The undergraduate program provides a foundation of skills and knowledge for careers both outside and inside of psychology. Since most jobs require a well-developed sense of how people function, a degree in psychology is often a desired background for positions in both government and industry. Undergraduate work in psychology includes training to develop the abilities to analyze critically and to understand complex behaviors, to deal with interpersonal problems, and to use research tools.
The following are some careers that graduates with bachelor's degrees in psychology have entered.
Psychological Research and Development: data analysis assistant; educational research assistant; public opinion poll-taker; research assistant in mental health; research design technician; statistician; survey interviewer.
Mental Health and Social Services: alcohol treatment center assistant; child care program assistant; corrections counselor; counseling assistant; counselor, child/adolescent; crisis center counselor; drug abuse program assistant; psychiatric technician.
Business and Government: employment interviewer; human factors assistant; human resources manager; personnel analyst; psychometrist; public relations assistant.
Teaching: high school psychology instructor.
Graduate Programs and Career Preparation
The Psychology Department offers both Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees. A Master of Arts in Psychology is awarded with concentrations in Developmental Psychology; Mind, Brain, & Behavior; and Social, Personality, and Affective Science. A Masters of Science is awarded with concentrations in Clinical Psychology; and School Psychology. The Psychology Department also offers a Masters of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Each degree topic has been designed to meet student needs and to qualify students for vocational goals relevant to that topic. Close liaison between students and advisors is an important feature of every graduate concentration.
The Developmental Psychology concentration focuses on life-span development from conception through aging. Major interest areas include social and emotional development, parent-child relations, family processes, sex differences, development across cultures and ethnic minority groups, learning, cognition, and psycholinguistics. The program is appropriate for students who wish to enter doctoral programs, and prepares them for academic, research, and applied careers in the field of child and developmental psychology.
The Mind, Brain, and Behavior concentration is for students seeking to become broadly informed and productive research psychologists who will be prepared to enter doctoral programs or perform competently as research associates in diverse areas of psychology. This program offers the opportunity for coursework and research in such areas as biofeedback, emotion, physiological psychology, clinical research, program evaluation, psycholinguistics, and cognition. The program also prepares students for teaching in community colleges.
The Social, Personality, and Affective Science concentration is designed to provide appropriate preparation and experience to students who intend to proceed to doctoral study, as well as for students who intend to develop careers at the master's level in research, community college teaching, or applications of social, personality, and affective science. The program emphasizes achievement of competency in research skills (design, implementation, and interpretation of findings), familiarity with the theoretical and empirical literature of the discipline, and proficiency in application of social, personality, and affective science to the solution of social problems; e.g., peace and conflict resolution, intergroup relations, and cultural diversity in modern society.
The Clinical Psychology concentration is intended to qualify students to provide mental health services in community mental health centers, schools, hospitals, private practice, managed care, and similar careers. The program provides the academic preparations and pre-master's supervised hours required for the State of California Marriage and Family Therapy license.
The School Psychology concentration is intended to meet a requirement for a career as a School Psychologist in California public and private schools. In addition to the degree, students will need to complete some additional coursework and an internship experience to qualify for the State of California Pupil Personnel Services Credential with authorization in School Psychology.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychology degree is designed to qualify students for professional careers in organizational behavior and human resource functions in business, industry, or government; or for doctoral programs in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
