The Psychology Major at the University of Dubuque is designed to help you understand how psychologists ask and answer questions, as well as giving you a broad background in psychological theory and findings. Understanding where these questions come from and how they are answered means understanding that psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The scientific method determines the questions psychologists ask, how they collect information, and how they analyze the information they have collected. Psychology as a discipline emphasizes critical thinking, and the Psychology Major at the University of Dubuque will help you think critically about scientific theory and evidence.

Psychologists study the full range of human experience, including learning, adjustment, child development, personality, creativity, stress, persuasion, aging, intelligence, cognition, conformity, love, memory, mental and behavioral disorders, sexuality, gender, perception, and genetic influences on behavior. All of these, and more, are topics you can study in the Psychology Program at the University of Dubuque.

Department of Psychology Objectives
The Department of Psychology offers courses for all students with the objectives of helping them:

• think scientifically about behavior and mental processes
• develop an appreciation of the basic theories and findings of psychology
• respect the diversity of behavior and experience, and appreciate the rich opportunities for science and social relationships that such differences provide
• understand themselves and their relationships with others
• understand how the study of psychology enables individuals to make informed judgments that strengthen the community, and build public policy

Psychology Major
A Psychology Major can provide entry into a variety of careers, including residential counselor with developmentally disabled children/adults, caseworker in hospitals and county agencies, housing and student life coordinator, academic advisor/college counselor, career planning and placement counselor, labor relations researcher, customer services representative, employee relations assistant, human resources recruiter, human resources training specialist, lobbying researcher/organizer, legislative aide, institutional researcher/ historian, intelligence officer, and market research statistician. Some students with Psychology Majors have gone on to graduate school to prepare for careers as psychotherapists, researchers and college teachers.

The objectives of the Psychology Major are to produce students who:

• can evaluate research methods, research designs, statistics, and psychometric principles
• think scientifically, understanding the relationships between theories, observations, and conclusions; critically evaluating the empirical support for various theories and findings
• appreciate the ethical practice of scientific inquiry
• speak and write effectively in the discourse of the discipline
• pursue a variety of alternatives following graduation, including employment and graduate or professional school