Nebraska Wesleyan University
Psychology Department
Majors
- Biopsychology (in conjunction with the Biology Department) (BS)
- Psychology (BS and BA)
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology (BS)
Minors
- Psychology
Opportunities
Help a rat win gold at the Extreme Rat Challenge.
- Apply learning principles by teaching rats to perform designated behaviors.
- Coach your rat to compete in the nationally recognized Extreme Rat Challenge—sort of a track meet/obstacle course for rats. (We've made ESPN's Sports Center!)
Follow your interests through independent research.
- Design and implement your own research project.
- Present your research at conferences and publish in undergraduate journals.
- Instead of students helping professors do their research, at Wesleyan, professors help you do your own research.
- Use rats or mice to study topics such as the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain and the impact of stress on learning.
Show what you know at Wesleyan's Psychology Fair.
- Demonstrate psychological principles for 1,200 high school students each year.
Attend the annual Fawl Lecture.
- Meet major figures in the field of psychology through this lecture series.
Learn in specialized labs.
- Witness the intriguing things our five senses do to make sense of the world in our Perceptions Lab.
- Learn and practice basic counseling skills with mock clients using video and "bug in the ear" equipment in our Counseling Lab.
- Read your own EEG sleep brain wave patterns after a night in our Sleep Lab.
Get "real world" experience in practicum.
- Experience the mental health field in an actual setting where mental health care is provided.
- Observe children's developmental stages as a part of a class on child and adolescent development.
Careers and Outcomes
General psychology majors become:
- professional helpers (e.g., mental health therapists, forensic psychologist, etc.)
- University professors teaching and researching in specialty areas of psychology such as social, developmental, experimental, clinical and behavioral neuroscience
Biopsychology majors work in:
- psychiatry
- university teaching
- research
Industrial/Organizational psychology majors go on to:
- graduate school in Industrial/Organizational psychology
- psychology practice that evaluates and enhances the workplace environment
Earn your Wesleyan degree with confidence for the future.
- Approximately 85 % of psychology majors enter graduate school in psychology within three years of graduation.
Department-related Activities
- Psychology Club: an active group of psychology students who meet to discuss psychology issues including graduate school possibilities.
- Psi Chi, psychology honorary
Fast Facts
- Maybe you've seen us on Sports Center. We're the home of the Extreme Rat Challenge.
- Our faculty includes two Margret J. Prouty Teaching Award recipients.
- Professors and students meet for lunch every week to talk shop.
- We're here to help your research—not to put you to work on ours.
Sample First-year Class Schedule
Psychology Major
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science or PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| IDS 1: Liberal Arts Seminar | 3 | hrs |
| COMM 1: Fundamentals of Speech | 3 | hrs |
| General Education or Electives | 6-7 | hrs |
| 15-16 | hrs | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| ENG 1: English Language and Writing | 3 | hrs |
| HHP 15: Health and Wellness | 2 | hrs |
| General Education or Electives | 8-9 | hrs |
| 16-17 | hrs |
Biopsychology Major
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science or PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| BIO 50: General Biology of Plants | 4 | hrs |
| BIO 50: General Biology of Plants | 3 | hrs |
| CHEM 51L: Chemical Principles Lab | 1 | hrs |
| IDS 1: Liberal Arts Seminar | 3 | hrs |
| COMM. 1: Fundamentals of Speech | 3 | hrs |
| 17 | hrs | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science or PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| CHEM 120: Organic Chemistry I | 3 | hrs |
| CHEM 120L: Organic Lab | 1 | hrs |
| ENG 1: English Language and Writing | 3 | hrs |
| HHP 15: Health and Wellness | 2 | hrs |
| Mathematics Requirement | 3-4 | hrs |
| 15-16 | hrs |
Industrial/Organizational Psychology Major
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science or PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| IDS 1: Liberal Arts Seminar | 3 | hrs |
| COMM 1: Fundamentals of Speech | 3 | hrs |
| General Education Requirements | 6-7 | hrs |
| 15-16 | hrs | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSYCH 1: Basic Psychological Science or PSYCH 2: Applied Psychological Science |
3 | hrs |
| BUSAD 100: Principles of Management | 3 | hrs |
| ENG 1: English Language and Writing | 3 | hrs |
| General Education or Electives | 6-7 | hrs |
| 15-16 | hrs |
* The above schedules are samples. There are other ways to attain the same objectives. For more information regarding coursework and requirements, contact the department or refer to the course catalog.
Contacts
Psychology Department Chair
Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Jerry Bockoven
402.465.2433
800.541.3818 ext. 2433
jnb@nebrwesleyan.edu