Message from the Head of the Psychology Department
Paul J. Watson, Ph.D.
Faculty members in the UTC Psychology Department are dedicated teachers who make the educational development of students their top priority. Our faculty has created a curriculum that not only helps students develop essential competencies in psychology, but also encourages them to be enthusiastic about learning and to maintain a commitment to life-long growth and development.
At the undergraduate level, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree gives students a sophisticated grounding in the processes and discoveries of the scientific method as it is used in contemporary Psychology. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree gives other students an opportunity to explore psychological issues using non-scientific methodologies. The attractiveness of these degree offerings is confirmed in the fact that the Psychology major is among the most popular on our campus. Many of our students graduate and move directly into the world of business or of public service. These graduates have the enhanced opportunities for success that are associated with a strong liberal arts education. Others graduate with a B.S. degree and enter graduate programs in psychology, pursuing careers in applied psychological areas like Industrial/Organizational, Clinical, and School Psychology and in basic scientific areas of the discipline like Social, Developmental, and Physiological Psychology. Some of our B.A. graduates also decide to enter more advanced areas of study, with some, for example, moving on to seminary.
Two Masters level degree programs are offered by the Psychology Department as well. Students in our Industrial/Organizational Psychology program receive the classroom and real-world experiences that will allow them to graduate and fulfill important roles in work organizations. Many of these graduates decide instead to pursue a doctorate degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Students in our Research Masters program work closely with a faculty mentor and take coursework that allows them to use scientific methods to explore a wide range of issues in Psychology, including, for example, questions in Psychology and the Law, Cognitive Psychology, the Psychology of Religion, Personality and Social Psychology, and Health Psychology, to mention only some of the more prominent examples. Graduates of our Research Masters program often move from UTC into a Ph.D. program at another university. Graduates from both of our Masters programs have received doctorates and currently teach at other universities.
Beyond these degree programs, the Psychology Department tries to enhance the learning experience of students in all kinds of ways. Many department faculty members maintain active research programs in which both undergraduate and graduate students often collaborate. It is not unusual for students to be coauthors of papers published in professional journals. In addition, undergraduate and graduate Psychology students often have their Provost Research proposals funded in a competitive campus-wide program. They also frequently present their research at professional conferences. As dedicated researchers, our faculty members, some with international reputations in their areas of expertise, work hard to bring an enthusiasm for the research process into the classroom. Our students also publish a journal. Modern Psychological Studies is an annual publication of the Psychology Department that is completely edited by our advanced undergraduate students. Other students take advantage of mental health related practicum experiences in the wider community. The Department also tries to honor its best students through the Psi Chi Honorary Society. In all of these activities and more, the goal of the Psychology Department is to present students with as broad and as enriching a learning experience as possible.
The Psychology Department is located in 350 Holt Hall. Students are always welcomed. Please come visit with us and talk about your interests in Psychology.
