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The Psychology Major
- Dr. Benedict and his students present their work
at the annual meetings of the Virginia Psychological
Association
Psychology is the major to consider if you want to study the area of science that explores how people and animals think, feel, and act. Psychology Majors complete coursework that explores behavior, emotions, and cognitive processes, and the factors that influence them, from a variety of perspectives. Psychologists study behavior at both a cellular level (e.g. examining the role of the brain and the nervous system) and at a more global level (e.g. examining the influences of culture). As a Psychology Major, you will enhance your problem-solving, critical thinking, writing and oral expression skills as you learn to use the tools available to behavioral scientists.
Students choose to major in psychology for many reasons. Psychology can be your primary area of interest within a liberal arts education that will lead to many professional opportunities that require a bachelor's degree. Your Psychology Major can also be a pre-professional program that will lead to a profession after you complete several additional years of graduate school.
Regardless of your reason for choosing the Psychology Major, think about this major as more than a collection of required classes. Whether you plan to seek employment with your bachelor's degree or go on to graduate school, you should be thinking about developing knowledge and skills through all of your college experiences. By the time you graduate, you should have developed a resumè that is rich with listings of your accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom. This section of our website is designed to explain how Psychology fits into the overall bachelor's degree curriculum at JMU, what's required within Psychology, and how to get involved with the special opportunities that Psychology offers that will give you the experiences you need to be successful.
The JMU Psychology Major has been revised for all students who entered using the 2006-2007 Academic Catalog. All students who are taking their first classes at JMU starting in August 2006 should follow the program described under “2006-Present Psychology Major". Students who are using previous catalogs should follow the academic program described under "Pre-2006 Psychology Major"
As you pursue activities at JMU that will help to build your resume, keep in mind special course offerings within the department such as special topics courses, Peer Advising, independent study, and capstone experiences. Many Psychology Majors elect to compete a second major, minor, or preprofessional program as part of their overall academic program. You are not required to declare a second major, pre-professional program, or minor to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology; however, we do recommend that you develop your knowledge and skills by taking courses that are of interest to you, outside of Psychology. We have developed a recommended course elective course list that may help you find relevant and interesting courses. Your faculty advisor can also be a good source of information about coursework that is relevant to your interests and post-graduation plans.
The Psychology program does not require that students take all of their courses at JMU. You may have taken courses before you arrived, such as through Advanced Placement or enrollment at another university, or you may elect to take courses during the summer at another institution. Rules about transfer courses are described in this section.
Helpful Links and Articles
From the American Psychological Association:
Psychology Career Information
From the January 2003 Newsletter:
Alternative Majors for Students Interested in Psychology
From the August 2001 Newsletter:
The Psychology Major-More than Just Classes
