When you combine the ability to understand people with the other skills acquired from our program -- such as a solid preparation in research methods, a supervised internship, and critical thinking skills -- you end up with a package of elements that is strongly valued by both employers and graduate schools.
-- Dr. Mark Sibicky, Chair of the Department of Psychology

Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Minor in Psychology
Master of Arts in Psychology

Admission inquiries
Office of Admission 800-331-7896
Email: admit@marietta.edu

To inquire about this program, contact:
Dr. Ryan May
740-376-4767

Download Fact Sheet (PDF)

Meet faculty

Visit department site

 

Special Feature
Majoring in psychology at Marietta means learning through hands-on psychological research either with a faculty member or on your own. In addition to performing experiments in a newly remodeled behavioral research laboratory, you'll be able to work in Marietta Center for Families and Children, an on-campus facility that provides educational and psychological services to children and families.

About Feature 1

Psychology

The beauty of a degree in psychology is its flexibility. You might decide to conduct scientific research that helps explain human nature. You might apply your psychological knowledge to improve people's lives. Or you might join the business world -- understanding human behavior makes you very marketable. Whatever you choose to do with psychology, studying it at Marietta will give you the intellectual and professional skills that you'll need for advanced training in psychology or to pursue a meaningful career. While you're here, you'll work with award-winning professors who are passionate about psychology and who teach it through close, mentoring relationships with students.

The senior year as a psychology major culminates in a capstone course as well as an applied experience. The capstone course provides a comprehensive analysis of the history of psychology including the influence of philosophy, biology, culture, economics and politics on the development of the field. Balancing the objectivity of science with the value-laden goal of using psychology to improve the human condition is a consistent theme of this history. All seniors also complete an applied experience, participating in a clinical, developmental, or industrial-organizational internship with a local organization or business. Students also have the option of completing an independent research project under the supervision of a psychology faculty member in addition to or in lieu of the internship.

Marietta offers a five-year BA/MA program:

We offer a special five-year BA/MA Degree in psychology that's designed to give students a strong graduate foundation in general psychology, so they can pursue a doctoral degree or seek employment at the master's level in a career related to psychology. The master's program is normally a two-year program; however, qualifying Marietta psychology majors may be eligible for our five-year combined bachelor's/master's degree in psychology. The BA/MA program allows you to complete both your bachelor's degree and master's degree in psychology in five years -- a considerable savings of both time and money.

 

Required Courses

All psychology majors take the following courses:

  • The Science of Behavior
  • Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
  • Research Design
  • The History and Systems of Psychology
  • Applied Experience in Psychology (two courses chosen from either a supervised clinical, developmental, business, or research internship)
  • Electives in Psychology (eight student-chosen courses in various areas of psychology, such as abnormal, social, developmental, cognitive, human sexuality)

Requirements for a Minor
Psychology 101, 102, 285, 286; two core Psychology electives from Psychology 206, 212, 305, 310, 311, 350; plus one additional course selected from Psychology 150, 207, 225, 325, 355, 365, and 377.

click to expandPlaces a Degree Can Take You

Internships
You'll get real-world experience through internships in and around Marietta. Our students intern for a variety of agencies and services including:

  • Marietta Memorial Hospital Psychiatric Services
  • Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities
  • EVE domestic violence shelter
  • Amity alcohol and drug treatment center
  • Washington County outpatient mental health services
  • Help Me Grow services for young children
  • Health South Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Washington County Educational Center Alternative High School

Majors have also held internships in criminal justice agencies, local government offices, and local businesses and corporations.

Student Research
At Marietta, you'll travel with psychology faculty and students to conferences, presenting your research and meeting other psychologists. Our psychology majors have presented papers and won research awards at a variety of psychology conferences across the country, most recently the South Eastern Psychological Association in Florida and the Eastern Psychological Association in Washington, DC.

Clubs & Organizations
Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology, which promotes the study of psychology and recognizes students who have distinguished themselves in the field.

The Psychology Club brings students and faculty together to discuss issues relevant to psychology. It holds a variety of activities throughout the year such as lectures by visiting psychologists and information sessions on graduate schools and careers in psychology. The club also conducts fundraisers for charity, organizes social activities for students and faculty, and helps sponsor the annual trip to a psychology conference.

 

click to expandSuccessful Alumni

Many of our graduates are successful clinical, counseling, developmental, experimental, and organizational psychologists. Others are licensed professional counselors, social workers, occupational therapists, lawyers, FBI agents, and other professionals.

Because our program builds good interpersonal skills and teaches you to apply psychological research, you'll be ready for a career in the areas of mental health and child services, opinion survey research, management, marketing, sales, public relations, human resources, technical science writing, health services, college admissions, career counseling, and law enforcement.

 

click to expandScholarship Opportunities

The William Bruce Blackburn Memorial Scholarship aids worthy junior and senior psychology majors who have demonstrated quantitative ability by earning at least two semesters of credit in college-level mathematics courses.

The Michael S. Dorfman Memorial Prize is awarded annually to a junior majoring in psychology who, in the judgment of the Department of Psychology, is considered the most promising regarding scholarship, ethical standards, and dedication.