William and Mary

Major's Handbook



Arts & Sciences » Psychology » Undergraduate » Majoring in Psychology » Major's Handbook » The Psychology Program

Psychology Program Overview

Courses

The wide range of courses offered by the Psychology Department reflects the diversity of the discipline. Our course offerings present psychology as a science in terms of its philosophy, principles, and methods. Classes cover topics such as lifespan development, abnormal, learning, personality and motivation, physiology, social and organizational behavior, community and health psychology, statistics, and research methods.

Faculty

The Psychology department has 22 full-time faculty, all Ph.D's, representing all the major divisions of psychology. Numerous scholarly papers and books show that the faculty are active within their professional fields, and many have a national or international reputation. The entire faculty shares a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.

Research

There are multiple opportunities for students to be involved in faculty research, or to design their own research program. Facilities include well equipped research spaces for studying social interactions, perception, physiological processes, and animal behavior.

Resources and Opportunities

The department maintains active ties to local human service institutions and organizations. Many of the department's faculty members are licensed clinicians with considerable practical experience. The adjunct faculty of the department includes psychologists from the College's Counseling Center and local private practice. The department also sponsors the Psychology Club, the Psi Chi honor society, and a weekly departmental colloquium series.

Concentration

After establishing a course base of general educational requirements, students are eligible to declare a Psychology concentration at the end of their second year. Regardless of a student's specific interests within psychology, the department's goal is to nurture the student's overall intellectual development. The College of William & Mary provides an educational background appropriate to a liberal arts program as well as a strong foundation for graduate and professional study.