Psychology
Psychology advising
Psychology Advising
If you are a first- or second-year Psychology student interested in scheduling an appointment with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center & Career Services in 1209 Centennial, go to https://www.uwlax.edu/aaccs/ and click the "Make an appointment" button.
After your second year, you are assigned a Psychology faculty advisor. You can find their name and contact info in your Student Center on WINGS. https://www.uwlax.edu/wings/
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The requirements associated with the Psychology major are most easily understood with our Psychology check sheets that you can download using the links below.
If you started at UWL prior to Fall 2021, please refer to this Psychology Major Checksheet.
If you started at UWL during or after the Fall 2021 semester, please refer to this Psychology Major Checksheet.
We recommend completing a new check sheet every semester in order to best understand the program. We also recommend completing a graduation plan when you are two or three semesters away from completing your requirements.
The options associated with choosing a minor for students who are psychology majors are best illustrated with this downloadable Minor Decision Point document.
Common minors chosen by psychology majors include At-Risk Child & Youth Care, Gerontology (an emphasis rather than a minor), Neuroscience, Art Therapy, Biology, Sociology, Spanish, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, Statistics, Ethnic & Racial Studies, and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
- Complete the online tutorial that will automatically submit your response to the Academic Advising Center if you are a first year student or to the Psych department if you're not a first year student. Plan on at least 1 hour and be ready for built-in online quizzes on the material. Note: Once a student reaches 75 credits, they may no longer declare a Psych major. If a student has more than 75 credits and wishes to declare psychology as a first major, the student should first contact the Psychology Associate Chair to discuss their plan and how their future goals necessitate a Psych major. Under very rare circumstances an exception to the 75+ credit rule may be granted. A student may not declare psychology as a second major if they have already accumulated more than 75 credits (no exceptions).
- Complete the CASSH/VPA Change of Program/Plan form. If you are adding psychology as a second major, please discuss the process with your current advisor or reach out to the Associate Chair of the Psychology Department.
- Although you still may need to complete required coursework to be allowed full access to psychology courses, the process described above results in Psychology being listed as your official major after the college and department reviews and approves your change of major form.
- After Psychology is your official major, you will be assigned an advisor in the Academic Advising Center (first year students) or a faculty advisor in the department (students with 30+ credits completed).
We value the previous experiences of transfer students and will work with you directly to review possible transfer credits, discuss your plans in psychology, and support your goals as a new UWL student. Since Psychology is a popular major, we also recognize the challenge in registering for courses depending on the timing of your application and acceptance, and provide guidance on creating a course schedule that works for you. If you are thinking of declaring Psychology as your major at UWL, please complete the required steps for transfer majors available from the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities. Depending on your progress in our degree requirements, you might start working with the Academic Advising Center for a short time, or be assigned directly to a faculty advisor in the Psychology Department. Feel free to contact the Department Chair or Associate Chair if you have any questions prior to transferring.
Each semester the department will set aside a full week for advising appointments several weeks before registration begins in WINGS. All Psychology majors will receive an email from their designated advisor in WINGS to schedule a brief appointment to help with course selection. All Psychology majors with less than 90 credits will have an advising hold that prevents registration. Attending an advising appointment will remove the hold. Students are expected to complete a course planning worksheet to bring with them to their advising appointments. If your schedule doesn't overlap with your advisor that week, you are welcome to find another day prior to your registration time in WINGS.
Access WINGS to find your advisor. Generally speaking, after you have completed 30 credits, you will be assigned permanently to a full-time psychology faculty member. Why should I care? You and your advisor are the primary individuals who will be able to access your academic progress on WINGS. It is best if you see them regularly; however, you may see ANY faculty member for advice. Indeed, as your career plans become clearer you may wish to talk with someone whose interests are closer to yours to get more information about the field.
What kinds of questions should I ask of my advisor? Your psychology advisor will be best for answering questions about course sequencing, course content, careers and graduate school.
In addition to faculty advisors, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities provides academic advisor services. Peter Stovall is housed in Morris Hall, his number is 785-8846. He is assigned to psychology majors. After students apply to graduate in their WINGS Student Center, and after they have registered for their final semester, Pete will do a degree check to make sure you are on track to graduate. He will contact you via email. If you have any questions for Pete pertaining to graduation you may email him (pstovall@uwlax.edu) or call 785-5454 to set up a meeting.
The Honors Program is a nine-credit, multi-semester sequence that starts Spring semester designed to give qualified students the opportunity to design and conduct independent psychological research under the supervision of a faculty adviser. Traditionally, students complete the program in three semesters, the first semester in the Spring of their third year (i.e., junior year) and the remaining two semesters during their last year (e.g., senior year). The Honors Seminar (PSY 489) is only offered in the Spring, and the application for the Honors Program is due at the time of Fall registration. Full details are available at https://www.uwlax.edu/psychology/undergraduate-majorsminors/psychology-honors-program3/.
Many psychology majors are interested in careers in the health professions such as physical therapy (PT) and/or occupational therapy (OT). Students interested in the health professionals are well served by declaring themselves as a "pre" student in their area of interest. The "pre" courses do not qualify as a major or minor. The "pre" courses prepare students for the admission requirements of most graduate programs associated with each specific field.