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Psychology (B.A.)

Major: Psychology

Degree awarded: Bachelor of Arts

Total credit hours: 45

Internship/Practicum opportunities: Visit the Career Development Center for internship information.

About the program

Psychology is a science that seeks to understand the mind and behavior of humans and non-human 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 department of psychology at Thiel College allows students to specialize in one of three tracks:

• counseling (B.A./M.A.)
• cognitive
• social

The Thiel College psychology faculty have adopted five goals for psychology majors, which adhere to the American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major, they include:

1. Knowledge Base in Psychology
2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
4. Communication
5. Professional Development

Visit our Academic Catalog (2020-2021) for course listings.

Earn a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Thiel College's newest graduate degree program allows students to earn a B.A. and M.A. in counseling in an accelerated program! Once earning your undergraduate degree, Thiel's program gives you the flexibility to earn your psychology bachelor’s degree in three years and your master's degree in 1.5 years, allowing you to advance into your professional career quicker than most other schools.

• Download the B.A./M.A. program flyer today to learn more!

Major Features

1. Learn in a department that adheres to the American Psychological Association’s stringent guidelines for undergraduate study.
2. Choose from three separate tracks: Counseling, Cognitive Psychology or Social Psychology.
3. Have the opportunity to join Psi Chi, Thiel’s chapter of the international psychology student honorary society.
4. Have the opportunity to participate in internships at various types of agencies throughout Pennsylvania including social services, healthcare, education and business.
5. Perform research with human participants as an upperclassman and even have the chance to spend a semester in Washington, D.C.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thiel College offers scholarships to students for reasons such as academic success, community service or involvement, exemplary leadership and more! The scholarships available to psychology majors are:

• Marion G. Resch Science Scholarship at Thiel College
• William Randolph Hearst Scholarship Endowment Fund
• Mister Rogers Scholarship
• The Dr. James H. Shaffer Psychology Endowed Scholarship Fund
• Dr. Georgianne Stary Award

Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about the types of aid available to students.

Clubs & Organizations

It's easy to get involved on campus! Joining a student club or organization is an excellent way to meet others and gain leadership experience. A psychology major might be interested in the following clubs and orgs:

• Active Minds
• Psi Chi (National Psychology Honorary)
• Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society)

Visit our Campus Life page to see a full list of student clubs and organizations.

Alumni & Careers

Your interest in the working of the human mind along with your desire to help others can put you a path to becoming a mental health counselor, college admissions officer, special education teacher, sports psychologist, police officer, human resources specialist, market research analyst, for example. Recent Thiel College graduates now hold positions as teachers, case managers, resident directors of group homes for troubled adolescents, counselors of individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, personnel evaluators in industry and group counselors in state and local agencies.

Here’s what you could do with your Psychology degree form Thiel:

• Psychologist – attend graduate school to receive your doctorate and earn a median salary of $90,460 as a neuropsychologist, $88,400 as an experimental psychologist or $87,055 as a clinical psychologist.*
• School Career Counselor – help students find the right job path and earn a median salary of $53,610.*
• Sports Psychologist – work with athletes to develop a winning mindset an earn a median salary of $55,000.*
• Correctional Psychology – work with inmates in a prison setting and earn a median salary of $71,000.*
• Geropsychologist – work with the aging who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and earn a median salary of $89,900.*

*“20 Highest paying Psychology Degrees” http://www.online-psychology-degrees.org/highest-paid-jobs-in-psychology/