Academic Advising (at Purchase College)
Purchase College students declaring a Psychology major can email the current Psychology Department chair to declare the major and be assigned an adviser. Students may also ask individual Psychology faculty members to serve as their adviser if they have spots available. To declare a major, you should have your proposed adviser sign this form (click here).
I encourage you to email me or stop by my office any other time during the semester if you have questions, want to discuss your academic or career plans, or want a piece of candy. Below are links to information and forms specific to the Purchase College Psychology major.
ADVISING WEEK
One week of every semester is dedicated to academic advising, though many advisers (such as myself) spread out advising over multiple weeks. At this meeting, we review proposed course schedule for the next semester and students receive their advising PIN in order to register for classes.
For more general information and resources relating to being a Psychology major, click here to access a general undergraduate resources site.
I encourage you to email me or stop by my office any other time during the semester if you have questions, want to discuss your academic or career plans, or want a piece of candy. Below are links to information and forms specific to the Purchase College Psychology major.
ADVISING WEEK
One week of every semester is dedicated to academic advising, though many advisers (such as myself) spread out advising over multiple weeks. At this meeting, we review proposed course schedule for the next semester and students receive their advising PIN in order to register for classes.
For more general information and resources relating to being a Psychology major, click here to access a general undergraduate resources site.
Psychology Career and College Planning
Psychology majors go on to a variety of careers, many of which require Master's or Doctoral degrees. Fortunately, many graduate programs in Psychology do not have specific course pre-requisites for admission, though this can vary by program AND some courses may still be highly desirable for some programs. One popular exception to keep in mind is adolescent education: This requires a Bachelor's and Master's degree in NYS, one in Education and one in a specific content area (and Psychology is not a content area). If you are considering going into adolescent education, you may want to double-major in an applicable content area.
There are also many careers related to Psychology that do not require a Psychology major. For example, for many Master's-level graduate programs in Social Work, Forensic Psychology, or Art/Dance Therapy, for example, a minor in Psychology may allow you to complete any pre-requisite courses while completing a different, relevant major (such as Sociology, Legal Studies, Visual Arts, Dance, etc). Those interested in early childhood education may similarly earn the Early Childhood Development certificate through completing a tailored Psychology minor (and one additional course) while pursuing a different major.
Follow @PurchPsychJobs on Twitter to get notices about jobs, internships, and other Psych-related opportunities.
There are also many careers related to Psychology that do not require a Psychology major. For example, for many Master's-level graduate programs in Social Work, Forensic Psychology, or Art/Dance Therapy, for example, a minor in Psychology may allow you to complete any pre-requisite courses while completing a different, relevant major (such as Sociology, Legal Studies, Visual Arts, Dance, etc). Those interested in early childhood education may similarly earn the Early Childhood Development certificate through completing a tailored Psychology minor (and one additional course) while pursuing a different major.
Follow @PurchPsychJobs on Twitter to get notices about jobs, internships, and other Psych-related opportunities.
College Courses
To determine your course schedule, you will want to ensure you are meeting your core requirements in addition to the Psychology major requirements.
On MyHeliotrope, you can access your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to see what requirements you have fulfilled. If you have not yet officially declared Psychology as your major, you can click the "What If" button to generate a new DPR listing Psychology as your major to temporarily see what requirements you have fulfilled. At any time, you can also enter in your proposed schedule for the next semester to see what requirements those courses would fulfill toward your graduation. For a guide to using the DPR with screen-shots, you can click here.
For longer term planning, you can download the Psychology Major 8-semester plan (available here) to roughly map out your four years at Purchase.
You can choose electives according to your interests or career goals, but should keep in mind that rising third-year students have a minimum four-semester sequence of classes (Research Methods I, Research Methods II, Senior Project I, Senior Project II) and will need to plan ahead in their sophomore year if they wish to study abroad without delaying their graduation.
On MyHeliotrope, you can access your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to see what requirements you have fulfilled. If you have not yet officially declared Psychology as your major, you can click the "What If" button to generate a new DPR listing Psychology as your major to temporarily see what requirements you have fulfilled. At any time, you can also enter in your proposed schedule for the next semester to see what requirements those courses would fulfill toward your graduation. For a guide to using the DPR with screen-shots, you can click here.
For longer term planning, you can download the Psychology Major 8-semester plan (available here) to roughly map out your four years at Purchase.
You can choose electives according to your interests or career goals, but should keep in mind that rising third-year students have a minimum four-semester sequence of classes (Research Methods I, Research Methods II, Senior Project I, Senior Project II) and will need to plan ahead in their sophomore year if they wish to study abroad without delaying their graduation.
Psychology Enrichment
- Academic Internships in areas relating to Psychology can earn between 1-4 credits and can get you valuable job experience and insights into potential careers. Students are responsible for acquiring their own internships which can be hosted on-campus or off-campus. Students must have the internship site/supervisor approved by the Career Development Center and register with the faculty member sponsoring internships for the current semester (your academic adviser can let you know who that is). Click here for more information on internships.
- Psych Club is an active and popular student-led club that holds frequent activities and meetings throughout the semester. You can follow them on Instagram to keep up with current events at PurchPsychClub
- Einstein's Corner often employs Psychology students who can provide tutoring for the research methods sequence, research writing, and some electives. This is a great resource for part-time employment and/or help.
- Psychology Learning Assistants are often a part of lower-level courses, in addition to the Research Methods sequence. These are students who have taken the class and are able to provide academic and moral support to current students. The selection of learning assistants varies by instructor and course, and students are always welcome to reach out and express to their instructor that they are interested in serving as a Learning Assistant for a completed course. Learning Assistants typically sign up for a 4-credit learning assistantship, which counts toward graduation, but not as a Psychology elective.
- Psychology Research Assistants are typically students in their second or third years who want to begin gaining lab experience prior to their senior project. Interested students should contact the instructor they are interested in to determine whether there is an opportunity to work in their lab. Students can register for a research assistantship "course" (1-4 credits), which counts toward graduation, but not as a Psychology elective
- The Natural & Social Sciences Senior Symposium is an annual conference in which seniors can present their senior projects through poster presentations or in a research talk.
- The SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC) is a SUNY-wide conference in which students present their research through poster presentations or in a research talk. In past years, the School of Natural & Social Sciences has funded conference registration fees and provided travel and lodging for students presenting at the conference.
- Psi Chi is the International Honors Society in Psychology. The Purchase chapter invites potentially eligible students annually. Eligibility is based on credits, coursework, and GPA. The Purchase Psi Chi chapter does not hold regular meetings, but occasionally sponsors or co-sponsors activities, such as invited guest talks.
- Undergraduate Research Grants are funds that support students' mandatory, year-long senior projects. Funds are used to purchase equipment or to pay participants. If funds are needed, faculty sponsors are currently responsible for applying for URG funding on behalf of their students.
- Suzanne Kessler Psychology Grants are funds available to students to defray the cost of registration to national research conferences or other costs to support students interested in pursuing graduate research in Psychology. If you are interested in attending a conference or in some other opportunity, discuss this with your senior sponsor and/or academic adviser to see whether this funding is available.