Psychology Major
Why Psychology?
Psychology is a versatile major. Our discipline encompasses all of the many different factors that affect human thoughts, feelings, behavior and development. We study changes in the brain, how families affect children, how people form impressions of other people, how people make decisions, how communities and cultures affect people’s lives. The breadth of coverage in our discipline provides you with the background to face many different challenges in the world today that require an understanding of human behavior. It also gives you a perspective on why you are who you are, and helps you discover who you want to become.
The Psychology Department expects that graduating students in the major will be able to reach the following 5 goals:
Goal 1: KNOWLEDGE BASE
1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology
1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology's content domains
1.3 Describe applications of psychology
Goal 2: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY & CRITICAL THINKING
2.1 Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena
2.2 Demonstrate psychology information literacy
2.3 Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving
2.4 Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research
2.5 Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry
Goal 3: ETHICAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN A DIVERSE WORLD
3.1 Evaluate psychological science and practice based on ethical and multiculturally informed standards
3.2 Demonstrate understanding of the impact of culture on cognition, emotion, and behavior
3.3 Apply ethical and multiculturally informed standards in psychology coursework and interactions
Goal 4: COMMUNICATION
4.1 Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes
4.2 Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes
4.3 Interact effectively with others
Goal 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
5.1 Apply psychological content and skills to career goals
5.2 Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation
5.3 Refine project-management skills
5.4 Enhance teamwork capacity
5.5 Develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation
What can I do with a career in Psychology?
Majoring in psychology will help you gain skills that will be useful to you no matter what career you pursue. Employers want people who have: written communication skills, problem-solving skills, analytic/quantitative skills, leadership and mentoring skills, and teamwork skills. A major in psychology will help you develop these skill sets, which you can take anywhere.
Interesting in Declaring a Psychology Major?
Current Miami students interested in changing their major to Psychology must complete the online new majors advising session.