Psychology
The Department of Psychology recognizes and supports the overall mission of Delaware State University by providing students with the necessary education for entry level positions in human service-related fields and preparing students for graduate studies. More specifically, the psychology program is designed to empower and affirm undergraduate students through broad-based training in the foundations of psychology, which emphasizes the need to understand human behavior through critical thinking and scientific endeavors. The department recognizes and supports the mission of the American Psychological Association (APA) which is “to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives” (APA. [2009]. APA Mission Statement. Retrieved July 27, 2009 from http://www.apa.org/about/). In addition to teaching, the Psychology faculty are engaged in a variety of research and service activities and involve students in many of these activities.
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the field of science devoted to understanding behavior and mental processes. This includes biological and social influences on behavior, how the world is experienced via the five senses, consciousness, learning, memory, thinking, intelligence, language, development across the life span, motivation, emotion, sexuality and gender, stress and health, personality, and psychological disorders and therapies. In addition to advancing our basic understanding of the above topics, psychology also aims to apply that knowledge to solve a wide variety of real-world problems, such as developing methods of teaching that more effectively promote student learning, designing work environments that increase morale and productivity, or helping athletes to prepare mentally for participation in sports.
Careers with a Degree in Psychology
Bachelor’s Degree
A bachelor’s degree in psychology can be highly flexible and adaptable to many different kinds of careers (Landrum & Davis, 2007; Schwartz, 2000). In the 1994-1995 Psychology Baccalaureate Survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (Grocer & Kohout, 1997), people with bachelor’s degrees in psychology found careers in the following areas:
- education and teaching
- consulting and statistical analysis
- administration or clerical services
- professional services
- sales
- health and health-related services
- research and development or research and development management
Other possible careers include marketing researcher, social worker, and communications specialist (Landrum & Davis, 2007; Schwartz, 2000). With its emphasis on critical thinking and empirical observation, psychology trains people for a variety of potential workplace environments and requirements. (Ciccarelli & White, 2009, pp. B4-B5)
Graduate Degree
In addition to preparing students for careers such as those above, a bachelor’s degree in Psychology also prepares students to pursue graduate studies in a variety of fields, including business, law, child and family studies, education, social work, management, and, of course, psychology. Some of the careers open to individuals with a graduate degree in Psychology are psychiatry*, psychoanalysis, psychiatric social work, clinical or counseling psychology, or teaching and/or research in any area of psychology. (*Psychiatry requires an M.D.)