Psychology Major
Our Upside-Down Curriculum allows you to take courses in your Psychology degree program starting the first semester of your first year.
Why Psychology?
What makes people do what they do? How does a particular social setting determine behavior? Can you predict certain outcomes from exposure to a given environment? From top political leaders, to heads of business or local school boards, the underlying motivations that dictate behaviors can reveal new strategic directions—ones that can change the course of history.
Psychology an exciting field of study that helps students of it understand themselves as much as it does comprehend the rest of the world—and it’s a professional field with exponentially increasing possibilities for successful translation into any number of industries and career paths.
Psychology majors are driven to understand what motivates people and how to apply those insights to help others. The why of human behavior is at the heart of everything. The purpose of psychology is to describe, explain and predict why people do what they do. And this science translates into almost any career arena you can imagine: from marketing and sales to education and social work, from human resources and law enforcement to politics and economics. And, of course, there is the traditional application of the study of psychology for therapeutic and clinical care of mental conditions.
Why Psychology at Champlain?
Champlain's unique Psychology program offers an applied focus, hands-on learning and the option to choose a specialization in one of three areas: Criminal Justice, Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Pre-clinical Psychology.
During the second semester of your first year, you'll take Introduction to Applied Psychology and explore how to translate your learning into a valuable skill set suited for many careers in areas such as business management, marketing, or human and social services.
Guest speakers working in the field will bring depth to your understanding of various career paths while you craft your resume, participate in mock interviews, and ready yourself to take on as many as three internships during your undergraduate years.
Internships vary with student interests and have included placements in human resources at Smugglers' Notch, as a preschool assistant with the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, as a grants and program coordinator at the Winooski Coalition for Safe & Peaceful Communities, and as a community policing intern at the South Burlington Police Department.
Most of our graduates find work in human resources or social service agencies and police departments, and nearly 15 percent go on to graduate school to become clinical mental health professionals.
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Learn how to describe, understand and predict human behavior as you acquire a strong background in the science of psychology via reality-grounded coursework and explore the countless career options available with a psychology degree.
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Gain vital hands-on experience through internships in human resource and marketing departments, in drug education facilities, at advertising agencies, in development offices, working with special-needs individuals, or in the fields of science writing or fundraising.
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Undertake fascinating research projects in areas like consumer behavior, age-related issues, the impact of music on behavior, gender differences and others.
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Prepare for success in diverse professions after graduation, whether in administration, corporate training, development, human resources or some other non-clinical business, government or nonprofit setting. Or use your undergraduate degree to launch your graduate education.
Ask a Question about our Psychology Degree Program
Ask a question, and someone from our Admission team will put you in touch with the faculty or staff member who can best answer your questions.
Tossing and turning in bed, half asleep, I turned over to where my sister slept about two feet away in the other twin bunk bed.