At Hope the Psychology major is designed to provide those desiring careers in professional psychology with the preparation needed to enter graduate study. It is also designed to provide a strong liberal arts education for those careers in which knowledge of psychology can be essential, such as counseling, teaching, human resources, ministry, marketing, and many more. Christian perspectives are thoughtfully integrated with psychological principles, allowing students to examine the bridges and tensions between psychological theories and their Christian faith.
The B.A. in Psychology program is 120 units.
Mental Health Counseling: Students are provided with opportunities to volunteer at local mental health hospitals and non-profit family and youth organizations.
Research: Students have the opportunity to work closely with the psychology faculty conducting research experiments. Several students have presented these research studies at local conferences. For a list of student presentations, please click here.
Psychology Club: The Psychology Club is a student run organization that provides fellowship and guidance for those pursuing a career in the field of psychology. Volunteer opportunities are also available through the psychology club.
1. Experience a variety of careers
The American Psychological Association (APA) has 56 divisions of interest organized by members of the association. These include sub disciplines of psychology to topical areas of research. What this means is that when you receive your degree in psychology you will be free to explore the area of psychology that most interests you.
2. Enter a growing area of employment
The BLS.org projects that the employment of psychologists will grow by 19 percent, twelve percent more than the average rate of growth for careers (7%). As a graduate entering the field of human services, you will be entering a growing career field with many new opportunities arising in the future.
3. Make a difference
Pursuing a degree in psychology helps you to help people. You will be able to develop who you are personally and professionally and in turn apply what you learn to impact the world. Whether it is through counseling and helping one person at a time, or pursuing research which will impact the field as a whole, psychology’s purpose is to learn more to make an impact.
4. You will always be learning
As with any field, there are constantly new discoveries. With psychology, you are not only keeping up on the latest changes and developments of mental disorders, but consistently learning about your patients and desired area of focus. Like humanity, this field is adaptable and versatile, meaning the things to learn about and apply to each new patient or research topic never ends.
5. Learn transferable skills
Working in psychology means having the ability to work with and understand people, be able to research and collect data, predict trends within society or particular reactions in a particular group of people, and more. These skills are highly transferrable to careers in education, business, and more. Many students with a Bachelor’s in psychology pursue a job that their skills can transfer to as they continue their studies in a graduate program.
