Program overview
Our Psychology degrees are committed to exploring and understanding how personal, psychological, social, and environmental conditions influence action and thought. We have developed a curriculum that combines hands-on classroom instruction with on-campus research experiences, and internship opportunities in the greater Portland area that prepare you for a broad range of career options in the field of psychology.
We have structured our programs to expose you to core concepts and skills related to psychology, while also enabling you to identify and focus your studies on a specific discipline such as mental health, education and psychology, psychology and business, and general psychology.
Our undergraduate programs cover a range of topics in psychology, designed to match the many dynamic career opportunities this growing area offers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a 19% job growth is predicted for psychology-related careers through 2024 with even greater increases in job opportunities in the mental health sector. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in counseling, education, research, business, law, or some combination — our degrees offer the experience, research, and internship opportunities you need to become a leader in the field. Visit our blog to read about the class experiences, internships, activities, and accomplishments of our Psychology students and faculty.
Why UNE for Psychology
Experience the best of both worlds. As part of a university nationally ranked as having “High Research Activity,” (Carnegie, 2019), we provide access to all the resources you would expect from a large research institution — but at UNE, you are never just a number. Our Psychology majors benefit from close working relationships with faculty and one-on-one research mentoring.
- Broad exposure to the many facets of Psychology
- Diverse concentration areas
- Hands-on curriculum
- Internships
- Collaborative research experiences with faculty
- Personal attention from faculty
- Small class sizes
- Global opportunities
Academics
Examples of Available Courses
The following are just some examples of the exciting courses that our B.A. in Psychology offers:
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- Theories of Personality
- Memory and Cognition
- Biological Basis of Behavior
- Theories and Practice of Counseling
- Listening and Communication Skills
If you are interested in pursuing graduate education after you complete your psychology degree (e.g., a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, a Master of Social Work, or medical school), our faculty will assist you in pursuing your chosen path. Many students come to UNE with such goals and are admitted to graduate study.
The Business concentration challenges you to apply your psychological knowledge, research and internship skills, and critical thinking abilities to the business world in a variety of settings, including private or public organizations. This concentration helps prepare you for a career in organizational behavior, business and society relations, leadership, health economics, and social entrepreneurship.
The concentration in Business Administration provides you with a deeper understanding of the skills needed in management, marketing, and financial accounting and economics whereas, the Social Innovations and Entrepreneurship minor will help prepare you to solve real-world social problems using best practices from entrepreneurship and business. You will develop these critical skills through coursework, internships, and research opportunities. Students choosing to focus their studies in this area may wish to add a minor in Business Administration or a minor in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Careers
A degree in Psychology with a concentration in Business prepares you for a broad range of career possibilities in fields such as business and society relations, consultation, social entrepreneurship, business ownership, leadership, organization behavior, and health economy.
The Education concentration challenges you to apply your psychological knowledge, research and internship skills, and critical thinking abilities to a variety of issues relating to education and special education. This concentration helps prepare you for a career in educational environments.
The concentration in Education provides you with a deeper understanding of curriculum theory and design whereas, the Special Education minor will prepare you to pursue careers supporting individuals of all abilities through learning experiences designed to give you hands-on experiences and the latest knowledge on instruction in the field of special education. You will develop these critical skills through relevant coursework and will be expected to apply the knowledge and skills you have learned to real-world settings. Students choosing to focus their studies in this area may wish to add a second major in English, a minor in Education, or a minor in Special Education.
Careers
A degree in Psychology with a concentration in Education or Special Education prepares you for a broad range of careers, including school counselor, school psychologist, teacher, and special education teacher.
The General Psychology concentration offers the greatest level of flexibility and is designed to provide you with a foundation in the subfields of your choice, challenging you to apply psychological knowledge, research and internship skills, and critical thinking abilities to a variety of issues in psychology.
This concentration is excellent preparation for those interested in exploring the breadth of psychology and is flexible enough to provide good preparation for those thinking about working in human development, forensic psychology, law, and many other fields or those who want to be well prepared for graduate studies in a variety of areas.
The concentration in General Psychology provides a broad overview of the field of psychology while developing skills valued most by employers including communication, interpersonal, leadership, teamwork, and computer skills. You will develop these critical skills through coursework, internships, and research opportunities.
Careers
A degree in Psychology with a concentration in General Psychology prepares you for a broad range of careers, including academic or career counselor, human resource specialist, lawyer, researcher, writer/editor, event planner, administration, advertising, case management, employment and recruitment media, public relations, retail, sales, and human services.
The Mental Health concentration challenges you to apply your psychological knowledge, research and internship skills, and critical thinking abilities to a variety of issues facing individuals with mental health challenges. This concentration helps prepare you for a career within the social services and health care system in areas such as mental illness, addiction, social work, behavior analysis, personal growth, and development.
The concentration in Mental Health Rehabilitation provides you with a deeper understanding of the skills needed to work in a human service-related field while developing skills valued most by employers, including communication, interpersonal, leadership, teamwork, and computer skills. You will develop these critical skills through coursework, internships, and research opportunities. Students choosing to focus their studies in this area are encouraged to complete the Mental Health Rehabilitation minor in addition to the Psychology major.
Careers
A degree in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and Rehabilitation prepares you for a broad range of careers, including applied behavior analyst, counselor (addiction, mental health, trauma, family, personal growth, etc.), mental health services licensed psychologist, researcher, social worker, and therapist.
Curriculum
| CAS Core Requirements | Credits |
|---|---|
| One (1) of the CAS Core Required SGA courses must be PSY 250 – Lifespan Dev in Context | 3 |
| All EXP courses for the CAS Core Requirements must be outside of the Psychology program | Variable |
| MAT 120 – Statistics is encouraged to fulfill CAS Math Core Requirement | 3 |
| Total CAS Core Credits | 42–46 |
| Psychology Program Required Courses | Credits |
| PSY 105 – Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 205 – Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 225 – Psychology Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 255 – Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 285 – Research Methods | 3 |
| PSY 300 – Psychology Internship I | 3 |
| PSY 350 – Theories of Personality | 3 |
| PSY 365 – Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 380 – Learning/Conditioning and Behavior Modification or PSY 384/384L – Animal Learning and Behavior | 3–4 |
| PSY 383 – Memory and Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 405 – Special Topics Seminar | 3 |
| Three (3) open PSY or NEU electives (at the 200 level or higher) | 9 |
| Program Minimum Required Total Credits | 42-43 |
| Open Elective Courses (needed to reach 120 credits) | Variable |
| Minimum Required Total Credits | 120 |
Elective Course Options
| Program Elective Options | Credits |
|---|---|
| PSY 212 – Positive Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 215 – Psychology of Gender | 3 |
| PSY 226 – Motivation & Emotion | 3 |
| PSY 235 – Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 236 – Mental Health & Society | 3 |
| PSY 245 – Evolutionary Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 252 – Forensic Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 254 – Cultural Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 275 – Intro-Tech in Animal Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 290 – Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 295 – Listening/Communication Skills | 3 |
| PSY 305 – Special Topics | 3 |
| PSY 310 – Children and Stress | 3 |
| PSY 316 – Psychology of Consciousness | 3 |
| PSY 318 – Community Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 325 – Psychology of Aging | 3 |
| PSY 335 – Comparative Animal Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 345 – Sports Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 362 – Animal Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 364 – Soc and Emotion Dev in Childhood | 3 |
| PSY 370 – Drugs, Society, and Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 375 – Trauma and Health | 3 |
| PSY 400 – Psychology Internship II | 1–12 |
| PSY 410 – Theory/Res/Pract Couns Psych | 3 |
| PSY 430 – Intro to Art Therapy | 3 |
| PSY 450 – Fourth-year Thesis | 3 |
| PSY 486 – Adv Research in Psychology | 1–9 |
| NEU 205 – Introduction to Neurobiology | 3 |
| NEU 205L – Introduction to Neurobiology lab | 1 |
| NEU 306 – Behavioral/Cognitive Neuro | 3 |
| NEU 306L – Behavioral/Cognitive Neuro Lab | 1 |
| NEU 410 – Neurobiology of Mental Illness | 3 |
Students wishing to pursue teacher certification in Psychology can complete a double major with Psychology and Secondary Education or a major in Secondary Education and a concentration in Psychology. For more information, see the Secondary Education catalog page.
Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.
To learn more about the program visit the Catalog.
Honors Program
We offer qualified students the option of graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member. Interested students should consult with their major advisor.
Careers
With the knowledge you gain from your coursework, the critical thinking skills you develop through research, and the life skills you acquire from internships and close working relationships with faculty and peers, you will be well on your way to an exciting future in psychology.
Our graduates have pursued many fascinating careers, including:
- Therapist/Mental Health Counselor
- Behavior Analyst
- Researcher
- Marketing/Advertising Specialist
- Human Resources Specialist
- Teacher
- Social Worker
- Counselor (school, life skills, family, career, substance abuse, grief)
Career Advising
Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.
Facilities
As a student in our Psychology program, you benefit from UNE's extraordinary resources.
Teaching Classrooms
We have dedicated teaching classrooms that allow you the opportunity to work closely with faculty and peers in hands-on activities.
Psychology Labs
In these spaces, you will have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects involving Psychology faculty members. Projects have included memory processes underlying reading comprehension, how explicit and implicit self and relationship processes influence how people navigate the ups and downs of daily life.
Neuroscience Labs
Our faculty members with expertise in the neurosciences have labs dedicated to their research into topics concerning learning and memory, cognition and development, psychopharmacology, and drug addiction and pain.
Animal Behavior Labs
In these labs, you have chances to work with faculty on a variety of research projects, such as ones investigating conservation genetics, wildlife conservation, and how pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and other pollutants affect the behavior of the fish.
Centers for Excellence
Center for Excellence in Neuroscience
The Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences sponsors research opportunities for Neuroscience majors.
The Center organizes a Neuroscience Summer Scholars Program, supporting Neuroscience majors with their summer research projects.
Summer scholars attend the summer seminar series, which brings in researchers from around the world, and present their experimental results at a research fair held at the conclusion of the summer.
Center for Excellence in Aging and Health
The Center for Excellence in Aging and Health promotes innovative, interprofessional research and programming to extend healthspan, enhance well-being, celebrate personal legacies, and disseminate professional best practices for the benefit of aging adults wherever they call home.
Psychology faculty are active parts of the center and students working with these faculty have the opportunity to explore issues of aging.
Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function
Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function, dedicated to understanding the neurobiology of pain and the development of novel therapies.
Experiential Learning
Research
As a student in the Psychology program, you complete at least one research project as part of our Research Methods course. You may also choose to become more deeply involved in research in one of our faculty-led laboratories.
The field of psychology is broad and diverse we are fortunate to have faculty members with expertise in a variety of areas including human development (across the lifespan); clinical/counseling; cognitive, neuroscience, and social psychology.
At UNE we touch upon all facets of psychology with special focuses in behavioral neuroscience, clinical/counseling, memory and cognition, opioid pharmacology, and social psychology. We encourage you to learn more about the different opportunities available, some of these are highlighted below.
Faculty in our Animal Behavior program are currently performing research in the following areas:
- Zach Olson, Ph.D., behavioral ecology and wildlife conservation
- Margaret Stanton, comparative social behavior, maternal behavior, and offspring development
- Mike Burman, Ph.D., negative emotionality and pain
- Glenn Stevenson, Ph.D., drug development and opioid pharmacology
- Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., memory processes underlying reading comprehension
- Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., memory processes underlying reading comprehension
- Julie Peterson, Ph.D., how explicit and implicit self and relationship processes influence daily life
Learn about Psychology Research
Internships
Internships provide critical training and work experience. They help you explore career options and often lead to jobs after graduation.
As a Psychology degree student, you complete at least one internship during the junior or senior years. Working in conjunction with your faculty advisor and the psychology internships coordinator, you identify a site, then take the theories, practices, and knowledge you’ve gained in the classroom out into applied settings.
We have a well-developed network of sites that have accepted our students into their organizations and work to match you to an experience that fits your interests.
Internship Sites
Our recent Psychology majors have pursued internships at the following sites:
- Back to Basics, Behavioral Healthcare
- BerryDunn Consulting
- Caring Unlimited
- Carlisle Academy
- Center for Grieving Children
- Creative Work Systems
- Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Child and Family Services (PDF)
- Through These Doors
- Morrison House
- Neurosurgery and Spine Associates
- Parent Resource Center
- Planned Parenthood
- River Ridge
- Saco River Health Services
- Samuel L. Cohen Adult Day Care Center
- Seeds of Hope, Biddeford
- SMHC Therapy Clinic
- Spring Harbor Hospital
- Sweetser Crisis Stabilization Unit
- The Root Cellar
- UNE Girls' Field Hockey Team
- UNE Men's Hockey Team
- Violence No More
- Volunteers of America
- Waban
- Women, Work, and Community
- Woodfords Family Services
- Biddeford Head Start
- Biddeford Primary School
- Center for Autism
- Carlisle Academy
- Center for Grieving Children
- Connections for Kids
- Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Child and Family Services (PDF)
- Kennebunk Consolidated Elementary School
- Kids Free to Grow
- Kidz Go Eco Preschool
- Loranger Middle School (Old Orchard Beach)
- Northern York County YMCA Day Care
- Spring Harbor Hospital
- Spurwink
- St. Louis Child Development Center
- Sweetser Crisis Stabilization Unit
- Sweetser Residential Treatment Services
- The School at Sweetser
- Sweetser Ricker Farm
- Volunteers of America
- Waban
- Woodfords Family Services
- Artvan
- Back to Basics, Behavioral Healthcare
- Biddeford Intermediate School
- Big Brothers, Big Sisters
- Carlisle Academy
- Center for Grieving Children
- Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Child and Family Services (PDF)
- Loranger Middle School (OOB)
- Spring Harbor Hospital
- Spurwink
- Sweetser Crisis Stabilization Unit
- Sweetser Residential Treatment Services
- Sweetser Ricker Farm
- The Root Cellar
- The School at Sweetser
- Volunteers of America
For more information, contact Linda Morrison, Ph.D., psychology internship coordinator at (207) 602-2865 or lmorrison@une.edu.
Beyond the Classroom
As a Psychology student, you have the opportunity to participate in different student organizations specifically geared toward people with a passion similar to your own
Animal Behavior Club
The Animal Behavior Club is open to all members who want to get involved with animals, learn about animals, and get the community pumped about animals.
If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Psychology Club, please email msuper@une.edu.
Faculty Advisor
Zach Olson, Ph.D.
Decary Hall, Room 335
zolson@une.edu
Neuroscience Club
This student organization works with the neuroscience department to promote neuroscience as a major and promotes opportunities for you to know more about the neuroscience field. It also helps connect you with undergrad research opportunities.
If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Psychology Club, contact mrice4@une.edu.
Faculty Advisor
Mike Burman, Ph.D.
Decary Hall, Room 328
mburman@une.edu
Psychology Club
The mission of the Psychology Club is to create a community of students who share a common interest in the discipline of psychology and its broad application while also providing students with connections to Psychology faculty and opportunities for social engagement.
We welcome Psychology majors and minors as well as anyone else who has an interest in Psychology. We hold regular club meetings and put on campus-wide events that engage members of the larger academic community at UNE in activities that involve psychology.
Past events have included:
- NAMI: Five Stories of Hope and Resiliency
- Relay For Life: We make a team and fundraise annually
- Annual faculty student socials
- Brain Fair
- Out of the Darkness Walk
- Save the Waves
More events are added every year.
How to Join
If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Psychology Club, please contact Kana Colarossi at kcolarossi@une.edu. You are welcome to come to a meeting prior to joining, — you do not have to be a member to attend.
Faculty Advisor
Nicole McCray, Ph.D.
Decary Hall, Room 325
nmccray@une.edu
PSI CHI
Founded in 1929, PSI CHI is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and an affiliate of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS).
With the stated mission of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship in the science of psychology, PSI CHI has grown to become one of the largest and most successful honor societies in the world with more than 1,100 chapters and 537,000 members. UNE's chapter was formed in 2010.
For more information, visit the official PSI CHI website or contact the UNE chapter's faculty advisor, Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour at jstiegler@une.edu.
Become a Member
To be eligible for membership in PSI CHI, you must:
- Be a major or minor in UNE's Department of Psychology
- Be at least a second-semester sophomore
- Have completed 9 semester hours of psychology and/or neuroscience courses
- Rank in the top 35 percent of your class in general scholarship
- Possess a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in both psychology and neuroscience classes and cumulatively
- Maintain a high standard of personal behavior
Resources
Announcements
APAGS/Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship
The intent of the Junior Scientist Fellowship is two-fold: to provide funding for a first-year or second-year graduate-level project and to provide constructive feedback to select applicants to increase their chances of achieving success on future National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship applications.
The primary intent is to recognize outstanding research-oriented students who are entering their first year (or the first semester of their second year) of graduate study and to help them get their research off the ground. Graduate students from research-based psychology and neuroscience programs are eligible to apply.
The second intent of this fellowship is to provide written feedback to select applicants. Many students apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship without ever having applied for a research fellowship. By providing feedback to select applicants, this program encourages them to strengthen their NSF graduate fellowship applications.
Funds for this $1,000 fellowship must be used to support direct research costs. These funds can be used to pay participants, purchase essential equipment or software, acquire books or instructional manuals critical to one's line of research, pay fees to publish in open-access journals, or for any other direct research cost. The funds cannot be used for indirect costs such as travel, personal computers, or class textbooks. The funds can be used for any direct research costs in a student's first year (or in the second year, if submitting in the summer prior to one's second year) of graduate school and do not need to be limited to the research discussed in the Research Essay.
Special APS Membership Offer for PSI CHI Student Members
The Association for Psychological Science is offering a reduced APS Students Membership rate for PSI CHI student members. Membership includes subscriptions to four APS journals, discount rates for the APS annual convention, and other benefits. This offer is good for new memberships only. To take advantage of this offer, use the PSI CHI promotional code PSCH at www.psychologicalscience.org/join.