FAQ

What should I do if I think I want to major in Psychology?
You need to set up an appointment with the department chair, Rebecca Fincher-Kiefer, to declare your major. When you declare your major, an advisor will be assigned. You will also learn how the major is structured and when you should try to complete the different courses. The advantage of declaring a major as soon as possible is that each spring you will receive preregistration materials specially designed for psychology majors. These will allow you priority into psychology courses.

Why can't I minor in Psychology?
We are a large major and our faculty could not handle the demand for courses if we offered a formal minor. However, some students choose to take several psychology electives at the 200 level and call it a concentration. While this would not be formally recognized on your transcript, you can note on your resume that you took a concentration in Psychology and point these courses out to employers or graduate schools.

What can I do with a major in Psychology?
Gettysburg's psychology majors find success both in graduate school and the employment market. Those who enter the work force immediately after graduation find doors open in business management, human resources, education, mental health, social services, and other areas.

Gettysburg College also has a solid track record of placing psychology students in graduate programs, often with fellowships to fund their continued education. We have students in graduate programs designed for careers in an academic setting where they will teach and do research in such areas as social, developmental, clinical, cognitive, and personality psychology. Other graduate programs aim to train students for careers in psychotherapy, counseling, school psychology, and social work as well as management psychology, employee selection and training, and organizational behavior. In addition, Gettysburg psychology students routinely gain admission to graduate programs in medicine, business, law, and education.

A small sample from recent years includes: Columbia University School of Social Work; Harvard University School of Education; Washington University Medical School; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, developmental psychology; Georgetown University Law School; University of California-Berkeley, personality and social psychology; State University of New York at Albany, counseling psychology; MCP Hahnemann University, physical therapy; American University School of Public Affairs, public administration; Northeastern University, school psychology; University of Maryland, social psychology; University of Denver, cognitive neuroscience; Pennsylvania State University, industrial/organizational psychology; Rutgers University, counseling psychology; George Washington University, speech pathology; Duke University, developmental psychology; Boston College, family counseling; Villanova University, experimental psychology.

What courses do I have to take to be a therapist (clinical psychologist, counselor, etc.)?
Our program in psychology strongly emphasizes the study of human behavior. Professors structure their courses to model how research psychologists think: how we pose questions about human behavior (e.g., what motivates students?), how we can attempt to answer the question (experimental design), how we analyze the results of our experiment (statistics), how we interpret our findings, and what the next step may be in answering these questions. You may think that this has nothing to do with your goal of becoming a therapist. In fact, we believe that to understand and identify abnormal functioning one must also understand normal functioning. And it is from research that we find out about normal functioning. The logic of experimental design is also particularly useful in the analysis of any behavior, including abnormal behavior.

To what graduate program should I apply?
The answer to this question depends on your career goals. There are generally three career options for psychologists: clinical (therapist of some sort), experimental , and applied (industrial/organizational or ergonomics/human factors). Of course, some of our majors continue their education in other areas (e.g., law school, business school, education). If you are interested in furthering your education in psychology but are not interested in working in a clinical setting you should look for an experimental or applied graduate program.

Clinical. Many people think the only way to be a therapist is to get a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. This is only one option. It is the most difficult option and, for many students, it is unrealistic. In fact, it is easier to get into medical school than it is to get into a clinical Ph.D. program. Below are other options for graduate study:

Experimental. These programs generally prepare you for a career in higher education although by no means do all graduates end up as college professors. We are successful in placing students in these graduate programs and often students receive fellowships to fund their education.

Applied. The three applied fields are industrial and organizational psychology, ergonomics or human factors, and applied developmental psychology. The focus of industrial and organizational psychology is on human resource research in employee selection, training, related aspects of individual differences, and organizational behavior. Ergonomics and human factors programs emphasize the demands of work activities on human capacities such as information processing, physiological stress, etc. Applied developmental psychologists usually work on teams with other professionals (such as doctors, social workers, and educators) to evaluate children who are developmentally delayed and to propose and monitor the effectiveness of intervention or treatment strategies. There are a number of accredited graduate programs in each of these areas.

MA in social work
MA or Ph.D. in counseling psychology
MA or Ph.D in school psychology
Medical school. We have several students currently majoring in psychology who are also completing the premed requirements.

What kinds of experience do graduate schools look for when admitting students?
Most graduate programs are interested in whether you are a good student and have some experience with research. Regardless of which type of program you are applying to, having helped a faculty member with a research project and/or having conducted an independent study will be impressive. Clinical programs also look for contact with clinical populations. This can be achieved through summer jobs, internships, or type of employment following graduation. Your professors within the department may have suggestions about where you might find these opportunities, but also consult Center for Career Development for their internship files.

Can I complete a Psychology major AND study off-campus for a semester or complete an education minor?
The psychology major does not consist of a large number of courses but there are several prerequisites for most of the advanced courses. Therefore, you will need to plan carefully to complete the prerequisites in a timely manner. You need to remember that after completing Psychology 101, you need a minimum of 4 semesters on campus to complete 205, 305, and 2 advanced labs. These courses are the essential elements of a psych major at Gettysburg and thus can not be transferred in from other institutions.

Many elementary education minors are psychology majors. In order to fit it all in they have to be very careful in planning their schedules starting with the first semester. Likewise, to study abroad, one must take care in planning. A student who completes statistics (Psy 205), methods (Psy 305) and two 200 level electives by the end of the first semester of their junior year is in excellent position for studying off-campus or completing an education minor. A key to accomplishing this is declaring a major EARLY (by February of your first year). You will need to be preregistered into courses by the department and we cannot do this unless you are a major.