Undergraduate Overview

Psychology is the science of behavior. Courses in psychology provide an understanding of the social and biological bases of behavior, proficiency in scientific methods and statistics, knowledge of the factors influencing behavior, insight into the applicability of psychological principles to everyday problems, and familiarity with many core areas of knowledge, including conditioning and learning, personality, social behavior, psychopathology and therapy, human development, health, stress and coping, gender, race and ethnicity, sensation and perception, language, memory, and individual differences.

Psychology is a fundamental component of a liberal arts education. Individuals who have majored or minored in psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have found employment in a wide variety of occupations in business, education, and the social services or have gone on to graduate or professional school.

About our Undergraduate Program

Students who would like to declare the psychology major must complete Psych 101, our introductory course, and at least 15 university credits. When you declare the major, a faculty member will be designated to serve as your advisor for the major. This person can help you navigate course requirements in psychology and can provide advice about graduate school and potential career paths. Students who complete the psychology major take classes in statistics, research methods, and the physiological bases of behavior, along with other discipline-specific classes of their choice (e.g., developmental psychology, perception, abnormal psychology, psychopharmacology and addiction, psychology of aging). Altogether, students must complete 33 credits in psychology based on requirements outlined in our major checklist.

Psychology majors can also take advantage of special opportunities available in the department. For instance, students interested in graduate school or a research-oriented career might get involved with one of our faculty-directed research labs. Our students also benefit from taking advantage of the Field Placement opportunity. This is our version of the internship and permits students to step out of the classroom and get some real-world experience with a company or organization that has a psychology-relevant mission. The Field Placement is a great way to determine whether a specific career path is right for you and may help you secure a position after graduation (e.g., if the position you apply for requires some relevant work experience). Please see our program handbook for additional information about these opportunities.

Psychology is also a fantastic minor that pairs well with several other areas of specialization. To graduate with a psychology minor, you must complete 18 credits in psychology, beginning with Psych 101, our introductory class. Details about the minor requirements can be found in our checklist.

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