareness, capacity for self-reflection, interpersonal competence, appreciation of diversity, and the development of a personal code of moral and ethical behavior.

Knowledge base student learning outcomes.

The learning outcomes in this area are as follows:

• State the goals, methods of knowing, areas of study, and assumptions that characterize the field.
• Identify the various psychological schools of thought, and compare and contrast them.
• Demonstrate an in-depth awareness of several areas within the field.
• Apply psychological knowledge to one?s own world and, thereby, enhance understanding of human behavior and effective functioning.
• State the career options available to graduates and ways of obtaining these positions.

Intellectual skills student learning outcomes.

• The learning outcomes in this area are as follows:
• Critically evaluate psychological research.
• Design and conduct research with an effective use of technological resources.
• Communicate effectively with the scientific community and the general public about psychological principles, theories, and research results.
• Think critically, formulate effective arguments, and solve problems through effective utilization of information and, therefore, function as an intelligent consumer of psychological information.

Personal characteristics student learning outcomes.

The learning outcomes in this area are as follows:

• Work effectively with others in achieving group goals.
• Show empathy, caring, respect and acceptance of others. Appreciate individual differences and cultural diversity.
• Demonstrate self-awareness in interpersonal and intrapersonal domains.
• Demonstrate concern for social justice and behave in ways consistent with his/her views in this area.
• Demonstrate coping and personal problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate congruence between one?s personal moral code and behavior.

Requirements for the Major in Psychology

A general orientation to the field is assured by requiring students to take basic courses in all areas. All psychology majors will take 36 semester hours in psychology: 30 required hours and six hours of electives. Beyond this, no more than 12 additional hours are allowed unless the student takes a like number of hours beyond the minimum of 120 hours required for the undergraduate degree.

The following courses are required of all majors: PY 110, 200, 201, 202, 401, 402 and one of the following: 455 or 499. In addition, each major is required to select one course from each of the following three categories:

Group 1: Basic theoretical courses: PY 215 or 219 or 220 or 225 or 235.
Group 2: Physiological and experimental courses: PY 230 or 250 or 260 or 270 or 275 or 336.
Group 3: Applied/clinical courses: PY 305 or 310 or 315 or 340 or 345 or 365.

The electives are determined through consultation with the student's advisor.
Psychology 401 and 402 comprise the Senior Culminating Experience.
On declaring a major, a student should come to the Department of Psychology in order to plan a schedule of courses. Achievement of a degree follows from the fulfillment of a well-chosen and balanced program.

Several courses outside of the department are recommended for majors. These usually include biology, sociology, mathematics, and as related to a particular plan of study, chemistry, economics or philosophy. For the pre-professional major, most graduate schools expect that an undergraduate will earn at least a 3.0 cumulative average.

Requirements for the Minor in Psychology

Students wishing to obtain a minor in psychology begin with an overview of the field and then take more specialized courses that provide greater depth of inquiry. The psychology minor consists of 15 semester hours in psychology: three required hours and 12 elective hours. The required course is PY 110 (or 216 or 217 for early or middle childhood majors).

The electives can be chosen from the remaining course listings.

Psychology as a minor is appropriate for many types of students because it has applications in many career areas as well as in one's personal life. It would enhance preparation for careers in the fields of social services, business, medicine, education and the ministry as well as many others.

Students interested in human services may wish to choose their electives from among the following courses: PY 215, 220, 225, 305, 310, 315, 340, 350, 365 and 499. Students interested in the scientific, experimental or biological areas may want to consider PY 230, 250, 260, 270, 275 and 380. Students interested in business might find courses PY 225, 235, 320 and 360 appealing. Students considering psychology as a minor are encouraged to speak not only with their advisors but also to a member of the psychology faculty to determine the courses that would be most suitable for them.

Activities and Special Events

The department sponsors the Psychology Club, which is open to all interested students and faculty. Activities include presentations by professionals in the field, discussions regarding graduate school applications and jobs in the field, as well as social activities. The club also sponsors informational trips to local facilities and service agencies.

The department also sponsors a chapter of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology. The activities of this organization are varied, although many are designed to stimulate professional growth by creating a fellowship with other psychology professionals across the nation, by providing opportunities to promote individual research involvement, and to reward achievement of professional leadership qualities.

Off-Campus Opportunities

Many off-campus opportunities exist for psychology students including a wide variety of internships, an undergraduate convention at which students present original theoretical or experimental work, a Wilderness Trip for the purpose of studying group dynamics, and a Spring Break service project in a Third World country.

Students who are considering careers in clinical or counseling psychology are eligible to do field placements in some courses and to apply for participation in Mount Union's Psychology Internship Program. These experiences provide an opportunity to gain practical knowledge in certain areas of concentration while allowing students to apply textbook information. Internship arrangements exist with group homes, child and adolescent service centers, drug abuse counseling agencies, crisis intervention agencies, counseling services in the schools, probation offices, mental retardation agencies, and other social service organizations and mental health facilities.

Career Preparation

Professional preparation is a prerequisite to teaching and/or research positions in most colleges and universities, as well as to the practice of clinical psychology. To become a professional psychologist, a student must complete two to five years of graduate study after obtaining a bachelor's degree. Students who intend to continue the study of psychology should consult their academic advisors early in their undergraduate years to assure proper preparation for graduate school.

Opportunities for those who hold a bachelor's degree in psychology may include mental health case management, personnel work, social work, public relations, publicity, sales, advertising, and hospital administration. Career opportunities can also be found in school counseling, vocational rehabilitation, business and industry, government service, educational administration, research and the ministry.