Psychology
Incoming First-Year Students
Welcome!
Although we are happy that you are considering a Psychology major or minor, we also want to encourage you to check out other departments in CASSH that offer the same excellent training.
Many of our students start with an interest in Psychology and after taking classes in other departments realize they might be more excited about Sociology, or Anthropology, or Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
If you're considering a career in a health-related field, also check out the resources provided by the Pre-Health Advising Center.
Please use the menu below to find answers to your questions about the Psych major/minor.
Incoming
Excellent question - we're glad you asked!
The fact is that nobody can tell you whether Psych is the right major or minor for you - you have to find out for yourself. You may have taken a Psych course in high school, you may have heard about Psych-related jobs, or seen popular TV shows that feature people with a Psych background. This may have given you an idea what Psych is about, but it may also have misled you a bit. Psychology is about more than "helping people", more than mental health, and more than "profiling" criminals.
Psychology is an excellent choice for students who are interested in understanding the human brain, behavior, and cognition. A Psych degree will not make you a Psychologist (or a profiler), and many of our Psych graduates do not even necessarily work in a field related to Psychology when they graduate.
A Psych degree will provide you with excellent scientific training (including statistics and research methods), and will help you develop your critical thinking, communication, and project management skills. This will make you a great candidate for many jobs in lots of different fields.
If you're unsure whether Psychology is the right choice for you, the good news is that there are lots of related majors that offer the same kind of training and will equip you with the same highly marketable and transferable skills.
Many of our students start with an interest in Psychology and after taking classes in other departments realize they might be more excited about Sociology, or Anthropology, or Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Check out those departments and learn more about those fields of study. You might find them incredibly intriguing!
Welcome! Feel free to browse around our website, check out the information for admitted students below, or check out the information for current Psych majors or Psych minors to learn more about our programs.
If you have other questions beyond what is available on our website, please let us know by filling out this survey. Your responses will be sent to the department and someone will email you back with information. Due to the large number of students interested in majoring in Psychology, we are typically not able to accommodate requests for individual meetings with prospective students. However, the Psych department is actively involved in Admissions events (Campus Closeup, Scholar Day, etc.) on campus and we're happy to meet you during one of those events.
Check out the Admissions website to learn more about applying to UWL and about options for visiting the campus.
Welcome! We're excited you have chosen UWL and look forward to seeing you in the Fall. Please make sure you are registered for a START session that provides you with an orientation to UWL. During START, you will learn more about campus and will sign up for Fall courses. If you plan to be a Psych major or Psych minor, make sure to indicate that in your START registration or when you visit campus for the START event.
Check out the info for current Psych majors here.
Check out the information for current Psych minors here.