Psychology

Why study psychology?

 
When many people think of psychology they think of clinicians working with mentally ill people. However, clinicians only make up a proportion of psychologists. Psychologists, with their interest in understanding a range of human behaviors, actually can be found in almost every job area. They work in business and industry, education, research and development and the community. If you frequently ask questions about human behavior, then consider pursuing a career in psychology. The field of psychology is dedicated to understanding human thought and behavior from a range of perspectives, including developmental, biological, clinical, cognitive and social.
Psychology is a science that focuses on all aspects of human behavior and mental processes. The primary goals of the field of psychology are to describe, explain and predict human behavior. Students aware of the general principles of psychology may better understand their friends, their family, their coworkers, society at large and themselves.
 

Psychology at Heidelberg

 
The Department offers a general major course of study, three specialized major concentrations of study and a minor course of study. The track selected will appear on a student’s official transcript. All programs entail completion of a core set of psychology requirements and a core set of allied requirements. Specific requirements vary by program. Beyond the core courses, majors are free to choose additional psychology courses depending on personal interest.
 
The General Psychology Track provides a sound background of knowledge and skills. Students pursuing this track might be interested in graduate psychology degrees, but also go on to careers in human resources, business, legal studies or law enforcement and public administration.
 
The Biopsychology Track provides students with a specialized background for careers dealing with human biological functioning, including neuropsychology, drug and alcohol rehabilitation counseling, industrial research and pharmaceutical sales.
 
The Child and Adolescent Psychology Track provides a specialized background for careers involving day-to-day contact with children or adolescents, including daycare provision, juvenile crime management, human service casework and educational administration.
 
The Mental Health Track provides a specialized background for careers involving psychological or counseling services with children or adults. Students in this track also go into careers in social work, vocational and rehabilitation counseling and probation officer work.
 
The Psychology Minor complements a number of other majors, including Biology, Political Science and Athletic Training.
 

Department of Psychology

Heidelberg’s Department of Psychology offers a curriculum that allows students to explore developmental, biological, cognitive and social contributions to human activity, both normal and abnormal. The curriculum also allows students to become familiar with how psychologists assess and treat human psychopathologies.
 

Mission Statement

The Department of Psychology faculty members seek to nurture students to think scientifically about human behavior and mental processes. Through academic skill-building and applied experiences, we seek to prepare our students for a wide range of possible career and academic paths. We believe the grounding they receive in evidence-based reasoning, ethical decision making and respect for the diversity of human experiences will prepare them for a life of purpose with distinction.

Goals

The Department of Psychology’s primary goals are to ensure that students:

• learn to think scientifically about human behavior and mental processes;
• know the major theories and research findings in psychology;
• appreciate the ethical practice of scientific inquiry in psychology; and
• speak and write effectively within the discourse of the discipline.