Psychology

The Psychology Program at UM-Dearborn is designed to accommodate non-majors who seek personal enrichment, majors who will go on to psychology in a human services career or in a related field, and majors intending to pursue an advanced degree in psychology.

The Program thus includes courses in the following areas:

• Natural Science (learning and memory, sensation and perception, physiology)
• Cognitive (thinking, problem solving, and language)
• Developmental (the process of human growth)
• Social (the influence of groups)
• Clinical/Abnormal (understanding and treating people with psychological disorders)
• Industrial/Organizational (applying psychological principles to the work place)

Psychology provides direct training for employment in four major areas. It can be applied to careers:

• promoting individual health (clinical psychology, counseling psychology, community psychology, health psychology)
• in educational settings (school psychology, college teaching)
• in business settings (industrial and organizational psychology, engineering psychology, consumer psychology)
• in the public domain (environmental psychology, law and psychology, psychology and public police)

Psychology is also an excellent preparation and aid for careers in such fields as medicine, law, business, education, and social work.

Students desiring to concentrate in psychology are required to take Psyc 101.

Students must also complete at least six hours in cognate courses at the 300 level or above. 

Students are required to complete at least 27 hours in upper-level (300 or above) psychology courses. 

Check out the Psychology 3-year plan.

Psychology offers an honors program which provides special opportunities for gifted students, including a special seminar and research in collaboration with faculty members. Students are accepted for the honors program at the midpoint of their junior year.

Requirements for entrance are:

• GPA of 3.4 or higher
• Informal evidence of being a superior student, such as motivation and ability to work independently

Requirements for graduation with honors in psychology are successful completion of:

• Psych 481: Computers in Psychology (typically taken in the fall semester of the senior year)
• Psych 498: Psychology Honors Seminar (typically taken in the winter semester of the junior year)
• Psych 499: Psychology Honors Research (typically taken during the senior year)
• Statistics and a methods course should be completed by the end of the junior year

Psychology Honors Program Application  [PDF]

1. Knowledge Base of Psychology: Demonstrate a familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
    
2. Research Methods in Psychology: Understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation; be capable of navigating various technologies for obtaining information, conducting literature reviews, collecting data, and analyzing data.
    
3. Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology: Respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
    
4. Application of Psychology: Understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues; be capable of applying psychological principles and knowledge for the purpose of self‐ improvement and self‐development.
    
5. Values in Psychology: Demonstrate ability to weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.
    
6. Communication Skills: Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
    
7. Diversity Awareness: Recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of socio-cultural and international diversity; demonstrate awareness for how issues related to culture, race, gender, class, economic status, religion, and political beliefs interact and relate to psychology.
    
8. Career Planning and Development: Emerge from the major with realistic ideas about how to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings.
    
9. General Education ‐ Collaboration and Teamwork
    
10. General Education ‐ Citizenship

For students interested in pursuing graduate school in psychology (or in related fields such as counseling or social work), take a look at our Psychology-Related Graduate School Programs Within Commuting Distance of Dearborn Guide.

It includes information about:

• Undergraduate Preparation for Graduate School
• Learning about Graduate Programs
• Preparing for the Graduate Record Exams (GREs)
• Applying to Graduate Schools
• Other Sources of Information about Applying to Graduate Schools

In this video Dr. Brenda Whitehead describes the Psychology of Aging – the area of psychology that is focused on understanding aging and older adults.

In this video Dr. Marie Waung describes Industrial/Organizational Psychology – the area of psychology that is focused on applying psychological principles and theories to the workplace.

In this presentation, Dr. Caleb Siefert provides an overview of the field of Clinical Psychology, the area of psychology that is concerned with mental and behavioral health.

Clinical Psychology: Careers and Opportunities

In this video, Dr. Caleb Siefert provides an overview of the field of clinical psychology and describes classes that are available in the area at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

In this video, Dr. Arlo Clark-Foos talks about Cognitive Psychology – the area of psychology that focuses on cognitive processes including attention, perception, memory, language, among others.

In this video Dr. Zhong Xu Liu describes one area of cognitive psychology known as Cognitive Neuroscience. This area of psychology focuses on how various brain regions are related to cognition, emotion and behavior.

In this video, Dr. Pam McAuslan talks about the Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships, also known as relationship science, a broad interdisciplinary field that considers various aspects of our close relationships.

In this video, Dr. Brenda Whitehead talks about the broad field of Developmental Psychology. Lifespan development, the field of study that examines patterns of growth, change and stability that occur throughout our lifespan.

In this video, Dr. Pam McAuslan talks about a relatively new area of psychology called Media Psychology which uses psychological research and theory to understand how people use, consume and produce media.

In this video, Dr. Arlo Clark-Foos talks about a new class -- PSYC 260: Introduction to Brain and Behavior.

In this video, Dr. Caleb Siefert describes different pathways to becoming a therapist and talks about the steps involved in becoming a psychologist.

In this video, Dr. Nancy Wrobel talks about options for psychology majors who want to work with children and adolescents.

In this video, Dr. Arlo Clark-Foos celebrates Women's History Month by talking about women in the field of cognitive psychology.

In this video Dr. David Chatkoff introduces viewers to the field of health psychology and Dr. Michelle Leonard continues the discussion to talk about clinical health psychology. Watch to find out more about classes in the area at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Juniors and seniors can obtain practical experience working under supervision in a setting relevant to psychology. Internship students will spend 6 or 12 hours per week at their field placement and will attend a weekly seminar on campus. Students may register for Psych 485 (Field Work: Psychology Internship) for three or six credits.

For more information, contact: Roger Loeb, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology

Psychology Internship Application

Opportunities to conduct independent research or study under the direction of a Psychology faculty member are available in Psychology’s two Independent Study courses, PSYC 398 and 399. Students interested in such opportunities should consult with a Psychology faculty member.

Students in the Psychology Honors Program are required to take PSYC 499, Psychology Honors Research, normally during the senior year. Students work with two faculty members in a research project that culminates in an independent research report, the honors thesis.

Psychology students frequently present the results of their research at undergraduate research conferences like Meeting of Minds and the Michigan Undergraduate Research Forum, and even at professional meetings.

Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology.

• Club President:  
• Psi Chi website

Students interested in connecting with the PSA have three options. Students can email the President using the provided email,  visit our website linked below or visit us on our Facebook page "Psychology Students Association: UM-Dearborn" also linked below.

Current Board Members of PSA

• Dr. Caleb Siefert: Professor Advisor
• Annahita Akbarifard: President
• Robert Hendricks: Vice President
• Zana Vulaj: Secretary
• Candice Tudor: Treasurer
• Alejandra Quiroz: Director of Public Relations
• Timothy Carter: Director of Marketing 

To Connect with PSA

• Email: psychologyumd@gmail.com
• Facebook: Psychology Students Association: UM-Dearborn
• Application: Students are required to fill out an application to be considered a member.