My Major at HPU: Psychology

The Psychology program welcomes all those interested in learning about human behavior and how it is studied. The B.S. in psychology provides students with broad exposure to various topical areas in psychology and allows students the flexibility to choose courses based on their interests within psychology.

Students must complete a set of core requirements, all of which are rigorous and grounded in the principles and methods of basic science. Beyond these core courses, however, students have a great deal of choice in the kinds of academic experiences they have.

Students secure internships to obtain hands-on experience in a field of the student’s choice, or enroll in our Undergraduate Research course that allows them to conduct original research under the guidance of a faculty member. Students of psychology at High Point University can expect to receive individualized attention from faculty members and the freedom to pursue their long-term goals in a supportive and flexible academic environment.

Visit the Website for Psychology

Experiential Learning

IN THE CLASSROOM
Students majoring or minoring in Psychology participate in hands-on activities. Examples include:

Introduction to Psychology students participate in a hands-on demonstration of pro-social, helping behaviors, which is part of a discussion on Social psychology
Abnormal Psychology students do an end-of-semester “Clinical Case Presentation” on a character from a movie that has a psychological disorder

INTERNSHIPS

A number of our students elect to complete an internship while at High Point University. These experiences provide students with the opportunity to obtain valuable job-relevant experience. In recent years, HPU psychology majors have completed internships in a wide variety of settings where psychological knowledge is applied every day.

Our students have used behavioral modification techniques to help autistic children function more effectively in their daily lives.
They have employed their research and data analysis skills at Bowman Gray School of Medicine to study the factors that help cancer patients cope with their illness.
They have worked at the Center for Creative Leadership, an internationally recognized leadership development and research organization.
They have worked at the FBI headquarters constructing profiles that will help law enforcement agencies distinguish real and fake threat letters.
They have worked for a Certified Forensic Psychologist, learning about a psychologist’s role in the justice system.
They have worked with gerontologists and social workers providing services to patients with advanced forms of Alzheimer’s disease.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

The faculty of the Psychology Department at High Point University are actively engaged in research in their fields and provide valuable one-on-one experience with students. Experiences may include literature review, development of materials and procedures, data collection, entry, and analysis, and presentation. Many students have presented their work at regional and national conferences. Some examples of student research:

Attending the annual SRCD conference in Philadelphia. This was a Psi Chi (international honor society of psychology) event that approximately 12 students attended.
Psychology major Ashlee Branch presented research at the annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) conference held in Austin, Texas. Read more.
Psychology majors volunteered at the fourth annual Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s National Memory Screening Day in High Point. Read more.
Nineteen students completed a cross-cultural psychology course with a 16-day “Maymester” experience through six western European countries. The course provided students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of psychological theories and concepts to cultures other than their own. As they traveled through the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy students were required to complete various field experiences aimed at understanding cultural variations in aesthetics, language, social interaction patterns and relationships. Read more.

Career Opportunities

Psychology majors at High Point University receive more than just a solid education. They also receive practical training through their research, internships and participation in professional meetings. Many of our graduates are currently pursuing masters and/or doctoral degrees in:

Neuroscience
Social Psychology
Social Work
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Communication
School Psychology
School Counseling

Caitlin Hines, ’14 – Pursuing her M.B.A. in the Communications Strategy tract at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter “HPU helped me get here by having amazing faculty and staff that motivated me to succeed. Not only were professors always helpful and pleasant, but nearly any member of the HPU family was courteous, joyful and an amazing role model.”

Psychology courses provide students with training in critical thinking and analytic skills. Our program provides students with a range of skills and abilities including, a broad knowledge base in psychology, research methods and statistical skills, thinking and problem solving skills, information acquisition and synthesis skills, computer literacy, communication and intrapersonal skills, and adaptability.

Click here to learn more about career opportunities for psychology majors.

Faculty

The faculty in the Department of Psychology actively participate in research such as:

a study on the cognitive effects behind interpreting words with multiple meanings
studying the behavioral characteristics of children with a rare neurodevelopmental disorder
“Examining the Impact of Risk Regulation and Destiny vs. Growth Beliefs on Perceptions of Romantic Comedies,” a poster presented at the annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference held in Long Beach, California.
publication entitled, “Accuracy of the Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire and Pain Disability Index in the Detection of Malingered Pain-Related Disability in Chronic Pain,” which appeared in The Clinical Neuropsychologist.

Learn more about our distinguished faculty.