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The Psychology major offers a broad
preparation in the science of psychology. Core psychology
courses are consistent with courses offered nationwide for
an undergraduate psychology degree. However, unlike many
psychology programs, our program provides hands-on
experiences in the form of courses such as group dynamics
and helping relationships and in the form of internships and
a senior project.
In addition to the core psychology curriculum, students
complete a concentration in Applied Social Psychology,
Counseling and Family Psychology, or Developmental
Psychology. Students may also, with the assistance of a
faculty advisor, construct their own concentration
(Individualized Course of Study). For instance, we have had
students do concentrations that helped prepare them for graduate studies and/or careers related to forensic psychology,
biopsychology, religious studies, organizational psychology,
pre-med, etc. Minors, such as women's studies, business,
gerontology, statistics, or speech, can also be used for the
individualized course of study concentration.
Graduates often pursue careers in mental health programs,
social services agencies, public health settings,
educational institutions, and personnel-related settings.
Many go on to graduate work in counseling, social work,
developmental psychology, social psychology, clinical
psychology, and business.
Internships
In your junior or senior year, after you have taken PSY 323 Helping Relationships, you will do two quarters of fieldwork, also known as internship (PSY 453 or PSY 449, 5 units, CR/NC grading). You will put in 120-150 hours at your chosen site, maintain weekly contact with your Cal Poly faculty advisor, and provide written documentation of your experience.
Internships are one of the hallmarks of our program. They
are a way to build your resume, check out career options,
and prepare for graduate school. Students work for local
social service and governmental agencies, schools, and
business organizations. Some students do a research
internship with a psychology professor.
You may "challenge" one quarter of internship if you can
demonstrate that you have an experience equivalent to our
internship. This requires the completed Credit by
Examination form, a letter from the supervisor of your site
describing your duties and hours, and a paper describing
your experience.
Because they are so important to your future, choose your
internships wisely; the easiest and most convenient
internship is not necessarily the best one.
Line up your internship by the ninth week of the quarter
before you want to do it. Review the list of internship
sites available in our main office and follow the procedures
at the link below (paper copy is
available in the department's office).
Senior Projects
Like internships, your senior project or thesis can be an
important marketing tool once you graduate and should be
chosen wisely. Senior project is done in two quarters. The
first quarter of senior project in done in PSY 461 Senior
Project Seminar (1 unit). In this course, you learn about
the senior project, choose a topic, conduct background
research, sketch out your project, and identify a faculty
advisor for second quarter senior project (PSY 462, 3 units)
where you will finish your project. The senior project
faculty advisor should be a person whose expertise matches
your topic and who has supervision units available in the
quarter you need supervision.
Senior projects can take several different forms but all
should involve a 20 page written product. Some students do
service projects where they design and implement a
small-scale social program or therapeutic intervention. For
instance, one student created an exhibit for the San Luis
Children's Museum. Two other students designed a living
skills program for troubled youth. Other students collect
data to test a research hypothesis, analyze it, and write it
up in APA style. Still others do a large-scale review of the
research literature on a topic of interest to them. We have
even had students do videos documenting the need for
specific social services in the community.
A senior project handbook is available for purchase in the
bookstore and examples are available in the library. Your
faculty advisor is also a good source of information about
the senior project.
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