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“The brain is wider than the sky,” observed author Emily Dickinson about the power of thought and imagination. In studying psychology, you will explore the endless expanse of the human mind and behavior.
Jeffrey Saerys-Foy, associate professor of psychology, demonstrates a perceptual illusion of one’s own hands at the Center for Psychological Science’s Fechner Celebration, where students exhibit and conduct experiments with other students and faculty.
Psychology explores phenomenon from multiple perspectives and is an ideal starting point for many careers. Our students go on to graduate level work in psychology and fulfilling jobs in a variety of fields, including school psychology, industrial-organizational psychology and the mental health disciplines. This degree also lays the foundation for successful careers in law, education and business, all of which require strong critical-thinking skills and a solid understanding of interpersonal relationships. In this program, you’ll work with experienced faculty members who research intriguing topics, such as how we read and process stories, workplace relationships, aggressive behaviors and mindfulness.
Your studies will be augmented by lab courses that involve designing psychological studies and collecting data. You can participate in supervised fieldwork in the applied clinical science concentration, which prepares you for careers in counseling. You can also use your understanding of human cognition (e.g., attention, memory, decision-making) to build marketable skills in the applied cognitive psychology concentration. Or, you can choose the industrial-organizational psychology track, which focuses on relationships in work environments. You’ll graduate well prepared to enter the workforce or to pursue an advanced degree.
Quinnipiac provides real-world experiences based on your interests. In addition to participating in summer research projects at institutions across the country, our students have interned at agencies providing victim services, a psychiatric in-patient unit, special education schools and national corporations.
Quinnipiac is in the top 10% of schools with the highest-paid psychology graduates. Quinnipiac ranks #83 out of 897 schools in the nation and #13 out of 74 schools in New England. (College Factual, 2020)
Percentage of our 2019 program graduates who are either employed or in graduate programs.
Over the next decade, the field of psychology is expected to grow by 19% because of increased attention to personal well-being and mental health. (University of the People, 2020)
For the second year in a row, the career site Zippia ranked Quinnipiac as the best college in the nation for employment 10 years after graduation. (Zippia.com, 2020)
All it took was one developmental psychology course, and Adam Hoffman ’12 knew he’d found his career.
“I was fascinated by how humans come to understand themselves and make sense of their social world,” Hoffman said. “I knew I wanted to learn more about the processes and mechanisms behind human thought and behavior.”
After graduating from Quinnipiac, Hoffman earned his PhD in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina, and later completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan. He is currently a research fellow in the Department of Psychology at North Carolina State University.
Hoffman’s work focuses on the development of ethnic, racial and gender identities in adolescents, and how they can be shaped to improve academic motivation, achievement and mental health.
“The ideas I developed at Quinnipiac provided the foundation for what I would study as a graduate student and even today as a psychologist,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman has returned to Quinnipiac to share his research with faculty and students at the psychology department’s annual spring speaker event. He also has offered advice and encouragement at alumni panels to undergraduate students who are developing their own research ideas.
“It is so rewarding and meaningful to come back to my intellectual ‘home’ and share the research that I have completed since my time at Quinnipiac,” Hoffman said.
Our undergraduate admissions counselors are here to answer any questions you may have and help you navigate the application process.