Focus Areas within Psychology
If you are interested in a particular area of psychology, or even think you might be interested, you should talk to faculty in that area. You may find out the research area of each faculty member by consulting the faculty research summaries. Try to do this as early in your career as possible so you can discuss which courses to take, job possibilities, etc.
Note that the Department of Psychology does not require that you specialize in a particular area within psychology, but you are required to take a course in at least three of the different areas listed below.
Clinical psychology is the most popular area of psychology. Most clinical psychologists work with people who are in emotional or psychological distress, helping them cope with their problems by providing psychotherapy. Depending upon their graduate training, clinical psychologists may provide therapy to individuals or groups, and they may work primarily with specific populations of clients (e.g., children, people undergoing drug rehabilitation, people with heart disease, etc.).
As an alternative to providing therapy, some clinical psychologists work toward providing supportive environments for people in emotional or psychological distress. Clinical psychologists are also trained to administer a wide variety of tests for assessment purposes, such as tests for diagnosing depression or ADHD, tests of intelligence, personality inventories, and neuropsychological tests of brain function.
As noted earlier, clinical psychologists receive their training in graduate school. Thus, you will not learn how to do therapy at the baccalaureate level. What you can do at this level is prepare yourself for graduate training in clinical psychology or a related field. Both the BA and BS are suitable for pursuing graduate work; most of our majors in this area of specialization opt for the BA degree.
If you are planning to do graduate work in clinical psychology, we strongly recommend that you take PSYC 3080 (Introduction to Clinical Psychology), PSYC 4050 (Abnormal Psychology), and PSYC 4060 (Behavior Pathology in Children). Depending upon the area of clinical psychology you find most interesting, you may want to take PSYC 3030 (Psychology of Child Development), PSYC 3040 (Psychology of Adolescence), PSYC 3110 (Social Psychology), or PSYC 4150 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality). Talk to your advisor or a clinical faculty member about the courses that would best meet your needs.
If you are interested in becoming a therapist but aren’t sure that you want to get a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, you should consider getting a graduate degree in counseling psychology, school psychology, marriage and family therapy, or social work. See Psychotherapist Graduate Training Options.
Based on your interests in clinical psychology or in a related discipline, you should take courses in other departments that would prove beneficial. If, for example, you see yourself going into health psychology, a course in exercise physiology (EXSC 3600) or the psychological aspects of fitness and exercise (SM 3660) may be worth taking. Or, if you plan to do family therapy, there are courses in sociology (SOC 3610, 4610) and in human development and family studies (HDFS 2020, 3250) that you should consider. Check with a faculty member whose interests mirror yours to find out what non-psychology courses would be good to take – and make sure that you’ve had the necessary prerequisites before you sign up for them.
A graduate degree, either at the master’s or doctoral level, is necessary to become a therapist. There are two types of doctoral level degrees: Ph.D. and Psy.D. Ph.D. programs emphasize research more than Psy.D. and master’s programs. Thus, taking PSYC 3700 (Quantitative Methods II) is useful (but not necessary) for getting into Ph.D. programs, but less so for Psy.D. or master’s programs. If you are interested in becoming a faculty member at a college or university, you’ll need a Ph.D. With only a bachelor’s degree, you are still eligible for jobs such as a case manager at a social service agency or a research assistant at a university or medical center. The former are easier to come by than the latter.
The interdisciplinary field of cognitive science offers numerous opportunities for the student majoring in psychology. Cognitive Science represents an attempt to understand mental processes using insights derived from cognitive psychology, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy and other fields. Numerous practical applications are being found as a result of this inquiry, for example in the design of human/computer interfaces, in the application of what we know about learning and memory to K-12 and undergraduate education, in the refinement of computerized speech recognition devices, and in the development of computerized expert systems and artificial intelligence.
If you’re interested in studying how the mind processes information, you should take PSYC 3020 (Introduction to Cognitive Science), which also provides a good background for the 3000-level lab courses: PSYC 3210 (Cognitive Psychology I: Learning and Memory) and PSYC 3220 (Cognitive Psychology II: Thinking and Problem Solving). Other psychology classes that are relevant for someone interested in cognitive science are PSYC 3330 (Cognitive Neuroscience) lab class and PSYC 3600 (Psychology of Language). Although it is not a content course in cognitive science, PSYC 3700 (Quantitative Methods II) is also recommended.
Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field, there are many courses offered in other departments that would nicely complement your psychology courses. Depending upon what your particular interests are, you may want to take courses in philosophy, such as those in logic, reasoning and philosophy of mind; courses in computer science, where you learn programming, interface design, and elements of artificial intelligence; or courses in communication disorders (CDIS), such as language acquisition, acoustics, and the anatomy and physiology of speech mechanisms. Math classes beyond calculus, such as linear algebra and probability and statistics may also prove to be extremely useful. Talk to a faculty member in the area for advice about which courses to take.
Cognitive scientists typically work in colleges or universities, teaching and doing research. Jobs are also available in the private sector (e.g., Microsoft, Boeing) and the government (e.g., the military, FAA) for cognitive scientists with applied research interests. For the jobs just described, a graduate degree is necessary, and a Ph.D. is needed for the highest-level jobs. There are some job possibilities for the student with a baccalaureate degree in this area, most likely as an assistant in a research laboratory. Research laboratories in some universities sometimes employ research assistants, but, more often, such positions are found in industry or with a government agency.
Developmental psychologists are interested in how people change throughout the lifespan. All aspects of development are studied, including biological, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural factors that contribute to developmental outcomes. Until recently, this field focused primarily on childhood and adolescence. But as life expectancy has increased worldwide, developmental psychologists have become increasingly interested in adulthood and aging. Developmental psychologists are interested both in understanding people at different stages of life and in improving outcomes for children and adults. Courses and research opportunities that span all these aspects of developmental psychology are available in our department.
PSYC 3100 is the broadest course in this area, presenting an overview of development across the entire lifespan. PSYC 3030 (Child Development), PSYC 3040 (Adolescent Development), and PSYC 3090 (Adult Development and Aging) all take a closer look at a particular age range. Each of these courses presents both descriptive content (what a person of a particular age is like) as well as major theories that attempt to explain why individuals act as they do.
For those students who would like to gain more experience in this area, PSYC 3290 (Laboratory in Developmental Psychology) offers research experience in this field and PSYC 4060 (Developmental Psychopathology) offers a more clinical approach to developmental psychology.
Several departments outside of Psychology offer courses which are tremendously relevant to this area. Notably, courses in Sociology (SOC 3410, SOC 3610, and SOC 4040) and HDFS will be of interest to students focusing on this topic.
Students pursue coursework in Developmental Psychology with a variety of goals in mind. Some are interested in continuing to graduate study in this field. A Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology prepares you for university level teaching and research in this field. Other students find that an undergraduate background in Developmental Psychology prepares them for graduate study in counseling (with an emphasis on children or families), in education, or in social services. Still others find that coursework in this area, while not germane to their career goals, helps them to better understand individual differences among people, a useful skill in many jobs, and prepares them for having their own children in the future!
Jobs are available for those with a BA or BS in developmental psychology in childcare settings, preschools, senior citizen centers, after school programs, as well as in some community mental health and social services settings.
Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists apply psychological principles and research methods to the workplace and other organizations with the applied goal of improving productivity and the quality of work life. I-O psychologists may be interested in the best way for a company to screen job applicants to make the right hiring decision, or in ways for a business to keep employees happy and productive at work.
The psychology department at BGSU has one of the top I-O programs in the country. To find out about the field of I-O psychology, you should take PSYC 3500 (Survey of Industrial-Organizational Psychology). We also offer the lab class PSYC 3580 (Psychology of the Workplace). If you are interested in pursuing graduate work in this field, it also is recommended that you take PSYC 3700 (Quantitative Methods II).
Outside of the psychology department, there are many other courses that can complement your studies in I-O psychology. As I-O psychologists tend to use a lot of sophisticated statistics in their work, you should consider taking advanced statistics and math courses. Moreover, there are several management courses (MGMT 3050, 3600, 4540) that are quite relevant, and coursework in Economics or Interpersonal Communication might be helpful. Some I-O students who are planning to work in business or in industry find a business minor to be especially good preparation.
A Ph.D. in psychology is necessary for getting a job in academia, whether in a psychology department or a department of management. Outside of academia, many I-O psychologists work in large corporations as human resources specialists, helping organizations with hiring, employee development and training. Others work for consulting firms that organizations contract with to serve as management consultants in such areas as strategic planning, quality management, and coping with organizational change. These jobs require a master’s or Ph.D. degree in psychology; those with the most responsibility require the higher degree.
Some of the most exciting discoveries in the study of behavior over the past decade have been in the field of neuroscience, the study of the neural processes and systems that underlie behavior. Neuroscience researchers work with animals and use a variety of techniques to understand how the brain works. Among these are “knocking out” parts of the brain to see how the system behaves, recording electrical activity from single nerve cells as the animal performs a task, administering pharmaceuticals that can enhance or inhibit certain types of neural communication, and studying animals that have been genetically altered so that their brains cannot use specific chemical messengers. Neuroscientists in our department study the brain mechanisms that are involved in attention, emotions, learning and memory, and social behavior.
The best way to get an overview of the field is to take PSYC 3300 (Introduction to Neuroscience), which also provides an excellent background for the two neuroscience-focused 3000-level lab courses, PSYC 3320 (Neuroscience of Emotions) and PSYC 3330 (Cognitive Neuroscience). Other psychology courses of interest include one that focuses on drugs, the brain, and behavior (PSYC 3310), one that focuses on the interplay of genetics and environment on the structure and function of the brain (PSYC 3340), another that concentrates on hormones and behavior (PSYC 3350), and another that focuses on brain function and the legal system (PSYC 3360).
As you might imagine, a neuroscientist ought to be familiar with neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and pharmacology so we recommend taking relevant courses in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. Because of the number and level of science courses you would take, we recommend that students interested in neuroscience pursue the BS degree.
This area of psychology will be of particular interest if you are considering a career in basic research as a neuroscientist, or in clinical research as part of an interdisciplinary team (with biochemists, neurologists, physiologists, pharmacologists, etc.). Graduate training in psychology, or a related discipline, is a prerequisite for such a career.
There are some job possibilities for the student with a BS in this concentration, most likely as an assistant in a research laboratory. Research laboratories in some universities sometimes employ research assistants, but, more often, such positions are found in private industry (e.g., a pharmaceutical company) or in a governmental agency.
BGSU also offers a major in Neuroscience, an interdisciplinary program drawing from common interests in the psychology and biology departments. Please consult with the Neuroscience Advisor to see if that degree program, rather than psychology, best meets your needs and goals.
Social psychologists study how people’s thoughts and behaviors are influenced by interactions with other people. They are interested in social relationships with others, with groups, and with society as a whole. For example, their research helps us understand how people form attitudes about other people, and when these attitudes are harmful—as in the case of prejudice—and suggests ways to change them.
Our department offers a small number of courses that focus on social psychology, namely PSYC 3110 (Social Psychology) and PSYC 3130 (Research in Social Psychology). If you are interested in exploring this area more, you should consider appropriate courses offered in other departments. For example, courses in Sociology (especially SOC 1010 and 3010) and Communication (COMM 2030, 3030) may be relevant depending on your interests.
Most careers related to social psychology require a Ph.D. degree, although a smaller number of related jobs may be available for students with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Social psychologists can find jobs in academic institutions, where they teach and conduct research in departments of business, education, health sciences, justice studies, law, medicine, political science, and psychology. Furthermore, their skills are often attractive to employers in the fields of advertising, business, community mental health, government, human resources, law, non-profit organizations, political strategy, technological design and so on.
Updated: 02/14/2025 03:04PM