Psychology
major, minor
Psychology is concerned with discovering the principles underlying human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As a Psychology major, you’ll use the tools and skills of scientific inquiry to explore the complexities of human cognition, health, emotion, behavior, development, and relationships. You’ll have opportunities for hands-on experiences through specialized courses, research collaborations with faculty, and practicum internships. You’ll learn how to evaluate information critically, communicate effectively, and act ethically. Most importantly, you’ll gain the skills you need to apply what you’ve learned to make a difference in your career, relationships, and community.
Inside Look
Curriculum
The Psychology major helps you build a strong foundation in a broad range of topics, while also giving you the flexibility to pursue your interests. Our faculty includes experts in areas as varied as cognition, counseling skills, behavioral neuroscience, social psychology, and human development. In your first and second years, you’ll develop core skills in scientific methods and encounter a diverse set of courses representing the major subfields within Psychology. In your Junior and Senior years, you’ll explore your own interests through specialized topic courses, such as the Psychology of Health & Illness; Forensic Psychology; Children, Adolescents, & Media; and Close Relationships. You’ll also have opportunities to apply what you’ve learned to collaborative research projects with faculty, and internships in the community; our Practicum program offers a two-semester internship experience that combines classroom work with in-depth service work at a local community agency.
Practicum & Research
Practice through practicum
Our Practicum program is a unique internship opportunity spanning both fall and spring semesters. Practicum combines classroom time with 8-10 hours of work a week at a local community agency. We have close, long-standing relationships with numerous community partners. The two-semester commitment affords these agencies the ability to invest more into training our students, giving you greater client responsibility, better job training, and a more in-depth service experience. Some sites our students intern at include:
- Cathedral square: Senior living community
- Winooski Schools: Classroom supports for students with behavioral, emotional, or developmental needs
- Art from the Heart: Arts programs for child and adult hospital patients
- STEPS: Support and advocacy for survivors of intimate partner violence
- Turning Point: Substance abuse recovery services
- Spectrum: Supportive housing and services for teens, young adults, and their families
- Howard Center: Vermont’s largest provider of mental health, developmental disability, and substance use programs
- Vermont Department of Children and Families
- Outright Vermont:
Support services for LGBTQA youth - HOPE Works
Conduct research
Students conduct research in a variety of forms and settings, from working as a research assistant in a faculty-led laboratory, to leading independent Senior research projects. Recent faculty and student projects have explored such topics as the social stigma of mental and physical illness, personality factors related to judgment and decision-making, application of developmental theory in classroom practice, and the use of virtual reality headsets to reduce stress in students, first responders, and in isolated, confined, and extreme environments. Grant-funded research opportunities are available to our students during the academic year and over the summer.
Work in our three different laboratories
- Observational Lab
- Animal Lab
- Psychophysiology/Virtual Reality Lab
Present your research
Many of our students are invited to academic and professional conferences to present their work. Psychology majors have recently given presentations at the American Psychological Association’s national meeting, regional meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association and the New England Psychological Association, and to scientists at NASA facilities.
Highlight
Student Profile
Virtual Reality Meditation Study with NASA
Careers
With a Psychology degree from Saint Michael’s, you’ll develop critical thinking and creative problem solving-skills. You’ll learn to apply scientific reasoning to evaluate information and make decisions. You’ll also be grounded in ethical action, respect and understanding for diversity, and self-reflection and responsibility. These are the kinds of skills that will help you succeed in graduate studies and future careers and ultimately build a rewarding and fulfilling life.
Our students pursue graduate studies at internationally renowned schools, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Edinburgh. Saint Michael’s Psychology graduates work as counselors, case managers, and therapists, as well as in education, medicine, law, and business. Whether in human services, business, or graduate studies, our students make a difference for the clients and communities they serve.
Go for a Master’s in Clinical Psychology
In addition to the undergraduate psychology program, Saint Michael’s offers a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Opportunities are available for advanced undergraduate students to take courses in the graduate program and to earn credits toward their graduate studies.
After graduation, our majors go on to careers like:
- Behavior Therapist
- School Psychologist
- College Counselor
- Health Psychologist
- Occupational Therapist
- Applied Behavior Analyst
- Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
- Speech and Language Pathologist
- Marketing Director
- Social Worker
- Human Resources Administrator
- Police Officer
- Addictions Counselor
Faculty
Contact
Renee Carrico
Director and Associate Professor of Psychology
Saint Edmund's Hall 212
rcarrico@smcvt.edu
802.654.2383
Ready to take the next step?
Learning and exciting opportunities await you at Saint Michael’s College.