Psychology Major

The Psychology program provides opportunities for learning, service and career preparation for those interested in and committed to understanding and furthering people’s positive change and development. Students are encouraged to think critically about human behavior, to respect the complexity and diversity of individuals, and to explore the many applications of psychology essential to helping each other function in peace in an increasingly demanding and global society. Majors and minors will further explore three perspectives on positive change:

1. The problems perspective studies the cause of and methods of assessing and treating individual problems;
2. The cognitive perspective studies how change is influenced by elementary processes of thinking, learning and motivation; and
3. The developmental perspective explores change as it occurs through the lifespan.

The Psychology program at Olivet emphasizes career preparation in basic and applied social science fields such as counseling, clinical practice, child development, family studies, gerontology, rehabilitation, education, social work and health fields. In conjunction with other fields, psychology also supports preparation in business management, psychiatry, and art or music therapy.

Psychology Learning Outcomes

With the completion of this degree program, the following learning outcomes can be expected:

• Students can demonstrate the development of a knowledge base in psychology by describing key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology; developing a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains; and describing applications of psychology.
• Students can demonstrate the ability to engage in scientific inquiry and critical thinking using scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena; demonstrating psychology information literacy; engaging in innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving; interpreting, designing, and conducting basic psychological research; and incorporating sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry.
• Students can demonstrate the development of ethical and social responsibility by applying ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice; building and enhancing interpersonal relationships; and through understanding values that build community and reduce conflict.
• Students can communicate psychological concepts effectively through demonstration of effective writing for psychology; exhibiting effective presentation skills for psychology; and by interacting effectively with others.
• Students can demonstrate the development of professional behavior relevant to psychology by applying psychological knowledge and skills to career goals; exhibiting self-efficacy and self-regulation; refining project-management skills; and developing meaningful professional direction for life after graduation.