University of New England

Degree: Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology

College: Arts and Sciences

Department: Psychology

Contact: Dr. Maryann Corsello (Chair)  mcorsello@une.edu

The Department of Psychology offers students a broad-based liberal arts education with an emphasis on community, social, and individual approaches to understanding human behavior. Students are thus exposed to a combination of theoretical, scientific, and practical approaches to solving human problems. Issues of gender, race, class, and culture are emphasized in courses throughout the curriculum. As a result of required course work and internship experiences, the department graduates students with marketable skills that prepare them for entry-level positions in social services or for graduate study in related areas. As part of this mission, the Department of Psychology offers three majors: psychology, psychobiology, and psychology and social relations.

Major Program Description
The psychology major blends interdisciplinary work with intensive training in psychology to prepare the student for a wide range of professional and academic experiences beyond college. The major draws on the extensive experience of our faculty in the areas of human development and clinical psychology. In addition, the student will be exposed to areas such as social psychology, learning and cognition, and personality theory.

Another theme of the program is research and statistics. Faculty provide a supportive environment in which students learn the thinking skills important to reading and conducting research. Students support each other as well, working in groups on research projects that often are useful to the UNE community. For example, students have engaged in a survey and study of student satisfaction with services on campus and have examined the faculty's awareness of and involvement in learning disabilities of college students.

The core of this major also includes the internship or field experience courses. The internship is a critical part of our students' learning. It is typically started in the third year and must be taken for an equivalent of two courses or six credits. These are divided into an introductory and advanced internship. These experiences provide the student the opportunity to learn experientially and to explore different career directions or different situations within a career area. The internships are also a critical way in which students are exposed to clinical experiences and supervision. Overall, the internship is an important educational experience and it often leads to the first job after graduation for our students. Students more interested in the scientific analysis of behavior may choose to take an advanced research course. This may include a psychology lab course, senior thesis, or research internship.

Admission Requirements
Interested students should apply for admission to the psychology major. Upon acceptance to the university, students are provisionally admitted to this major.  Upon completion of 60 credit hours (approximately the end of the second year of full-time work), student progress is evaluated by department faculty.  Students will then be fully admitted upon meeting the conditions indicated in the Program Standards section below. See Undergraduate Admissions also.

A grade point average of 2.75 in major courses is necessary to be fully admitted as psychology majors. A minimum grade of C- must be achieved in all psychology courses used toward graduation. Students must also complete the University Core mathematics requirement by the end of the first year. The department strongly recommends that students take PSY 225 and PSY 285 in their sophomore year. The department requires that PSY 225 and PSY 285 be completed by the end of the junior year.

Minor in Psychology
A student with a major in another department may minor in Psychology with the approval of the Psychology Department Chair.  Eighteen hours of approved course work is required and must include: PSY 105, SOC 150 (Intro. to Sociology), and an additional four PSY courses at the 200 level or above, not including PSY 220, 270, 225, 285 or 300.

Notice and Responsibilities Regarding this Catalog

This Catalog documents the academic programs, policies, and activities of the University of New England for the 2008-2009 academic year. The information contained herein is accurate as of date of publication August 1, 2008.

The University of New England reserves the right in its sole judgment to make changes of any nature in its programs, calendar, or academic schedule whenever it is deemed necessary or desirable, including changes in course content, the rescheduling of classes with or without extending the academic term, canceling of scheduled classes or other academic activities, in any such case giving such notice thereof as is reasonably practicable under the circumstances.

While each student may work closely with an academic advisor, he or she must retain individual responsibility for meeting requirements in this catalog and for being aware of any changes in provisions or requirements.