The psychology program at Southwestern University provides students with a broad background in psychology. The emphasis of the program is twofold. First, the program is designed to provide the experiences necessary to prepare the student for graduate school in animal learning and behavior, biopsychology, child psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, counseling psychology, developmental psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, personality and social psychology, and social work. Second, the student is prepared for careers in human services upon completion of the bachelor's degree.

Psychology department faculty strongly encourage majors to get involved in department activities as soon as possible. Make an effort to get to know all faculty members, not just your academic advisor. Take classes from as many different faculty members as possible, and stop by the offices of professors you don't know to introduce yourself. It is also helpful to get to know other psychology majors: you can form helpful study groups in your courses, and older majors can be an excellent source of advice and information about courses and registration. There are several extracurricular opportunities for getting involved in the department, so take advantage of these. Whether it is collaborating with faculty on research projects, attending Psi Chi-sponsored events (e.g., the beginning of the year picnic or helpful panel discussions on getting in to graduate school or careers with a B.A. in psychology), doing a semester-long or summer-long internship, or traveling to conferences with other students and faculty, we hope you will find yourself caught up in the study of psychology at Southwestern University.