The Department of Psychology is one of the most prestigious units at WVU. Faculty members are national and global leaders in their areas of interest. Psychology is the science of behavior, and courses in this discipline convey the principles, methods, and theories necessary for a better understanding of human and animal behavior. Students who choose this subject as their major are expected to fulfill certain requirements, but the program is structured to allow considerable flexibility. Typically, individuals tailor their schedules according to the career paths they choose: pursuit of graduate studies, pursuit of a career applying principles of psychology to human problems, or pursuit of a career in a nonrelated field. The department sponsors Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, as well as the Psychology Club. Hands-on learning experiences are available through special courses, such as teaching practica, independent research, professional field experience, honors investigations and theses, and working and conducting research in the Quin Curtis Center, the department’s outpatient mental health services center. Students receive credit for serving as tutors or proctors for courses they have previously taken or for assisting faculty and graduate students with research. Other opportunities to gain experience while receiving credit are available in a variety of applied and research settings. Many students complete integrative work in an applied setting or research laboratory for their final capstone experience. The Department of Psychology Honors Program provides additional enrichment, attention, and recognition for exceptional students. Admission requires completion of nine credit hours of psychology, at least a 3.5 GPA in Psychology courses, and at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA. Graduation with honors requires the same GPAs and completion of a supervised honors thesis. Majors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Biochemistry B Biology B, M, D Chemistry B, M, D Communications Studies B, M, D Computer Science B Creative Writing M Criminology & Investigations B Economics B English B, M, D Environmental Geoscience B Foreign Languages B, M Forensic & Investigative Science B Geography B, M, D Geology B, M, D History B, M, D Individualized Major B Industrial Mathematics and Statistics B International Studies B Legal Studies M Liberal Arts and Sciences B Liberal Studies M Mathematics B, M, D Multidisciplinary Studies B Philosophy B Physics B, M, D Political Science B, M, D Professional Writing and Editing M Psychology B, M, D Public Administration M Regents Bachelor of Arts B Religious Studies B Slavic Studies B Social Work B, M Sociology M Sociology and Anthropology B Statistics M Women's Studies B B=Bachelor's; M=Master's; D=Doctorate For more information, contact Dr. Joseph Scotti at: 304-293-2001, ext. 31667, or at: jscotti@mail.wvu.edu Or visit us online at: www.as.wvu.edu/psyc/

The WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most diverse academic unit within West Virginia University. A faculty of 300 and a staff of 125 are involved in educating and supporting the efforts of more than 5,500 students (nearly one-fourth of the WVU student body) who are majoring in one or more of 63 undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the College’s 16 academic departments and divisions. The College’s academic units and research facilities are housed in 14 buildings on the WVU campus. The Dean’s Office is in historic Woodburn Hall. The College and its Department of Biology also maintain the Core Arboretum, a 75-acre wooded tract adjacent to the Monongahela River.

The College provides the majority of the curriculum for all WVU undergraduates and a wide variety of required and elective courses for the entire student body. Arts and Sciences majors may, with permission, major in more than one discipline, and when appropriate, design highly individualized degree programs.

Eberly College undergraduate degree programs prepare students for many specific professions, while also providing a broad-based education that will remain relevant beyond the first job after graduation. Many Eberly College alumni go on to complete graduate and professional degrees. By providing students with analytic and communication skills, reasoning abilities, and a broad knowledge of the humanities and the behavioral and natural sciences, the Eberly College equips graduates for lifelong learning and prepares them to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world and an increasingly volatile job market.

Admission
If the University admission requirements are met, a student may be accepted as a Pre-Psychology major. Upon completion of 30 credit hours, which must include certain prerequisite courses (PSYC 101, PSYC 201, STAT 211), with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA (overall and in Psychology), a student may apply for admission to the Psychology Program.

Curriculum
To earn a bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) with a major in Psychology, a student must complete at least 128 credit hours. Among these credits must be a minimum of 33 credit hours in specific Psychology courses. While a Pre-Psychology major, a student must begin with Introductory Psychology (PSYC 101), which is a prerequisite for all upper-division course work, and an introductory statistics course (STAT 211). Also, a course that examines Psychology as a profession (PSYC 201) is taken by the end of the sophomore year so students can learn about the requirements of the major and the career options open to them after an undergraduate and graduate education.

Psychology majors select upper-level Psychology courses according to their interests, career plans, and intent to pursue graduate training in the discipline. Students who intend to major in Psychology should be aware that jobs are available for individuals with an undergraduate degree, but graduate work is required for many positions. For Psychology majors, the most common electives are biology, child development and family studies, computer science, mathematics, philosophy, political science, social work, sociology and anthropology, and statistics. Additional science courses, or completion of the BS degree requirements, are recommended for those considering graduate training.

Course Work

Accreditation
West Virginia University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Career Opportunities
There are ample employment opportunities for the Psychology graduate who wants to use his or her major in the areas of assessment and treatment, human resource management, residential care, or community and social services. Graduates find opportunities in alcohol and drug intervention, inpatient and outpatient facilities for persons with chronic mental illness or developmental disabilities, educational and occupational testing, group home counseling, geriatric counseling, youth center management, employment counseling, family planning, and biofeedback.

Students with applied interests should consider completing the Applied Psychology Emphasis. A bachelor’s degree in Psychology is an excellent background for careers in regular or special education, business, sales, health services (medicine, nursing, pharmacy), public health, gerontology, law, administration, personnel management, government, advertising, and public relations.

Graduate School Opportunities
Without additional academic training beyond the bachelor’s degree, advancement may be limited. Under the supervision of doctoral-level psychologists, those with a master’s degree can conduct research in laboratories, conduct psychological evaluations, counsel patients, or perform administrative duties. They may teach in high schools or two-year colleges or work as school psychologists or counselors. A doctoral degree generally is required for employment under the formal title of psychologist. Psychologists with a PhD qualify for a wide range of teaching, research, clinical, and counseling positions in universities, elementary and secondary schools, hospitals, the private sector, and government. Psychologists with a PsyD (doctor of psychology) qualify mainly for clinical and teaching positions. WVU offers master’s and doctoral degrees in Psychology.

Salary Range
According to the September 2003 National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey, the average starting salary received by bachelor’s-level Psychology majors was $28,000 ($22,000-$32,000). The American Psychological Association reported that the 2001 median salary for master’s-level clinical psychologists in direct clinical human services (two to four years at a community mental health center) was $28,000, and for doctoral-level psychologists in faculty positions (beginning assistant professors at four-year colleges) was $44,000. Doctoral-level licensed clinical psychologists in direct clinical human services earned $44,000 (two to four years at a community mental health center) to $65,000 (two to four years in private practice). Some psychologists working in industry, private practice, or government earned substantially higher salaries.