Undergraduate Web for The Department of Psychology at Colorado State University

Promoting professional development and growth within the field of Psychology

Undergraduate Study in Psychology at Colorado State University

As a contemporary science and applied profession, psychology represents a rational and systematic attempt to understand human behavior by studying the processes of development, perception, learning, motivation and thinking, and the relationship of these processes both to the physiological and social functioning of humans and animals. It also is involved in measuring psychological dimensions in the attempt to validate its many theories.

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Academic Programs
If you are interested in studying psychology, the Department of Psychology offers three possibilities:

The Psychology Major. The bachelor of science degree consists of a balanced program that includes psychology, mathematics, natural sciences, behavioral and social sciences, arts and humanities, and a large number of free electives. The program is designed as a broad liberal arts degree, including preprofessional preparation for graduate training in psychology. The curriculum's flexibility permits you to mold a curriculum toward one or more possible career goals: a) postgraduate study in an area outside psychology, b) a semiprofessional job in psychological settings or related human services areas, or c) entry into the graduate study of psychology. You also can combine your degree with a second major or minor in another field.

A Second Major. If you are enrolled in another program at Colorado State, and, by the time of graduation you can meet all the requirements of the psychology major in addition to the requirements of your designated major, your diploma will carry the indication of the second major in psychology.

Elective Coursework. You may choose various psychology courses as electives while majoring in any other department. There is usually space for non-majors in a wide range of undergraduate course offerings.

Faculty
The Department of Psychology has 30 psychologists on its teaching staff, including several who are internationally known in their specialties. All hold the doctoral degree and their research, service, and teaching interests cover a wide range of topics. While part of their time is spent in research activities and in training graduate students, the department provides high-quality teaching and advising to undergraduates. Several faculty members have won awards for excellence in teaching.

Career Opportunities
About 40 percent of psychologists in the United States work in college and university settings. Clinics, hospitals and schools employ another 23 percent, while about 14 percent of America's psychologists work for governmental agencies. The rest are either self-employed or are associated with business and industry.

The major work activities of psychologists consist of research, teaching, or psychotherapy and counseling, with many engaged in some combination of these activities. Some are involved in administrative or consulting work. What a given psychologist does depends on his or her specialty, training, interests and the work setting. Each year, several of our seniors are accepted into graduate schools and begin a specialization in clinical, counseling, experimental, industrial or one of several other areas of psychology.

Though you will need an advanced degree to become a psychologist, many opportunities exist for graduates with a bachelor's degree in psychology, including working in mental health and other human service fields; or as a background for careers in law enforcement or other positions in industry, public service, business, government and other professions.