Psychology Department

Psychology Majorsand Concentrations

Psychology Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.)- Forstudents who plan to seek employment, pursue a Master's degree in counseling, attend law school or apply to doctoral programs. The B.A. allows students to take more electives in the major while exposing them to the core areas of the science of psychology.

Psychology Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.)-For students who plan to attend medical school or graduate school at the Doctoral level, particularly for Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology, experimental psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience. The B.S. involves more research experience and provides fewer electives.

Concentration in Human Development- Provides focused coursework for students who plan to pursue a post-graduate degree in counseling psychology or school psychology and prepares students for entry-level positions in a variety of careers that involve designing or implementing programs for children, adolescents or the elderly.

Faculty Expertise

The psychology department faculty hold doctorates from such institutions as Princeton University, Vanderbilt University, Florida Atlantic University, Penn State University, the University of Delaware, the University of Georgia, the University of North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Their areas of expertise and research interests include individual differences in personality and cognitive influences on social behavior, music and personality, memory, paraphilias, childhood and adolescent cognition, the history of psychology and issues in cognition such as thinking and decision making, memory processes and human-computer interaction.

Research Opportunities

Knowledge and understanding of human behavior depends on scientific research.At Roanoke, psychology majors have the opportunity to design and conduct experiments firsthand.

There are a number of resources and facilities available to aid psychology majors in developing research projects such as a library of common psychological tests, including interest, memory, personality and intelligence tests, as well as computer and research labs.

• Research Practicum
• Independent Study
• Research Seminar
• Undergraduate Research Assistants Program
• Summer Scholars Program

Internships

The department helps students find meaningful internship experiences with community agencies, schools, hospitals, clinics, businesses and other similar organizations. Examples of recent internships include: Blue Ridge Autism Center, Bradley Free Clinic, Carilion Behavioral Health, Children's Advocacy Center, GE Toshiba Human Resources, Lewis Gale Art Therapy, Roanoke County Police Violent Crimes against Women Unit, Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Center and U.S. Probation Office.