The University of Maine's psychology major is designed to foster a scientific understanding of behavior by exploring the wide range of factors that shape it - from molecules to the brain as a whole, from sensory input to reasoning, and from genetics to social and cultural influences. Students explore how behavior develops from infancy to old age and what it means for a behavior to be considered pathological.
Although psychology is broad in scope, UMaine's psychology major is focused on developing rigorous scientific reasoning skills (methodological, statistical and logical argument), forming an exceptional foundation for critical thinking across disciplines. To further foster critical thinking and communication skills, the psychology major culminates in a capstone experience in which students apply, integrate and extend the base of knowledge they acquired to a specific topic of interest.