Progression Plans

Students hoping to earn graduate degrees or certificates in Art Therapy should complete as many studio art courses as possible. This might mean that students should look into double majoring with psychology and art.

When looking at Psychology courses, students should complete the following:

• Introduction to Counseling
• Abnormal Psychology
• Human Growth and Development
• Psychology of Personality
• Social Psychology

Students hoping to complete a graduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis should make sure the complete PSYC 4470 Behavioral Analysis. They should also complete PSYC 3302 Human Growth and Development, PSYC 3350 Abnormal Psychology, and PSYC 3360 Psychology of Personality.

In additional to coursework, students aiming for the ABA graduate degree should complete 1-2 internships focused on direct interaction or observation of clients. It would also help your future goals if summers included some type of professional experience, as many graduate programs highlight the need for documented hours of patient or client interaction.

Students interested in the intersection of Business and Psychology should try to pursue both of these degrees. If possible, a double major or major/minor is ideal.

As for courses, students should choose the following: PSYC 4470 Behavioral Analysis, PSYC 3360 Psychology of Personality, PSYC 3341 Social Psychology.

This career path requires a professional internship in the business setting. Usually that setting would include some experience in Human Resources.

A career as a Child Life Specialist requires a graduate degree after finishing your psychology undergraduate degree. As part of your course work, you should take PSYC 3302 Human Growth and Development, PSYC 3350 Abnormal Psychology, PSYC 3341 Social Psychology, and PSYC 4470 Behavioral Analysis.

Most graduate programs require a large number of document hours working directly with children. You can complete some of those hours through an internship, which will count towards your degree. However, you should also plan on using your summers to gather hours as well. Students should expect their internship to cover about 1/2 of the required hours and their summers to fill up the remaining hours.

 A PhD in Clinical Psychology is an extremely rigorous and competitive degree. Students should strive for excellence in their coursework, 1-2 intense internships, and 1-2 research projects culminating in a professional presentation. Professors will work closely with students on this path to ensure that they complete all the required items and remain competitive.

Important courses would include PSYC 2298 Behavioral Statistics and PSYC 2299 Research Methods, as this graduate degree is research focuses. These lead to the senior capstone PSYC 4901 and PSYC 4902 in which students complete their own research project and present at a regional or national conference.

The career path of Counseling or Social Work is one of our most popular amongst current students. In order to prepare for this graduate degree, students should complete all of the clinical-oriented course work, along with 1-2 internships in which they shadow licensed professional counselors.

Important courses include PSYC 3351 Introduction to Counseling, PSYC 3350 Abnormal Psychology, PSYC 3360 Psychology of Personality, and PSYC 3321 Social Psychology.

This career path has grown in popularity over the past few years. Currently, the best approach for graduate school acceptance is to pursue a double major or major/minor in Psychology and Political Science. Both programs have strong track records for graduate school acceptance, teach a wide variety of research methods, and provide multiple opportunities for professional presentations and conferences.

Internships are important for this career path as well. Commonly our students intern with the Drug Court or Mental Health Court system, along with Child Advocacy Centers around town.

Unlike some career paths, medical-related career paths rarely have a specific undergraduate major requirement. In other words, students are able to complete any undergraduate major they wish, as long as they complete the required courses needed for the professional program.

In Psychology, we will work with other programs on campus to provide a major/minor package that ensures that you complete the required courses for many different programs: Physical Therapy, Medical School, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, Surgical Assistant, and many more.

We encourage students hoping to work as a school counselor to also pursue a degree with the Education Department. Most often our students complete a major in Psychology and a minor in Educational Studies. Important courses include: PSYC 3302 Human Growth and Development, PSYC 3321 Social Psychology, PSYC 3350 Abnormal Psychology, and PSYC 3351 Human Sexuality.

Students should also pursue 1-2 internships, along with research experience. Many of the School Psychology graduate programs are research-based and greatly value these experiences.

Students interested in the intersection between sports and psychology should pursue a degree in Sports Psychology. In order to prepare for this graduate program, a double major or major/minor in Psychology and Exercise Science would be the best path.

These graduate programs can be very competitive, so students should strive for excellent grades along with completing internships and research projects.