Psychology

Degree: B.S., Psychology
Department of Psychological Science

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree program provides students with a sound introduction to psychology as a scientific discipline, including both traditional areas and more recent trends and theoretical developments. Psychology majors receive extensive training in methodology and statistics. The study of psychology emphasizes critical thinking and the development of writing, oral communication, and research skills.

Students are exposed to the variety of subject areas that define the field of psychology and are given the opportunity for hands-on, empirical work. Many students work on research teams and do year-long research projects under the direction of an individual faculty member. Many of these students present their research at national conferences and publish their work in peer-reviewed journals. A variety of internships are offered at local businesses and social service agencies.

Course sequences prepare students for either graduate work or employment immediately after graduation. Employment options include research in various business settings; social work; human resource management; computer applications; and counseling and case management in social service and mental health settings like probation and parole, intellectual disabilities, substance abuse, and adolescent/adult group homes. The curriculum also provides an excellent preparation for professional school and graduate study in psychology. Courses offered in collaboration with Business Administration explore the application of psychological principles and research methods to various work environments for students interested in careers in management, human resources, organizational behavior, organizational development, and industrial/organizational psychology.

The department sponsors a chapter of Psi Chi, the national honorary society in psychology, which annually sponsors an undergraduate research symposium at which students present both course and team research projects. Students are encouraged to be members of the Virginia Association for Psychological Science and present their research at meetings of the Association. Each year the department awards over $20,000 in scholarships specifically to Psychology majors.  These scholarships include the J. Christopher Bill Scholarship, the Minnie Rob Phaup Scholarship, the Emily Cella Scholarship, the Burney Lynch Parkinson Scholarship, the James and Deborah Llewellyn Scholarship, and the C. Jarrett and Hazel Small Wilkins Scholarship. The department also presents the Outstanding Senior Psychology Award to a graduating major.

Department facilities include computer laboratories suitable for both general student use and specialized work in cognition, sensation and perception, and physiological psychology; an animal laboratory complete with a vivarium, surgery, shop, and computerized experimental controls; a computerized video laboratory for studying social, developmental, and group processes; a number of rooms and a variety of equipment suitable for conducting empirical research with human participants; facilities for psychological testing; and computerized physiographs and an eye tracker for use in experimental and clinical applications.

The UMW Psychology and NECC Collaboration

UMW students may enroll in a semester long program in Boston at The New England Center for Children working with children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. Students must have completed 12 hours in Psychology, and either PSYC 253 Fundamentals of Learning and Motivation or PSYC 320 Psychology of Exceptional Children and Youth, to be eligible for this program. Students will enroll in two courses that will count as electives in the UMW Psychology major PSYC 402 Principle of Behavior Analysis, PSYC 403 Behavioral Interventions, PSYC 404 Methods of Evaluation, or PSYC 405 Evidence-based Teaching, and spend about 30 hours each week gaining hands-on experience as student teachers. This experience will result in six internship credits and six course credits for the semester.

Students will enroll at UMW and pay for full-time tuition and fees (in state or out of state as appropriate), as well as the current cost of double occupancy housing. NECC will provide housing in close proximity to the Center; the student is responsible for the cost of their own food.

To obtain more information about this program, please see the Psychological Science Department chairperson, or the Psychology website.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to behavioral problems.

2. Students will apply psychology-specific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork skills, career preparation.

3. Students will develop scientific reasoning and problem solving, including effective research methods.

4. Students will develop ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape the involves increasing diversity. 

Students will demonstrate competence in writing and in oral and interpersonal communication skills 

Major Requirements

A minimum of thirty-seven (37) credits in Psychology (PSYC) courses, including:

¹

If this course is taken to fulfill the Biological Requirement, then it cannot count toward the Cognition and Learning Requirement.

²

If this course is taken to fulfill the Cognition and Learning Requirement, then it cannot count toward the Biological Requirement.

³

This course fulfills the out of class experience and the Research in Psychology core requirement.

⁴

The community service option requires at least 40 hours of volunteer work at an approved community service site or at least 20 hours at each of two sites, and attending one reflection session per site during each semester of service. Students completing their community service during their last semester must complete all requirements by March 15 for May graduation and November 15 for December graduation. While this option carries 0 credit hours, it does complete the Out-of-Class Experience requirement. Students using this option will need to take an additional 3 credits of electives to meet the minimum 37 credit hours required for the major.

⁵

If the Community Service Learning option is used to satisfy the requirement, an additional 3 credit hours in electives will be needed to meet the minimum 37 credit hours required for the major.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.

Electives

Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.

Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits

Plan of Study

This suggested plan of study should serve as a guide to assist students when planning their course selections. It is not a substitute for a student's Degree Evaluation or the Program Requirements listed for this major in the catalog. Academic planning is the student's responsibility, and course selections should be finalized only after speaking with an advisor. Students should familiarize themselves with the catalog in effect at the time they matriculated at the University of Mary Washington. Students should also familiarize themselves with general education requirements which can be fulfilled through general electives as well as major/minor course requirements. Course requirements and sequencing may vary with AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge or previous coursework, transfer courses, or other conditions. To be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in 12 or more credits for the semester.

¹

Students may also complete PSYC 261 and PSYC 362 during their junior year.

²

Students may also complete the research capstone during their junior year if they have completed PSYC 261 and PSYC 362. 

³

PSYC 000 40 Hour Community Service or PSYC 499 Internship can be taken after 12 credits in psychology beyond 100 are completed (plus additional specific prerequisite courses for PSYC 499). These are not necessary if the 491-492 sequence is completed. 

⁴

Take sufficient psychology electives to ensure you have at least 37 (but no more than 60) credits in psychology.

Psychological Science Faculty

Miriam N. Liss, Chair
Christine A. McBride, Career Advisor
David W. Kolar, Community Service Learning Advisor
Marcus L. Leppanen, Psi Chi Advisor

Professors

Mindy J. Erchull
Miriam N. Liss
Christine A. McBride
Holly H. Schiffrin
W. David Stahlman
Laura C. Wilson

Associate Professors

David W. Kolar
Virginia H. Mackintosh
Jennifer R. Mailloux
Hilary E. Stebbins

Assistant Professors

Marcus L. Leppanen
Erin N. Palmwood