Psychology students at Westminster benefit from exceptional research opportunities and expert faculty. Thanks to our close partnership with Fulton State Hospital, the only residential forensic psychiatric hospital in Missouri, students learn from psychologists in fields such as Forensic Psychology.
In addition, psychology students at Westminster have the opportunity to do lots of independent research as an undergraduate (no graduate students to steal all the resources and professors' time!). We take students on an all-expenses paid trip to at least one conference a year to present their research projects. We have an excellent track record of students winning awards at these conferences. Getting this experience as an undergraduate puts our students in a great position for job applications and grad school applications.
The Department of Psychology offers both a major and a minor in psychology.
Westminster is one of few colleges and universities to offer Forensic Psychology at the undergraduate level. Other thought-provoking coursework includes raising a virtual child —make decisions about how to raise your child from birth to age 18, and then see how your kid behaves as an adult!
“I learned on a deeper level how important it is to be compassionate towards others through my internship at Fulton State Hospital.”
Tiffany Crawford 2017, currently a Community Support Specialist at Preferred Family Healthcare
Jobs for psychology majors are expected to grow “much faster than average” through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Westminster psych majors often enter prestigious grad programs at schools such as Harvard, Vanderbilt, and Washington University. Recent graduates are in grad school at Texas Tech University, University of Central Florida, University of Missouri, Belmont University, St. Louis University
Psychology is defined as the science of mental processes and behavior. The Department of Psychology offers both a major and a minor in psychology. The courses that comprise the psychology minor are designed to acquaint you with the systematic and quantitative demands of scientific thought, as well as to ensure that you will be able to comprehend human behavior from cognitive, environmental, and biological perspectives.
Yes!! All students do at least two complete psychology projects as part of the major curriculum. During these projects, you will work with a team to generate a research question, work with participants, and analyze and present your results. You also have the option to complete a year-long senior thesis, where you conduct an independent research project and pursue your specific area of interest within psychology. Many students present their work at conferences, which gives you a leg up on job and grad school applications. You also have the option to intern at a wide variety of sites in mid-Missouri or elsewhere. Recent internship sites include Fulton State Hospital, Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, Mizzou Sleep Lab, and Burrell Behavioral Health.
Some of our students attend graduate school to become psychologists in fields such as clinical, counseling, social, industrial/organizational, developmental, and cognitive psychologists. Others pursue related graduate training in fields such as social work, school counseling, occupational therapy, psychiatric nursing, ministry, marriage & family therapy, and medicine. Many of our students get jobs in fields that do not require graduate school, such as human resources, marketing, sales, management, and social services. Regardless of what career you choose, the experiential learning you’ll experience will put you on a track to success!
Our alumni have an amazing variety of careers! Recent graduates who have finished their education are employed at Playabilities for Sensational Kids, Women’s Center for Advancement, University of Missouri, Direct Trust, J.B. Hunt Transport, Community Service Board of Middle Georgia, The Mentor Network, Armed Forces Services Corporation, Veterans United Home Loans, Lindenwood University, Distinctive Schools, FCC Behavioral Health, Eagleton Brown Investment Group, Colarelli Meyers & Associates, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Easterseals Midwest, Compass Health Network, Cerner Corporation, Speranza Therapeutics, Taxfix, Schumacher Clinical Partners, Olsson, Federal Aviation Administration, Simple Empathy, Great Circle, OneSpace, Zimmer Biomet.
Some of the most popular minors (or double-majors) for psychology students are biology, Spanish, education, business, and English. The nonprofit management and Spanish certificates are also popular with our students. You are not required to get a minor or certificate.
At Westminster College, you can take courses that usually are not offered at the undergraduate level! Examples include positive psychology, psychology of religion, international & cross-cultural psychology, stereotypes & social conflict, forensic psychology, addictive disorders, human sexual behavior, adult development & aging, and industrial-organizational psychology.
