Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Psychology

Psychology is the science that deals with the behavior of individual humans and animals. There are many areas of specific interest within the discipline of psychology, such as perception, learning, memory, intelligence, personality, development across the lifespan, abnormal behavior and social behavior.

The psychology program at Thiel has three goals:

1. To meet the needs of students preparing for careers in education, social work, human services agencies and other fields for which background in psychology is desirable or necessary;
2. To prepare students to continue their education at the graduate level, either in psychology or a related discipline;
3. To meet the needs of students pursuing a liberal arts education.

The Psychology department has three full-time and three part-time faculty. There are currently 95 majors, twenty-two of which are seeking certification in elementary education, and12 minors. Besides providing liberal-arts electives for all Thiel students, the department insures that our majors are prepared for either immediate employment or graduate school.

Many students in related fields, such as sociology and criminal justice studies, elect to complete a minor, consisting of six courses, in our department. Among these students, our lifespan tract or concentration is very popular.

A majority of our graduates go immediately into the work force following graduation. They are qualified to work in a wide variety of settings, including education, nursing, social work, business, government and human services.

Twenty to thirty percent of our majors go directly to graduate school, either in psychology or a related field, such as social work, counseling, personnel or criminal justice. Many others continue their education following several years of employment which helps them to refine their career goals.

Those wishing to become teachers should see the Education Department. Individuals desiring to work with troubled youth or victims of domestic violence may wish to consider an additional major in Criminal Justice Studies.