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Jorge Mendoza

Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma. The tradition of psychology at OU is truly remarkable. The University of Oklahoma was founded barely ten years after Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal psychology laboratory, yet a psychology course appeared in the very first course catalogue published at OU in 1892, and psychology has been a vibrant part of this institution ever since.

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Graduate Students

Graduate Program

The Department of Psychology offers both Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Psychology. Areas of specialization in graduate training include cognitive psychology, social, industrial-organizational, quantitative psychology, animal cognition (jointly with zoology), and developmental & personality psychology.

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Overview

The Department of Psychology offers two degrees at the undergraduate level, the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science in Psychology. The program of study that culminates in a B.A. degree provides the student with experience and training necessary to pursue post-baccalaureate education in psychology and other professional areas or to secure employment immediately following completion of the undergraduate degree, and with the broad education essential to the formation of a well-rounded, informed individual. The B.S. degree in Psychology is designed to provide additional training and experience in research to those students who want greater mastery in basic sciences and methodology. The B.S. degree program is most appropriate for those students who want to significantly enhance their competitive standing for admission to doctoral training in psychology - although it should be noted that the majority of our B.A. degree students have been highly successful in achieving graduate school acceptance as well. Any student who meets the requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences may pursue the B.A. degree in Psychology; the B.S. degree program requires an application and a faculty sponsor.

Psychologists assume many different roles; for example, they work as teachers, researchers, service providers, administrators, and consultants. Because psychologists perform such OU Studentsdiverse tasks, they work in many different settings: colleges and universities, elementary and secondary schools, private practices, hospitals, human service agencies, business and industry, and government.

Recent national reports on the employment outlook predict that individuals with degrees in psychology will be in high demand. However, the demand rate will depend on the type of degree that the person has. For doctoral-level psychologists, employment opportunities have flourished during the past decade. Some of the positions that Ph.D.'s in Psychology fill are professors, therapists, clinical research psychologists, experimental researchers, and those who work in many business and industrial settings. People with a master's degree in psychology work in a variety of settings, including schools, business and industry, mental health care centers, and community colleges. Graduate who do not pursue the Ph.D. after receiving their master's often obtain jobs in teaching or research settings, or service with some limitations that exist without the doctoral degree. Teachers at the master's level usually work in community colleges rather than four-year colleges and universities.

Although a bachelor's degree in psychology will not prepare you to provide services as a professional independent psychologist, an undergraduate student can be very successful in the job market by carefully planning a major in psychology with well-selected supporting coursework from a variety of areas such as computing, statistics, communications, business, engineering, education, or various sciences or mathematics.

The following are just some of the fields that graduates with bachelor's degrees in psychology have entered: administration and management, business and industry, casework, child care, employment interviewing, health services, marketing and public relations, personnel, probation and parole, psychiatric assisting, research or laboratory assisting, sales, teaching, and technical writing. Students pursuing the bachelor's degree as a terminal degree are encouraged to seek academic counseling on an intensive level with a faculty advisor, and to consult closely with the University's job placement service.

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Upcoming Events

03/25/2013: PGSA: PGSA meeting,5pm,DHT907

03/29/2013: Psychclub: Second Annual OU Graduate and Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference

04/04/2013: Psychclub: Developmental Psychologist Dr. Jennifer Barnes will discuss her research on children and adult interests in stories

04/13/2013: Psychclub: The Big Event

04/18/2013: Psychclub: Psi Chi Induction Ceremony

04/25/2013: Psychclub: New Officer Elections

04/29/2013: PGSA: PGSA meeting,5pm,DHT907

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455 W. Lindsey Street | Dale Hall Tower, Room 705 | Norman, OK 73019-2007 | (405) 325-4511

Updated 02/04/2013 by Xiaolan Liao: xiaolan.liao@ou.edu
Copyright © 2012 The Department of Psychology of the University of Oklahoma, All Rights Reserved
The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer