Concentrations in Psychology
Students majoring in psychology have an opportunity to elect intensive study in one of the concentrations described below. A concentration is like a minor, only within psychology, and it is not required. Each concentration provides supervised field experience. For the Applied Clinical Science concentration, students engage in fieldwork for a minimum of 120 hours/semester throughout their junior or senior year. These students meet with the concentration director and select an internship site during the Spring prior to their placement. For the concentration in Applied Work and Organizational Psychology, internships are arranged individually. For the concentrations in Applied Cognition and Applied Research, experiential learning opportunities and additional coursework are arranged in consultation with the concentration coordinator.
Students may elect to enroll in the Applied Clinical Science concentration within the general psychology major. This concentration prepares students for careers in counseling or related areas with children, adolescents, or adults with psychological disorders and also provides the basis for graduate work in fields such as counseling, clinical psychology, social work, and school psychology.
The Applied Clinical Science program emphasizes:
Mental health fields as possible careers
Conceptions of mental illness and therapeutic methods.
Applied clinical science students fulfill all University and psychology major requirements as specified in relevant sections of the course catalog. They must also fulfill the following special requirements: PS 272 Psychopathology, PS 371 Clinical Psychology, PS 391 Applied Clinical Science Seminar and PS 393 and PS 394 Field Work in Applied Clinical Science.
The applied cognition concentration focuses on providing students with the opportunity to gain job-relevant skills while exploring cognition. Students are exposed to major theories and methods in cognitive psychology, along with applications of cognitive psychology to the workplace (e.g., design thinking, task analysis, survey design) and careers that use insights and methods from cognitive psychology (e.g., behavioral engineering). Because cognitive psychology draws on a range of disciplines, students will also have the opportunity to explore cognition from a different field. Students are required to complete PS 233 Cognitive Psychology and PS 333 Applied Cognition. In addition, students complete an elective from a related discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Philosophy, Industrial or Software Engineering) and a skill-building experience (e.g., internship, independent research, or relevant training).
The Applied Research Concentration will offer advanced education in psychological research design, implementation, and interpretation, as well as hands-on experiential learning opportunities to help prepare students for graduate work in various psychology fields or careers in research. Students will demonstrate competency related to their understanding of ethical principles involved in research, they will gain hands-on experiential learning with one or more research projects, and they will give a live presentation regarding their work.
The concentration is designed to allow students to extend their knowledge of psychological research methods beyond the PS 307 course. The concentration requires taking PS 308 (Advanced Research Methods) and at least one semester of research-based experiential learning (3 credits). This additional semester must include hands-on experience with data analysis and “dissemination” of these data. This dissemination should include an oral presentation (“talk”), poster presentation, or written paper. Finally, students will complete an additional 3 credits based on the student’s interests (e.g., additional semester of research experience or research-related course).
The Applied Research Concentration coordinator will work with you to find a research-based experiential learning opportunity and/or research-related course. Completion of the Applied Research Concentration also help students earn an Applied Research micro-credential.
Students may elect to enroll in the applied work and organizational psychology program within the psychology major. The program exposes students to career possibilities in industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology and related areas and provides the basis for further study related to fields such as I-O psychology, human resources, management, and organizational behavior.
The applied work and organizational psychology program emphasizes:
1. Using psychological principles to study and improve working conditions.
2. Developing and practicing marketable skills that are relevant for a range of careers (e.g., public speaking, collaboration), as well as specific skills that are relevant for jobs in industrial-organizational psychology or human resource management (e.g., job analysis, test validation, training design).
3. Gaining relevant, hands-on experience in careers related to industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management.
Students in the Applied Work and Organizational Psychology concentration fulfill all University and psychology major requirements as specified in relevant sections of the course catalog. They must also fulfill the following special requirements (for a total of 9 credits): PS 265 – Psychology in the workplace, PS 397 – Fieldwork in I-O psychology, and one upper level I-O course (PS 333 – Topics in Applied Workplace and Cognitive Psychology, PS 366 – Advanced Personnel Psychology, or PS 367 – Advanced Organizational Psychology).
