Psychology Major

Study human motivations and the latest neuroscience in a career-focused Psychology major that prepares you for this dynamic field.

Program Type: Major

School/Division: School of Social Innovation

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Learn the why behind our thoughts and actions.

Study human behavior, explore the latest behavioral neuroscience theories and applications, and build a solid theoretical, empirical and practical foundation for your future career through the versatile Psychology program at Champlain.

What Is Psychology?

Psychological studies provide a fascinating lens for seeing and understanding the world around you. Psychologists look to explore and explain how people think, feel, and behave. If you’ve wondered about things like why world leaders make the decisions they do, how and why weather affects our moods, or how happiness happens in the brain, we invite you to investigate answers with us at Champlain.

Why Study it at Champlain?

Like all of Champlain’s academic programs, Psychology is grounded in hands-on learning that puts you at the center of your studies. You’ll have the support of faculty and career counselors to explore the field and uncover your calling. The curriculum includes two internships throughout your time at Champlain—one during your second year and the other during your fourth year—to expand learning beyond the classroom and build professional experience. All for academic credit.

Recognizing the breadth and depth of the psychology field, the program includes your choice from one of three concentrations to begin narrowing your area of study by your third year. They are:

Health & Wellbeing: Learn more about the skills and the different approaches that a psychologist can use to promote and support personal wellbeing—exploring different approaches to counseling, music therapy, expressive writing, etc.
Social Change/Social Impact: Learn how to build, evaluate, and apply different types of interventions, targeting specific societal problems and using the science of psychology to impact change
Flex Path: Work closely with a Psychology faculty member to specifically customize your degree focus to your personal desires. You will receive tailored support to design your ideal curriculum with the intent of maximizing your résumé to fit with your long-term goals.

psychology student presenting mental health statistics with a poster display

Different by Design

Get Professional Experience

This professionally focused program requires two internships before you graduate, giving you real-world experience before your career even starts.

Built-In Career Support

Early in your studies, faculty integrate Career Collaborative services into the classroom to build both your professional experience and confidence.

Our Behavioral Neuroscience Lab

You’ll have opportunities to participate in graduate-level research in the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab with faculty, who frequently include students as co-authors on their published research.

Find Your Calling, Focus Your Studies

Explore any of three concentrations to ground your psychological studies in the area you’re most drawn to.

Facts & Stats

100%

of Psychology graduates in the Class of 2023 achieved career success within six months after graduation. That’s success you can see.

$92,740

The annual median salary of psychologists in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

70%

of all published Behavioral Neuroscience Lab research includes students as co-authors, giving them an advantage in future career opportunities.

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Sample Courses in the Psychology Major

Our Psychology curriculum is designed to give you a foundation for understanding of the human mind, behavior, and the scientific study of psychology. From there, you’ll dive into specific topics and have the ability to tailor your learning to focus on the specific areas and applications of psychological science you’re passionate about. Check out some of the engaging and hands-on courses in our program.

First Year

PSY 100 Psychology, Introduction to

PSY 220 Developmental Psychology

Second Year

PSY 205 Abnormal Psychology

PSY 202 Research Methods & Analysis II

Third Year

SCI 115 Human Biology, Introduction to

PSY 340 Behavioral Neuroscience

Fourth Year

PSY 490 Applied Psych Internship I

CCC 410PSY Psychology College Capstone

See the Learning Outcomes for the Psychology major

View Full Curriculum

A survey of the science of psychology, including an overview of human behavior in various areas such as physiopsychology, development, learning social psychology, personality and abnormal behavior.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

A study of the physiological, cognitive, social and emotional development of individuals from infancy through old age. Important milestones during the years of infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging are explored. (Spring only)

Prerequisites	PSY-100 or COR-110.
Credits	3

The course examines the prevalence of mental and emotional problems and provides an overview of the many forms that psychological disorders can take. There will also be some discussion of assessment and therapy. The course will cover assessment and treatment of psychological problems from psychodynamic, behavioral and humanistic perspectives.

Prerequisites	PSY-100
Credits	3

Students will expand their knowledge and skills by conducting individual quantitative research projects using the scientific method and appropriate statistical procedures and software. Students will report their findings in a formal written report and presentation to an audience of faculty members and peers.

Prerequisites	PSY-201 and MTH-180.
Credits	3

Explanation of the basic principles of medically oriented human biology. The course investigates basic biology, cell biology and biochemistry as they pertain to human body systems and diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, as well as other selected topics. Current research topics are also discussed. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Prerequisites
Credits	4

Students will learn to understand the structural and functional organization of the nervous system in health and disease, and will gain awareness of the research and technological advances in the field of neuroscience. Students will gain knowledge they can apply to other areas of psychology.

Prerequisites	Complete SCI-115 and 60 credits. Complete 3 credits from subject PSY Complete 3 credits from subject PSY, level 200
Credits	4

This course is a supervised professional internship in an approved business, non-profit, or government setting. Students will be able to apply and integrate theory and course experience from both psychology and business course-work in a real-world setting. Students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in work experience and use course knowledge to solve work-related problems. This experience will prepare students for work after graduation from college and aid in the transition from college to the workplace. Internship II and Internship II I may be taken concurrently or sequentially.

Prerequisites	PSY-110 and PSY-202. Must complete 75 credits before taking this course.
Credits	3

The college capstone is an opportunity for students to pursue a self-directed experience in their professional program that intentionally integrates their liberal learning in the Core curriculum with their program learning. In addition to the substantive professional-based hands-on project in this class, the capstone will include a professional ethics component and a self-evaluation/self-reflection component.

Prerequisites	Must complete COR-310, COR-320, and two sections of COR-330 All Game majors (EGPR.BS, GDES.BS, GART.BS must also complete EGD-320 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	3

Concentrations

Flex Path Psychology Concentration

Tailor your Psychology degree with a Flex Path concentration and explore applications of psychology to the field of your choice at Champlain College.
Health & Wellbeing Concentration

Tailor your Psychology degree with a Health & Wellbeing concentration and explore the impact of biological, social, and physical factors at Champlain College.
Social Change / Social Impact Concentration

Tailor your Psychology degree with a Social Change/Social Impact concentration and explore the intersections of culture and social justice at Champlain College.

You might also be interested in these…

Based on your interest in the Psychology?major, we thought you also might like to check out these other academic programs and opportunities.

Majors
- Digital Humanities Major
  
  Be a digital pioneer. Bring the fullness of your human self to the study of emerging technology, including Artificial Intelligence, and make sure the digital future is humane as well as human.
- Criminology & Criminal Justice Major
  
  Make communities safer. Build a better and more just system. Be an agent of organizational change.
- Education Major
  
  Teaching is the ultimate way to shape the future. At Champlain College, you’ll be in classrooms during your first year, building deep expertise that leads to licensure.
- Social Work Major
  
  Uplift families, empower individuals, and heal communities with Champlain’s Social Work major.
- Integrative Professional Studies Major
  
  Design your own major through Champlain’s Degree Design Lab. You’ll combine courses and real-world learning experiences to personalize your own education.
Minors
- Conflict Management Minor
  
  Develop a practical way of mediating conflict in your workplace, community, and personal life with Champlain College’s Conflict Management Minor.
- Family Studies Minor
  
  Explore concepts of the individual, family, and community. Further develop your understanding as you discover the connections between them within historical, political, and social climates.
- Gerontology Minor
  
  Examine the physical, mental, and sociological aspects of aging, including the ways that society changes with an aging population with the Gerontology minor.
- LGBTQ Studies Minor
  
  Examine the complex histories, cultures, political activities, and expressions of LGBTQ people while exploring larger social and institutional foundations like media representation and human rights.
Areas of Study
- Individualized Studies & Undeclared
  
  Learn what you love, and love what you learn with one of these professional pathways.
- Education, Humanities & the Sciences
  
  The born educator, the team player, the change maker, the advocate. Which of these human-centered majors fits you career goals?
- Law & Society
  
  Want to uphold a system of justice through meaningful public service? Check out these majors that revolve around “doing good.”

Meet Reid Anctil

Class of 2022

More About Me

Reid Anctil

Class of 2022

Programs	Psychology Major
Class	2022
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Massachusetts

Can you talk about some of the challenges that undergraduate students face and how well-being strategies might help them?

Towards the end of the semester, you usually have finals or midterms, and there’s usually a lot of stuff coming at you. In the well-being courses, they discuss different tools such as deep breathing that you can use in the moment to calm yourself down and keep going.We discussed something called Zorro circles, and it’s basically like taking something big and breaking it down into small components so it seems more manageable. Instead of like, “Oh, I’m going to go out and write this 100 page paper about a movie,” you break it down to introduction, the different things you’re going to talk about, and you break it down into those small pieces so it’s like, “Oh, I just have to do the introduction today. Oh, I only have to write five sentences here.” So I think that’s how well-being helps. And then it also helps with everyday stress because life doesn’t really follow a set plan. You might have a plan, and then it takes a left turn and you’ve got to figure out how to adapt to that. Positive psychology and well-being are all about looking at how you can adapt and still stay positive despite changes.

Can you describe some of the ways that well-being is infused into the student experience at Champlain?

To start with the courses, they have the positive psychology course, which is called the Mindcraft Course with Dr. Quinn, which is really fun. I really enjoyed it, I took it freshman year. And then I’m currently taking a music and well-being course, Music for Health and Well-being with Dr. Colombo, which is about all these tools that you can use to improve your well-being and change your perspective and outlook.In EHS, Psychology is a smaller major, so the professors all know you. If you need a break, you can talk with the professors. Sometimes I’ve had times where the whole class was feeling stressed about something and we mentioned it to the professor, and the professor’s like, “Here’s how it will change that up,” or “Here’s how we’ll move the schedule around so that it’ll work best for you guys.” And they can still get the stuff that they want in, but they’re just kind of more mindful of where people are at. I think they really try to build breaks and stuff into the classes.

Can you describe the resiliency workshops to me and tell us a little bit about whatyou’re getting out of them?

So, the resiliency workshops have been a collaboration with Champlain, Harvard University, and Mass General Hospital in Boston, and they’ve had Dr. Aude Henin comes in. She talks us through resiliency training once a week for an hour. It’s always really fun. I look forward to it every Wednesday. It’s like a little break in my day that I get to do resiliency and mindfulness stuff. Basically, she’ll review what we’ve talked about the previous week, talk about how we’ve applied it in our lives, talk about it with the group, then she’ll teach us a new concept, a new tool that we’ll practice with her in the space. And then she gives us a little assignment to do in between this day and the next week. It’s all about looking at it through your personal life, like how you’ve experienced these different things that she talks about and how the resiliency workshop can help you get through those obstacles that you’re facing.

Career Success

Our Psychology students graduate with valuable professional experiences and a breadth of knowledge. 100% of Psychology majors in the Class of 2023 achieved career success.

psychology student aids in psychological testing for an experiment

Your Career Outlook

Learn more about our career-focused education

By the time you graduate, you will …

Justify your own and evaluate others’ actions using the general ethical principles of the American Psychological Association as a framework.
Apply major psychological concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings to personal, social, organizational, and professional issues.
Use a historically informed and culturally sensitive perspective when applying psychology to personal and professional situations.
Design, conduct, analyze, and interpret basic and applied psychology research.

You’ll Find a Career In…

Clinical psychology
Addiction & intervention strategies
Marketing & advertising
Product design & development
Child psychology & family counseling
Neuroscience research
Law enforcement & criminal justice

More Inside Psychology Major

Overview

Study human motivations and the latest neuroscience in a career-focused Psychology major that prepares you for this dynamic field.
Curriculum

Your career in psychology begins now with Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum. Discover the difference that doing on day one has on your success.
Faculty

Learn more about the experienced professionals leading Champlain College's psychology program who are dedicated to teaching and mentoring you.
Behavioral Neuroscience Lab

The Behavioral Neuroscience Lab is the headquarters for hands-on psychology education at Champlain College, providing all Psychology students unique access to research opportunities and equipment that historically has drawn international attention and jump-starts careers.

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